What Lies Beneath: Recent Archaeological Investigations at Marlpit Hall and the Allen House
Channel: Monmouth County Historical Association
Date: 2021-11-13

Dr. Rich Veit will be giving us a glimpse into an actual archaeological dig! Discover what secrets this fascinating process can reveal. While the exterior dig is ongoing, every inch gives clues further into the past. We invite you to investigate along with us! Our upcoming exhibit, Beneath the Floorboards: Whispers of the Enslaved will be a culmination of the exhaustive new research that has been done at Marlpit Hall, reinterpreting the house to give voice to those who were enslaved there. Recent archaeological investigations at the Allen House in Shrewsbury and Marlpit Hall in Middletown are revealing significant new information about these storied structures and the people who lived and worked in them.

Especially significant is the discovery of a rich deposit of early 19th-century artifacts at Marlpit Hall, which may be associated with an out-kitchen used by enslaved individuals. While the historical record provides considerable information about the families that owned these structures, archaeology can provide a more complete picture of the past and shed light on aspects of local history missing from the written record. 

Dr. Richard F. Veit is Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean of the School Of Humanities And Social Sciences at Monmouth University, and his research has been featured on NPR, in Archaeology Magazine and at TEDx Navesink in 2014. Among many articles, he has authored five books including the award-winning Digging New Jersey’s Past: Historical Archaeology in the Garden State.

To register for our free virtual lecture series, please visit monmouthhistory.org/historically-speaking


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