Petersburg digs for its past, excavates Golden Ball Tavern

PETERSBURG -- At the place where Petersburg's first local election was held in the late 1700s, a pile of excavated soil sits these days.

Archaeologists hope to find more evidence of the city's past in an excavation at the former Golden Ball Tavern, at Old and Market streets in Old Towne.

"We are investigating this tavern to see the history of Petersburg," said Chris Stevenson, a Virginia Department of Historic Resources archaeologist who is leading the three-year study. "This was one of the most historic buildings that is not here anymore."

What happened at the tavern is well known, Stevenson said. Yet research of the site would allow for a better understanding of the lifestyles at different periods in Petersburg's history, he said.

In 1781, during the Revolutionary War, British officers were quartered at the tavern. In 1784, the Virginia General Assembly established the tavern as a meeting place of the courts and the common council. From 1781 to 1790, the Golden Ball Tavern was one of the city's best-known hostelries.

The property, which housed a building as well as the tavern, had different owners through time. It now belongs to the Historic Petersburg Foundation Inc., a partner in the archaeological project.

It is believed that the original tavern was burned or torn down in the 1850s and a bigger tavern built in its place, Stevenson said. The last structure was demolished in 1944 and since then the property has been used as a parking lot.

Volunteers have focused this summer's dig in the area that used to be the backyard of the old tavern, and so far, they have found artifacts that date back to the 1400s.

Among the findings are two ceramic pieces that may have once formed a soap dish from the early 1900s, pieces of English and other European pottery and some Indian pottery that dates to the 1400s. A keg tap and a penny from 1895 were also found at the site.

A square brick shape in the ground has been identified as the site where the fireplace once stood.

The project, led by Stevenson, began last year and is funded through a Cameron Foundation grant. Several volunteers, including area college students, are helping to do the dirty work.

Frances Lilly, who works at the Petersburg Visitors Center, said the city -- also a partner in the project -- is pleased with the effort, as it will help uncover Petersburg's rich history. During the dig this month and last month, visitors have stopped by the site to learn about the tavern and its historical significance, she said.

Volunteers will dig for four weeks this year, ending the excavation July 19. Experts will then conduct lab work and research the artifacts. The findings will be put into a presentation that will be used at local academic institutions.

An exhibition featuring the Golden Ball findings as well as the importance of taverns and ordinaries in Colonial Virginia will open at the Prince George County Regional Heritage Center in November.

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .