NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION Regional Archeology Program Virtual Exhibits

Prehistoric Landscapes of the Nation's Capital, Rock Creek Park. This exhibit represents many "firsts." It is the first exhibit produced as a result of a partnership between the National Capital Region, NPS, and a private-sector contract firm, Parsons ES of Fairfax, Virginia. It is the first RAP virtual exhibit concerning prehistoric archeological discoveries in the Nation's Capital. And, it is the first public interpretation offered of a discovery that is, possibly, the most significant prehistoric archeological find in the history of Washington, D.C.

To Be Public or Private: Changing Uses of Landscape at Sudley Post Office, 1840s-1920s, Manassas National Battlefield Park. Sudley Post Office was occupied by three different households from the 1840s until the 1920s. Recent archaeological and historical investigations have shown how each of these households used the landscape in very different ways depending upon their position within the local community. The changes at Sudley Post Office mirror the changes that occurred throughout Virginia from the antebellum through the Jim Crow era.

African-American Households from Manassas National Battlefield Park. This tour showcases two African-American archeological sites within the Battlefield, describing the documentary and archeological investigation of each, and demonstrating the unique ways in which these two families used a combination of mass produced items and traditional African objects to maintain their cultural identities and survive in a world dominated by white members of the community.

Archeology at Antietam: The Effect of Battle on an Agrarian Landscape. This tour contains numerous photographs of artifacts recovered from several areas of the Battlefield, and describes how these artifacts are used in conjunction with historical records to decipher what happened on that spot over 100 years ago.

Lost, Tossed, and Found: Clues to African-American Life at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Analysis of architectural features and artifacts provides new insights into the adaption of African slaves to their New World environment and to the survival of African-inspired customs and traditions in the post-Civil War period.

Last Updated: 11 May 2000 http://www.nps.gov/rap/exhibit.htm