The University’s Harrison Institute for American History, Literature and Culture is in the process of receiving artifacts from the historic Flowerdew Hundred Foundation that will expand upon an existing collection and become a new resource for students and faculty interested in researching the history of Virginia.
The collection from the Flowerdew Hundred farm, located on the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg, contains tools and household goods from communities ranging from Native American settlements to 19th-century settlements, Harrison Institute Director Hoke Perkins said.
“Examples of these include cannonballs, English wine bottles from the early 17th century, clay pipes, farm implements and Civil War artifacts,” Perkins said.
Excavations by scholars from Virginia and around the world have, over the past 30 years, produced the current set of artifacts, Perkins noted.
University Libraries Communications Director Charlotte Morford expects the artifacts will attract a large number of visitors as well as significant professional interest from the academic community. She said she also expects it to be a useful resource for University faculty and students.
“It is one of the most comprehensive resources for the study of Virginia history,” Morford said.
The Flowerdew Hundred Foundation chose the University to house the collection, in part because of the Foundation’s long relationship with the University. Late University alumnus David Harrison, who owned the Flowerdew Hundred farm, was a long-time benefactor of the University, and his children have continued that relationship.
Though this relationship has been important, Morford explained it was not the only reason for choosing the University’s library.
“Special collections are one of the strengths of the University library,” Morford remarked. “They give you a way to see the actual historical item, whether that is a letter or another artifact.”
Perkins noted that the foundation also wanted to make sure the artifacts would be actively used for research, teaching and learning.
“Our father was determined that the important material discovered at Flowerdew would live on, and we feel that the University will prove to be a wonderful home for the collection,” Mary Harrison Keevil, Harrison’s daughter and a member of the Foundation’s board, stated in a University press release.
Keevil is currently out of the country and unavailable for comment.
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