Dovetail is excited to announce that Dovetail’s Bill Liebeknecht has a chapter in a newly published volume titled The Archaeology of New Netherland: A World Built on Trade (University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 2021).
Bill’s chapter details the use of wolf pits in seventeenth-century Delaware. One such pit was excavated in the summer of 2012 during the US 301 megaproject excavations, which led to Bill’s research. He will also be presenting a paper on these findings at the 2022 conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Want to know more about wolf pits? Here is a little teaser.
During the early colonial period Governmental authorities recognized that the physical dynamics of free-ranging forms of various livestock set against the backdrop of a wolf-laden wilderness was or could be a costly nuisance and thus ordered wolves to be hunted and trapped in order to mitigate the problem. In May 1676, the Sheriff, Captain Edmund Cantwell of Appoquinimink (present-day Odessa, Delaware), stated that: “wolves being so over frequent and doing such daily damage to sheep, cattle and hogs that any person who brings in a wolf skin or head to the local magistrate be paid a bounty of forty (Dutch) gilders from a public levy.” This order was ineffectual, so on January 5, 1677, it was ordered that the inhabitants erect 54 “woolf-pitts” along the streams before May 1st, under penalty of 75 gilders. Several of these wolf pits have been found archaeologically.
National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project Surveys – Tell Us What You Think!
Dovetail Cultural Resources Group is partnering with Mead & Hunt, Inc. on a project for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) that will focus on project-level Programmatic Agreements (PAs) and Post-World War II (postwar) commercial property types (NCHRP Project 25-62). The project has two main goals:
- Review current and best practices for project-level PAs to develop strategies that enable state DOTs to streamline Section 106 responsibilities and decision-making.
- Develop a structured, replicable methodology for developing historic contexts, conducting surveys, and completing National Register evaluations for postwar commercial properties built from 1945 to 1980.
We invite you to take two online surveys, which will help us better understand these issues nationwide. Links to both surveys are provided below. The surveys should take 15-20 minutes to complete and the deadline to complete is October 31, 2020.
Programmatic Agreements Survey
Postwar Commercial Properties Survey
President Receives WTS Woman of the Year Award
Dovetail is thrilled to announce that their President, Kerri S. Barile, has been selected by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Central Virginia Chapter as their 2020 Woman of the Year. This award is given annually to a leader in Central Virginia who has made an impact on the transportation industry in Central Virginia and directly contributed toward the advancement of women and minorities in transportation fields. Dr. Barile was noted by the organization for her demonstrated dedication to supporting projects and programs that advance the role of women, equal opportunity and equal representation in transportation in Central Virginia. Dr. Barile was also recognized for her commitment to mentoring and supporting other women in transportation, and her ardent support of community service both in professional and personal capacities.
DETAILS:
For more information about the WTS 2020 Recognition Award Winners, visit https://www.wtsinternational.org/news/2020-recognition-award-winners
Another Dovetailer Published!
Following research completed at the 2018 Summer Institute of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, an article has been published by Dovetailer Katie Watts in the MESDA Journal, titled “Decoding the Woodwork of White Hall: A Network of Enslaved Carpenters and French Huguenots.” Her article focuses on enslaved carpenters in Berkeley County, South Carolina who completed incredibly detailed carved and gouged woodwork in the Adamesque style for several plantation houses owned by French Huguenot families. The drawing room woodwork of White Hall plantation survives at MESDA, while the majority of the other plantations were flooded by the Santee Cooper hydroelectric project in the early 1940s.
The full article is available here: https://www.mesdajournal.org/2020/decoding-the-woodwork-of-white-hall-a-network-of-enslaved-carpenters-and-french-huguenots/
The White Hall Room installed at MESDA. Photo by Dan Routh.
Dovetailers Published!
Dovetail is excited to announce that some of the work done by our employees was just published in the newest issue of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology’s journal, Pennsylvania Archaeologist! Bill Liebeknecht and Curtis McCoy helped author the article “Kaolin Clay Mining in Southeast Pennsylvania and Northwestern Delaware.” This research focuses on the history of clay mining in these regions and the work Dovetail conducted for the Delaware Division of State Parks and Recreation, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control at the Newark China Clay Company site in Hockessin, Delaware, which was in operation from the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.
Introductory Page to Article Written by Dovetail’s Delaware Office Staff, Bill Liebeknecht and Curtis McCoy.
President Receives Prestigious 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Award
Dovetail is thrilled to announce that their President, Kerri S. Barile, has been selected by Enterprising Women magazine as one of their 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year. The Enterprising Women of the Year Award is widely considered one of the most prestigious recognition programs for women business owners. Recipients of the 2020 Awards include women entrepreneurs from across the United States and the world. Kerri was recognized based on the success and growth of Dovetail, but more importantly for her commitment to mentoring and supporting other women and girls involved in entrepreneurship, and her ardent support of community service both in professional and personal capacities. Kerri will be recognized and celebrated, along with other award winners, in March at the 18th Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
For more information about the 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration and Conference, visit http://enterprisingwomen.com.
News Flash!
Dovetail Cultural Resource Group is pleased to announce that the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) and Small Business Administration (SBA) have certified Dovetail as a woman-owned and woman-controlled business! This certification was made based on the rigorous standards and procedures of the NWBOC, the first national certifier of women business enterprises on behalf of the SBA.
