In the 1970s, John McDaniel, a professor at Washington and Lee, led a team of researchers in the excavation and analysis of many back campus sites including the Steward’s house.
This plate is transfer printed pearlware, a kind of ceramic that was not prevalent until the 1820s, so it certainly dates to the period after Liberty Hall Academy burnt down.
These pieces of creamware come from plates that the Steward likely used to serve Liberty Hall students in the late eighteenth-century. Creamware, a popular but plain ceramic, was popularized due to its convenience to make and sturdiness.
This type of pearlware with scalloped, colored edges emerged in the late eighteenth-century. Although it is less likely that the Steward would have used this ceramic to serve students, it is possible that this shard may be from a plate used for…
This piece of coarse earthenware is most likely from a serving dish that Steward would have used to serve the Liberty Hall students. Earthenware ceramics were predominately made in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.