History students win awards from Archeological Society of Virginia for recent findings

Liberty University Department of History seniors Stephanie Wright and Grace Hoisington presented research on recent survey at the nearby Bedford Alum Springs Hotel, a historic 19th century resort property, for the virtual Archeological Society of Virginia (ASV) Conference, and they received Best Paper and Best Poster awards, respectively.

As part of Liberty’s first-ever archeology intensive in the former town of New London, which predates the American Revolution, Hoisington and Wright studied the town’s rich history and were part of notable discoveries made at two university-owned properties there.

Hoisington chose to focus on the social aspect of The Bedford Alum Springs Hotel’s heyday in the mid to late 19th century, when tourists were attracted to the resort due to the rumored healing properties in water from the nearby springs. After finding artifacts that pointed to the wealth of those who would have visited the resort, Hoisington put together a poster outlining the work. She used artifacts to illustrate the theme that include a piece of cameo jewelry, a cologne bottle, a collection of little glass bottles that they kept minerals in, and a stopper for an elegant glass decanter.

“I did a little background on this specific property, a general summation about mineral springs, and then described the artifacts and how they pointed to the theme of elegance and wealth at the location,” Hoisington said. “It was so cool to find those artifacts in particular because you know that someone owned (them) and wore them. You’re finding a part of someone’s life.”

As a history student with a minor in military history, Wright chose to focus her paper on the recently discovered site of a Continental Army arsenal in New London, one of only five known arsenals from the American Revolution. She said that the arsenal would have played a role in supplying arms and ammunition to George Washington’s army at Yorktown and the first U.S. Army in the conquest of the northwest territory.

“It was closed right before the War of 1812 and for a long time it was forgotten by history, but then with some of the discoveries at New London we found that there was an arsenal there, and a few months ago they found one of the buildings for the first time,” Wright said. “Once I heard that there was the possibility of an arsenal in New London and that it was one of the few Continental Army arsenals, I knew it was a chance to do some new research. Doing new research is always fun because it’s studying something that’s relatively unknown.”

As the winners of their respective categories, Wright and Hoisington each received a $100 cash prize, and their individual works were published in the ASV’s quarterly bulletin.

In addition to the resort property, Liberty also owns the former Mead’s Tavern in New London. Built in 1763, it is believed to be the oldest structure in the Lynchburg region. It was originally an ordinary — or tavern — that provided meals and a night’s stay to travelers in the once-bustling town. Some well-known historical figures have passed by there, including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. Liberty is currently restoring the property.

The New London properties are part of an ongoing research and preservation project, led by the history department and coordinated by Director of Public History Initiatives, Donna Davis Donald.

Wright and Hoisington both expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to be involved with Liberty’s work at New London and to engage with history in such a tangible way.

“It was a lot of fun to work with the new public history initiatives launched by Liberty’s history department,” Wright said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to get hands-on experience because historical archeology is something that you have to do. It’s hard to learn it just by being in a classroom, so the investment by Liberty has been great for students.”

“When I took the public history classes and the archeology intensive, I really loved it and I realized that it’s what I want to do,” Hoisington added. “I want to take history in its mundane form and communicate it with the public in a way that’s engaging and interesting.”