Dovetail is excited to offer our private, local, state, and federal clients the confidence and prestige accompanying the NWBOC/SBA certification. Dovetail adds this designation to our already robust portfolio of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certifications, including those held in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia, as well as numerous other agencies. For additional information on Dovetail and our certifications email us at info@dovetailcrg.com.
Dovetail and the Archaeological Society of Delaware:
One thing we’re very proud of here at Dovetail is our involvement in local and regional preservation groups. One such instance of this is our involvement with the Archaeological Society of Delaware. Dovetail not only supports this group, but one of our own Curtis McCoy was recently elected President of the Society! To learn more about the group and some of the things they are involved with, click the link below to check out their most recent newsletter!
Dovetailer Recently Published!
Dovetail is excited to announce that our very own Joe Blondino has a chapter in a newly published volume titled “Historical Archaeology of the Revolutionary War Encampments of Washington’s Army.”
Joe’s chapter details the results of excavations he directed at the Isaac Potts house at Valley Forge National Historical Park. The Potts house served as General George Washington’s headquarters during the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge over the winter of 1777-1778. Among the findings of the excavations were the remains of a log cabin constructed as a dining hall and meeting space for Washington. The existence of the dining cabin was previously known only from a letter Martha Washington wrote to a friend in March of 1778.
Dovetailer Elected President of The Archaeological Society of Delaware!
Congratulations to Dovetail’s very own Curtis McCoy who was elected President of the Archaeological Society of Delaware over the weekend! Check out the story on their Facebook page!
Dovetail on Capitol Hill!
On Thursday, May 16th, Dovetail was honored to join the American Cultural Resources Association – ACRA during their Lobby Day on Capitol Hill. There were Cultural Resource Management firm owners and employees from all over the country lobbying in support of preservation legislation. The goal was to raise awareness about the industry and what it brings to the economy as well as how we work to preserve, record, and protect our nation’s heritage. Lobbying helps legislators understand where we as an industry stand on the legislation. We also want to let them know that we are a resource for them on preservation related issues!
Two Dovetailers Recently Published!
Dovetail is excited to announce that two of our very own staff members have chapters in a newly published volume titled “New Life for Archaeological Collections.”
Ms. Kerry González’s chapter, co-authored with Michelle Salvato is titled Pictures Speak for Themselves: Case Studies Proving the Significance and Affordability of X Ray for Archaeological Collections which highlights how x-radiography is a cost-effective method for identifying artifacts obscured by corrosion, documenting diagnostic attributes, and helping collections managers and conservators work together to prioritize artifacts for treatment. The chapter also covers the applications of x-radiography for archaeological collections managers, with a specific focus on cost savings.
Congratulations to Brad and Kerry!
You can spot us from a mile away! 
It’s official! With the installation of a brand new sign and our new front entrance, you can’t miss us now!
Dovetail at the 49th annual Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference!
Over the weekend, Dovetailers Kerri Barile, Brad Hatch, Kerry Gonzalez, and Joe Blondino had the honor of presenting their recent work at the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference! The Dovetailers discussed their research on locally made ceramics in nineteenth-century North Carolina; the history and changing interpretations of local landmarks in Fredericksburg, Virginia; and evidence for prehistoric dentistry in tidewater Virginia.
Dovetail is proud to announce the creation of the Dovetail Scholarship at The University of Mary Washington!
We are proud to announce that due to our remarkable growth in the region, our Virginia office has moved!
Our new office is located at 11905 Bowman Drive, Suite 502 Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408
Dr. D. Brad Hatch, Dovetail’s Archaeological Staff Manager, has recently been published in the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine.
“Colonial Virginian Communities and Atlantic Migration Patterns in the Potomac Valley, 1634-1652” can be found in the December 2017 edition: pp. 8424-8451.
Dr. Michael Klein, Dovetail’s Senior Archaeologist, was recently published twice in the Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology.
“Tsenacomoco Before and After the Tassantasses: Documentary, Bioarchaeological, and Archaeological Evidence of Population Size and Distribution During the Late Prehistoric and Contact Era in the Western Chesapeake Region” and “Secondary Burial and Mortuary Ritual in the Southern Middle Atlantic Region” can be found in Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology Vol. 33(1): pp. 79-98 and 123-149.
“Tsenacomoco Before and After the Tassantasses: Documentary, Bioarchaeological, and Archaeological Evidence of Population Size and Distribution During the Late Prehistoric and Contact Era in the Western Chesapeake Region” was co-authored by Dane Magoon of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
We are proud to announce that due to our remarkable growth in the region, our Delaware office has moved!
Our new office is located at 721 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE 19809
SHA photo contest submission: “A Night with Venus, A Lifetime with Mercury”
Did you know one of Dovetail’s Architectural Historians is the Past President of the National Barn Alliance (NBA)? This nationwide, non-profit organization has been working since 1995 to preserve America’s historic barns and rural heritage and Danae Peckler has served on its board since 2010. She also maintains the NBA’s social media, website, e-news, and aids in the production of its bi-annual newsletter. Dovetail supports the NBA regularly by helping Danae print materials for the organization and humoring her barn obsession during rural surveys.http://barnalliance.org/
Chris Manning, Dovetail’s Cultural Resource Specialist, work was recently published in a special thematic issue of the peer-reviewed journal Historical Archaeology, Vol. 48, No. 3, titled “Manifestations of Magic: The Archaeology and Material Culture of Folk Religion,” guest edited by Christopher Fennell and M. Chris Manning. Her contributions include the introduction, “Magic, