The University of Arizona
 

Faunal Research - Montpelier Mansion

Pig mandibleIn collaboration with the Montpelier Foundation, Arizona State Museum zooarchaeologist, Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, is analyzing the faunal remains (animal bones) excavated from several late 18th and early 19th century deposits located behind Montpelier Mansion, the Virginia home of founding father and fourth president, James Madison, Jr. While the site has historical significance as a presidential home, it is particularly important for historical archaeologists because it presents a rare opportunity to examine rural plantation life at the turn of the 19th century.

According to the James Madison’s MontpelierOpens in a new window website: http://www.montpelier.org/, James Madison, Jr. was nine years old when his family moved into a simple eight room, brick house on 4,675 acres of Virginia frontier (purchased by James’ grandfather, Ambrose Madison, in 1723). Over the years it underwent many changes. The first came in 1797 when James returned from Philadelphia with his new bride, Dolley. The house was too small to share with his parents, so a thirty-foot, four-room addition was added. A second front door was added, and for a short time the home was actually a duplex.

In 1809 construction began on two wings on either side of the house, and the dividing wall in the middle torn down. The two front doors were changed to windows, and a central front door was added. When Madison was finished remodeling Montpelier, the house had a total of 30 rooms.

Madison died in 1836, so his wife Dolley ran the plantation until it was sold in 1844. Over the next 57 years, there were five owners of Montpelier. The property was purchased in 1901 by William duPont, Sr. William's daughter, Marion, inherited the estate in 1928. During the duPont ownership, numerous barns, homes, and outbuildings were constructed on the property, including a train station and company store.

Marion duPont Scott died in 1983 leaving Montpelier to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Montpelier opened its doors to the public in 1987, and in 2000 the Montpelier Foundation became steward of the property.

Barnet will compare these results with the results of an earlier analysis of the faunal remains from the first Madison family occupation of Montpelier: the early to mid-18th century cabin built by the president's grandparents. It appears that, in the early years of the plantation, the family consumed a great deal more wild animal foods than expected; however, domestic animals were, of course, their primary source of meat. It will be interesting to see if, in later years, the trend continues, or if the family relied less, or more, on wild foods.

Bone remains from Montpelier

James Madison served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809-1817. Born in Orange County, Virginia in 1751, the Princeton-educated gentleman participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776, served in the Continental Congress, and was a leader in the Virginia Assembly. Referred to as the “Father of the Constitution,” Madison (along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) contributed to the ratification of the Constitution by writing the Federalist essays. Madison died on June 28, 1836 at Montpelier.

Barnet Pavao-ZuckermanBarnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Ph.D. is assistant curator of zooarchaeology at Arizona State Museum and assistant professor of anthropology at UA. She can be reached at 520-626-3989 or by email.

Zooarchaeology Lab at ASM

Photos by Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman and ASM Staff

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