Around 5 p.m. on April 8, 2024, an electrical fire tore through the archaeology office and adjacent lab at Montpelier, the Virginia plantation that once belonged to United States President James Madison and a National Trust Historic Site. Inside the retrofitted 1980s classroom trailer that served as a lab were thousands of artifacts that had been unearthed on the property over 30 years of excavations—artifacts that Matt Reeves, director of archaeology and landscape restoration at Montpelier, calls “irreplaceable.”

It took 30 firefighters about four hours to put out the flames. No one was hurt—staff had already left for the day when the blaze broke out—and the bulk of the artifacts were in containers and survived. However, the fire, smoke and water damage was extensive,and rendered both the office and the lab uninhabitable.

With assistance from the fire department, Reeves was able to remove the artifacts and paperwork from the burn site that same night, which was critical. From there, it was a race against time to dry all the items before mold had a chance to set in. Reeves and his staff then spent the next few months sorting through and cataloging containers full of items to assess the damage and transferring them to new bags and boxes, all while wearing donned Tyvek suits, respirators, gloves, masks and goggles to protect them from the toxic soot that covered everything. Archaeology staff are still reconserving artifacts, reorganizing study collection, and as of the writing of this article are finally able to get back to tasks set aside last April.

The fire destroyed paper records and upwards of 1,000 books and research materials, including many from Reeves’ personal collection. Fortunately, the archaeology staff had spent years digitizing the records, which minimized the damage. The lab equipment was unsalvageable.

As Reeves and his team were processing the losses and triaging artifacts and site records, they were also planning for the future and the search for a new home for the Montpelier Archaeology Lab, which has long hosted popular public programs. They found moral and financial support from community members who had regularly participated in those programs, as well as from the Montpelier Descendants Committee, an independent group composed of descendants of the African Americans once enslaved on the plantation that has representation on The Montpelier Foundation Board.

“That response inspired us to shake the ashes off, literally, and look to the next step of, how do we build stronger?” says Reeves. “How do we build better from this experience, and use this as an opportunity to really revisit our goals as a department and build a facility that allows us to attain those to an even greater level.”

Building a New Lab

Montpelier was the lifelong home of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States and one of the framers of the Constitution. Between 1723 and 1844, more than 300 African Americans spanning six generations were enslaved on the property. The estate was later owned by the influential duPont family, who made significant changes to the property, including expanding the mansion and gardens.

The estate encompasses more than 100 structures, most of which were built in the early 20th century during the duPont family's ownership. Among the options considered as the new site of the archaeology lab, the Montpelier Supply Store building on Route 20 emerged as the leading choice. The store was in operation for 70 years beginning around 1911. After Montpelier became a National Trust site in 1983, the building served as a visitor center and gift shop for another two decades. It had been unused in recent years.

The Montpelier Archaeological Lab received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust’s Historic Sites Fund to renovate the building for the new lab. Those funds and other donations were matched two-to-one by Cindy Reusche, a longtime supporter of the lab. That funding has made possible the construction of a back deck that will serve as the main entrance to the lab and include an ADA ramp.

The supply store building was an attractive choice in part because of its prominent location: whereas the old lab was located behind the property gates, this new location can be seen from Route 20, the main state highway in Virginia. The archaeology staff hopes this increased visibility will pique the curiosity of passersby and encourage more people to drop in and visit.

Mark Stoner, the Graham Gund architect and director of preservation architecture at the National Trust, calls the repurposing of the store “a wonderful reuse of a structure that has a long history with the site and the greater town and community around it.”

“If you want a ‘lemonade out of lemons’ story for historic sites, this is absolutely it,” he adds.

The store was also selected because of the place it occupies in the collective memories of the Montpelier community. Former workers employed at Montpelier during the duPont era and their relatives, as well members of the broader community, would often stop by the store to fill up on gas or buy anything from flour to candy.

“It’s a space that has good memories,” says Reeves, adding, “When the possibility opened up to use the store as the new lab, all of a sudden we realized we could develop a space that already had community connections.”

Community Archaeology

The new lab will be known as CALM: The Community Archaeology Lab at Montpelier. Its inauguration is planned for May 9, with members of the Montpelier community invited to the grand opening to share their memories of the supply store. These recollections will be recorded and preserved as part of an oral history archive.

“The Archaeology Lab’s move to the Montpelier Store will serve as a place to truly unearth the past: weaving the history emanating from stories of the building itself, with the Madison era history and stories unfolding through the archeological work,” says Madlynn Anglin, a founding member of the Montpelier Descendents Committee and co-chair of its oral history team.

In the new space, Reeves and his staff will continue with the lineup of programs that give the public the opportunity to participate in excavations and in the cleaning and mending of discovered artifacts. The first floor will host those programs, while the second floor will be used as an office and space where the archaeology department’s staff and high school and college interns can work.

The lab’s new name also reflects its ongoing commitment to engaging the descendant and local community in making sure the approach to archaeology reflects the needs and concerns of those related to the people who were enslaved at Montpelier. Many of the artifacts housed in the lab have direct ties to Montpelier’s enslaved community, including iron tools crafted by blacksmiths and handmade ceramics. One of the most significant discoveries made on the property is a carnelian ring, believed to have been brought by an enslaved person from Africa to Virginia. These objects provide tangible links to the lives, skills, and resilience of those who once labored on the plantation.