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Community Corner

VIDEO: Archaeology Site on Old Colchester

Spending some time at the site shows the abundance of history just below the surface

Anyone who lives in Lorton knows that history is all around us. From Gunston Hall to Pohick Church to the transformation of the former prison site that is the Workhouse Arts Center and Laurel Hill Golf Course, residents have access to stories that date back hundreds of years.

But as anyone who’s seen Raiders of the Lost Ark can tell you, history is not just before our eyes and at our fingertips, it is beneath our feet. Even here in Lorton. Correction, especially here in Lorton.

A couple of decades back some archaeological students at George Mason were working in the area depicted on the map shown above when they discovered clues that confirmed what many local historian already knew: Mason Neck, and the Old Colchester area specifically, was once a vibrant economic hub, a fact that its current state as a residential area might belie. In the 1700s it was key port for the delivery of tobacco and other commodities to Europe.

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Fast forward to the 2000s and the site, having changed hands more than a few times over the years, was being looked at for further archaeological study. Funding became available through lands-to-parks funds generated by work happening at the Vulcan quarry and serious study began last fall. Studies will continue on the 140-acre site through 2012.

Join Historic Field Director Christopher Sperling as he gives a video tour and helps explain what it all means.

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Note: If you’re interested in volunteering, contact the team at their blog at http://cartarchaeology.blogspot.com/

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