Cooperative Agreement with the National Park Service:

Manassas National Battlefield Park

The University of Maryland and the National Capital Region's Regional Archaeology Program of the National Park Service have joined efforts in a cooperative agreement to investigate the history of Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, Virginia. Graduate students, undergraduates and alumni from the University of Maryland have aided in archaeological excavations of the area alongside National Park Service staff and local volunteers.

Top Right: Jason Rust and Jimmy Stephens excavate the kitchen area. Top Left: Jenn Moran excavates the midden area. Bottom Right: Prashant Kaw investigates under the floorboards of Sudley Post Office. Bottom Left: Volunteers search for a prehistoric component at the Sudley site.

Investigations have been conducted at the Sudley Post Office Site, and are scheduled to occur in other portions of the park. The cooperative agreement's purpose for excavation is to locate, identify, evaluate, and sample any archaeological resources that park improvement programs might impact. These excavations will enhance interpretive information about the residents of the Manassas area prior to and after the Civil War.

The most recognized occupation of the Manassas area is associated with its use during the Civil War at the first and second battles of Manassas. The resulting wounded from the skirmishes that occurred when Union and Confederate forces met at Manassas were treated at numerous triage centers in the area, including Sudley Post Office, which was used by Union troops as a shelter and field hospital.

Archaeological excavation in the area of the kitchen, located in the eastern yard of the Thornberry home, revealed evidence for use of the structure as a triage center.

¬ Military button embossed with the Michigan state seal.

Root cellars located underneath the kitchen area. ®

Militaria located amongst the rubble fall from the kitchen relate to the use of the home and outbuildings for treatment of wounded soldiers. These artifacts include a fired .69 caliber musketball, an unfired .54 caliber roundball, a carved mini ball, an unfired percussion cap, and a two piece cuff button embossed with the Michigan State seal. These items recovered in the kitchen most likely slipped beneath the floorboards during triage activities. The presence of a root cellar beneath the kitchen would have necessitated loose floorboards or access to the area via a trap door, allowing buttons, bullets and other militaria to easily slip through.

¬ Mini balls discovered at the Sudley Post Office.

The rubble fall over the remains of a detached kitchen. ®