This plate is an example of an early lead glazed creamware that dates back to the 1790s. It serves as an example of the kind of plate that the Steward may have owned.
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 painted in a technique that was invented in the 1820s, so it dates to after the period of the Academy. It serves as evidence that the house was occupied well after Liberty Hall Academy burned down. The plate itself is also burnt, which…
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.