Findings from Archaeological Dig at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site – 2021

Archeologist shows visitors an artifact found at the site

NPS/Photo

In partnership with the National Park Service, the First Colony Foundation conducted fieldwork at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in September, October, and December of 2021. The excavations focused on the area west of the Fort Raleigh earthwork, where previous excavations discovered evidence of the metallurgist workshop and science center of German metallurgist Joachim Gans and the English scientist Thomas Harriot.

The 2021 fieldwork expanded previous excavations related to structures built in 1585-86 by a military expedition. Damage from farming, utility trenches, and other human activity over the last four hundred years present challenges to archeological work on this site. The area is a complex puzzle and previous explanations of the site vary. The work in 2021 incorporated both old and new finds to reveal a holistic understanding of what the English built on this site over four hundred years ago.

Artifacts found in the area at the same soil depth are revealing. Among the items found were crucibles, antimony, fired brick, and ceramic scorifier which indicate Gans’ search for metals. Other artifacts including ointment jars, seeds, plant material, olive jars, and native pottery show Harriot’s use of the workshop.

Artifacts found include (from left to right): a fragment of a Spanish olive jar, a piece of Native Roanoke pottery, and part of a ceramic scorifier used in metallurgy.

Eric Deetz, First Colony Foundation

Archeologists work in an excavation pit

NPS/Photo

Artifacts are only part of the picture archaeologists uncover during an excavation. Analysis of soil color and texture can reveal features that help tell a story of the people who lived and worked there. In past excavations, soil features allowed archaeologists to identify a structure of the Gans-Harriot workshop and surrounding protective earthworks.

The 2021 fieldwork was finally able to piece together information to provide a more complete understanding of the structures that were built. An eight-foot square watchtower was uncovered, upon which the English could look for approaching ships. The watchtower was connected by a light wooden wall to a large rectangular workshop where Gans and Harriot worked. Through a fascinating process, archeologists determined slight phases in the building’s construction. One phase included a doorway that was moved as well as a drainage ditch constructed after the workshop was built. The ditch along with the changing location of the doorway suggests there was flooding that impacted work going on in the area.

Archeologists analyzed various pits found in the floor of the watchtower. Through a meticulous study of the site, archeologists determined that the three circular firepits were installed after the 1585-86 military expedition left the island. One possible explanation is that the 1587 colony or native men left by Manteo constructed the firepits to heat the watchtower. There is no way to know, yet the three firepits make one wonder if somebody heated the tower three winters to watch for the return of Governor John White.

This excavation is one of many conducted at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site that help interpret the stories of the past. With the understanding of the science workshop and area surrounding the earthen fort restoration, the archeological work will expand beyond this area to investigate prospective sites related to the 1587 Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.