Royall House Archaelogical Exhibit Opens September 30

Old gaming pieces from the Royall House and Slave Quarters unearthed during a 1999-2001 archaelogical dig.  Photo courtesy Tom Lincoln.

An old shoe buckle from the dig.  Photo courtesy Tom Lincoln.

– Tom Lincoln

The grounds of the Royall House and Slave Quarters today total barely an acre. 275 years ago, however, the Royalls presided over an estate of more than 500 acres and were one of New England’s wealthiest families. Their wealth was based in large part upon the labor of the enslaved Africans who also resided on the property.

The Royall House Association, who today owns this National Historic Landmark, is dedicated to exploring and presenting the “meanings of freedom and independence. . .in the context of a household of wealthy Loyalists and enslaved Africans.” The stories of the Royalls and their slaves are intertwined: both occupied the site for 40 years and played their roles in the society of their time, in the context of Colonial slavery, Medford, the American Revolution and the broad history of New England.

On September 30, a unique archaelogical exhibit, “Parallel Lives, Common Landscape: Artifacts from the Royall House and Slave Quarters” will open at 15 George Street in Medford. The Exhibit is the result of a “dig” held on the site in 1999-2001 that revealed thousands of artifacts from the Royall period (1732-1775). The Exhibit includes a selection of compelling objects, including rare physical evidence of the lives of those held in bondage by the Royalls.

The Royall House dig was led by Dr. Ricardo Elia in 1999 and Dr. Alexandra Chan in 2000 and 2001, both of the Boston University Archaeology Department. The effort first used a resistivity meter (which sends electrical currents through the ground to read resistance), and ground-penetrating radar to reveal the location of numerous features invisible from the surface. Test pits and extensive digging took place at selected locations. One site alone, the foundation of a long-gone outbuilding in the West yard of the Slave Quarters, yielded thousands of objects. All the items have been conserved at the BU Archaeology Lab.

The Exhibit includes a selection of the most compelling artifacts, chosen either because of their unique nature, or because of their particular ability to evoke a time period and a way of life. Among the items on display are personal and household objects from both the Royalls and their slaves. The “Parallel Lives, Common Landscape” exhibit is among the very first of actual objects from the Colonial slavery era and advances our understanding of that oft-overlooked period of New England history.

As Dr. Alexandra Chan, the archaeologist and exhibit curator notes: “The Royalls and their slaves led vastly different lives, occupying the very highest and very lowest strata of the social spectrum. Their lives were “parallel,” in that they rarely came into contact outside the context of slavery. And yet they were also inextricably linked, partners in the same dance, defined in part by each other.”

John Woods, President of the Royall House Association noted, “We are proud to present this fascinating and important evidence of life in the 18th century, and what it tells us about the institutions and people of those times, and the reverberations in our own era. We hope the public will visit the Royall House and Slave Quarters during this very exciting exhibit.”

A new book about the archaeology of the Royall House and Slave Quarters, entitled “Slavery in the Age of Reason: Archaeology at a New England Farm” has been written by Alexandra Chan, Ph. D., and published by the University of Tennessee Press. Copies may be purchased at the Exhibit.

Exhibit Hours, etc.: The Archaeological Exhibit will be open at 15 George Street, Medford (off Main St.) September 30 to October 28, on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is included with a paid tour of the site, or separately at $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Special discounts for groups (please inquire), and group tours and school visits may be arranged on other days. For more information, please call (781) 396-9032, visit www.RoyallHouse.org or email royallhouseevent@aol.com.

The Grand Opening and Reception ($50 ticket) will be a fundraiser on September 29 from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets and sponsorships are available: please email royallhouseed@comcast.net for more information.

The Archaeological Exhibit has been produced under a permit from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Major support for the Exhibit was generously donated by the Eastern Bank Foundation of Massachusetts.