Low Lake Levels Lead to Historic Find - 1800's Plantation

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Low Lake Levels Lead to Historic Find

Posted: Aug. 29, 2007

The ongoing drought may have led to a historic find in Falls Lake. Lower water levels revealed the foundations of several buildings thought to be part of a plantation from the early 1800s.

A class project at the North Carolina School of Science and Math led to the discovery. Now, students from the school get to help with the archeological study.

The students are combing the ruins looking for anything that might give some insight into the time period.

"It's a lot of work. It's very nice to be able to get out here to do something hands-on. I'm finding it a very relaxing and interesting experience," said student Natalia Chodelski.

If the site is deemed to be significant, the Army Corps of Engineers may have to protect it when the waters rise.

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I'll have to see what additional information I can find. My initial reaction was that this was a wonderful find. From the comments posted so far at the link, it looks like some people don't care about digging it up.

I love reading of finds in old countries - historic sites in Egypt, Roman ruins, etc. Do we not have something to learn from a plantation? Is it not old enough to be of interest?

Dig? Or leave it alone? Why?

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Dig. But when the water comes back...

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Dig--but in an organized fashion, keeping careful records.

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I'm not finding anything other than that the lake was formed to provide Raleigh and the surrounding area with drinking water (gross - there's been a lot of dead people found in there) and was just finished in 1981. So it isn't that old.

I'll have to dig up (no pun intended) some history to find out if they knew in 1981 that they were covering up a plantation and what determinations were used as to what was saved and what was not. The lake covers over 12,000 acres. Raleigh had numerous plantations at one time, so maybe they figured that if one or two were sacrificed it was no big deal.

Will keep hunting.

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How low did the lake get? Seems you could damn the dig area, after a quick survey to find out where it is, to keep the water out.

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The students are combing the ruins....

My comment: YIPES!!! No NO no NO!!!

Nothing should be combed, moved, shaken or taken by anyone until a grid is set up, photos are taken from all angles and an assessment done as the general layout of the buildings.

1800 is not that long ago, there must be property records, tax records, slave slave records and a census from 1800 to look at.

Speaking as someone who wishes that they would rebuild all the slave quarters at Mount Vernon and Monticello, we should get as much information as to where the various buildings and structures of this plantation were placed.

Joe(I've always wondered if Washington's slaves could at night hear him snoring.)Nation

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I'm getting the feeling that since this was a fairly recent (1979-1981) man-made lake, they did know what they were covering up by damming the river. Like you said, Joe, plenty of property papers on record.

A woman in the area just finished self publishing her inquiry into the history of the lake. Of course, this was completed prior to the college student find from the drought. Part of it can be read online at Lulu. She was also featured in Fridays paper HERE, which has some history of the lake but no mention of the find reported just a few days earlier. ???

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The Self-Published, Local Authority's piece was probably written and set aside for a slow news day--then published without any updating.

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You may be right, Noddy. I still would have expected some expansion on the current "find" in the article. Evidently many families were displaced, graves had to be moved, and the book refers to "foundations" being covered when the lake was formed. That made me think that the structures were torn down and removed prior to damming the river.

I think I'll try to find this place on my extra day off tomorrow and get some pictures. It is only a mile or so from my house.

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Squinney--

Let us know what you come across.

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Low Lake Levels Lead to Historic Find - 1800's Plantation

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