First Families in the Valley of Virginia:
Archaeology at the Parnassus Farm Site
(44AU634)

Supported by:
Virginia Department of Transportation

Archaeological studies are important in our country today. Since the 1970s, thousands of archaeological projects have been conducted across the United States due to a national program. The Virginia Department of Transportation accordingly accounts for historic properties in the course of its activities, and the Parnassus project is a good example of their commitment to them. Studies like this one typically begin with a survey, or search, for archaeological sites where road projects are planned, and may be followed by a testing or evaluation phase at potentially significant sites. The final phase, if necessary, is a large-scale excavation, exemplified here at what we call the Parnassus Site (44AU634). This final, intensive study is designed to recover the important information that is present on a site.

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What Historical Documents Tell Us About the Site

The first written record of the land containing the Parnassus Site is a 1748 deed. A blacksmith named William King obtained a 400-acre tract along Moffett's Branch from the colonial government but resold it only a few years later, presumably for a quick profit. By 1751 John Nicholl had bought the 400 acres and was cultivating a mix of grain crops and raising livestock. After the elder John Nicholl died in 1774, his wife and children remained on the property as farmers. A 1755 inventory of assets accompanying Nicholl's will included hemp, hay, wheat, oats, barley, rye, and flax.

The family also owned 28 head of cattle, 11 hogs, 22 sheep, and nine horses. In the 1780s the farm passed through the ownership of Andrew Nicholl of Greenbrier County and later James Rankin, who owned some slaves.

Just before the Revolutionary War, Germans from Pennsylvania and the northern part of the Shenandoah valley began settling in Augusta County. In 1790, Adam Rusmeisel bought 150 acres that contained the Parnassus Site from the Nicholl heirs. He and his family farmed the land for the next 40 years. In the local German landholding tradition, several generations of Rusmeisels may have resided in separate households on the property simultaneously. One of the Rusmeisel dwellings is the first structure documented in the same location as the Parnassus Site. An 1831 turnpike survey map by Claudius Crozet shows the name "Rusmeisel's" next to a structure along the surveyed route. The Warm Springs-Harrisonburg Turnpike was the predecessor of the current Route 42 located next to the site.

Thomas Holt bought Christian Rusmeisel's 205-acre property in 1834 and steadily prospered during his fourteen years of ownership. Improvements (indicating structures) on the property increased in value from $150 to $1,000. Perhaps the original Rusmeisel dwelling was enlarged as part of these improvements. At the same time the surrounding community was growing, and a meeting house built in 1834 for religious and civic activities formed the core of the new village of Parnassus.

A Staunton merchant bought the Holts' farm in 1848 but waited four years before moving onto the land. William Kyle's ownership of the property raises some intriguing questions. The tax assessment of 1851-1852 shows a dramatic drop of $300 that may mark demolition of the dwelling. In 1853, Kyle conveyed the farm in trust to Benjamin Points for the use of his wife Felicia, sold his mercantile business, and built a substantial house worth $975 to as much as $2,000. Conveying the farm in trust at the same time as Kyle's mercantile interests were failing aroused the suspicions of his creditors. David Baylor's suit against Kyle resulted in an auction of the Kyle farm in the middle of the Civil War in 1863.

By 1864 Union troops could have marched along the turnpike only a stone's throw from the Parnassus Site on their way to large encampments at nearby Staunton. The tax records do not indicate any major damage during the war, but rather steady assessments around $1,500. 

William McFall's ownership of the property from 1864 to 1879 parallels the sharp decline in agriculture after the Civil War. Although nearby towns such as Staunton and Waynesboro recovered quickly, surrounding agricultural communities struggled through this period. McFall first sold 125 acres to J. A. Hamrick in 1870. The following year McFall may have sold a quarter acre containing the main dwelling to Frank Harlow. An 1885 county atlas shows the label "Frank Harlow" next to a structure that appears to be on the Parnassus Site. Just west of the house is "Frank Harlow's Saddle Shop." McFall sold the remaining 128 acres of his original farm to J. A. Hamrick in 1879 and went bankrupt about the same time.

Historical documents concerning the Parnassus Site become more sketchy at this point. Although the 1885 county map clearly shows Frank Harlow's name on the property, he is curiously absent from the deed and tax books examined so far. Further research in the county records may uncover useful information concerning Harlow and events at the site during the 1880s. Archaeological evidence points to a devastating fire in the house that William Kyle built. Further documentary information could tell us who lived in the house when it burned.

The McFall farm was reunited when James Buckley bought 36 acres from the Harlow family in 1905, after buying the Hamrick property in 1902. The property was passed through the Hevener and Peterson families from 1909 to 1921. Since then the two tracts have been owned by three generations of the Fairburn family.

What Archaeology Tells Us about the Site

The potential for interesting archaeology at this site was very good before we began, and the recent results have not been disappointing. In fact, this work may offer an unprecedented view of early historic settlement in the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley. The reasons for this optimism are threefold. First of all, we have the rich historical record from documents summarized above that gives dates and names to go with what is in the ground. Second, remains of this farm are very well preserved beneath the ground, including not only traces of buildings but thousands of utilitarian and personal household items. And, third, the below-ground evidence represents different periods of occupation, which allows us to examine changes in farm life over a long span of time.

The major features of the site are remains of at least two buildings, some scattered trash-filled pits, fence lines, and a well (see plan). Together these represent the core of the historic farm site. It is not yet certain whether one of the buildings was built much earlier than the other, but it is clear that the lower building was abandoned first. Most of the artifacts in the cellar of this structure tell us that it ceased to be used by about 1830. We can tell this by the earlier style of the things that were left there like pieces of ceramic bowls and plates, and glassware. More than likely this building and the artifacts with it are associated with the first occupations of the site, or that of the Rusmeisel and Holt families. Historical records hint that a later abandonment may have occurred. This fragmentary evidence, however, needs to be tested with further documentary research and analysis of the cellar's artifacts.

The larger, upper building was not abandoned until the 1880s. Records indicate that the newer structure was built by William Kyle in the 1850s, perhaps to replace the older, Rusmeisel-Holt dwelling. The excavation is revealing that this building burned but we do not yet know if the fire was accidental. Artifacts and other evidence in the cellar do suggest that it was a catastrophic fire, possibly occurring when Frank Harlow lived there. Many household items like large ceramic storage crocks remain upright and intact on the cellar floor. With them, too, are the remains of barrels, piles of walnuts, animal bone, and fabric. Apparently the fire swept through the building so quickly that it was impossible to remove the contents. The effect for archaeologists is something like a small-scale Pompeii, where everyday things are discovered in the cellar's ashy deposit just as they were left at the time of the fire over a hundred years ago.

Ceramic crocks and barrel remain preserved on the cellar floor
of the upper structure, which burned in the 1880's.

After the excavation is completed, the real work of archaeology will begin in the laboratory. All of the artifacts will be carefully analyzed along with the field results to prepare a final interpretation. One interesting aspect of the study will be a scientific chemical analysis of locally made pottery to better understand the unique production and marketing system of Valley potters that once flourished in the area. Overall results will be put in regional context to provide important details on local economic history.

TIME LINE

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For More Information Contact

Joe B. Jones, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research

Phone: 757-221-1581

Email: jbjone@wm.edu