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Judi Lynn

(160,217 posts)
Sat Apr 28, 2018, 02:23 AM Apr 2018

LiDAR Gives Researchers New Insight Into the Lives of Montpelier's Enslaved Population

Around 300 enslaved people lived and worked on James Madison’s historic estate



By Julissa Treviño
smithsonian.com
April 27, 2018 6:00AM

Today, the historic plantation of Montpelier serves as a museum committed not only to documenting the life and work of founding father James Madison and his family, but also to telling the broader history and context of the 2,650-acre estate, including the enslaved community who lived and worked there.

Recently, archaeologists learned a little more about the lives of these enslaved individuals. According to NBC29’s Pete DeLuca, earlier this month an archaeological team at the historic property used LiDAR mapping technology to detect paths in the woods of the estate. These road networks, which date back to the 1700s, were once regularly traveled by the estate’s enslaved people.

“This is a dream come true for me; this is Christmas in April,” Matthew Reeves, Montpelier’s director of archaeology, tells DeLuca.

According to the Montpelier website, around 300 enslaved people lived and worked on the estate for the Madison family. Since formal documents on them are scarce, previous archaeological findings have been crucial to learning about what their experience was like.

Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-map-james-madisons-home-signs-paths-created-slaves-180968730/#BrIJ7S6KS7VPZP8Z.99

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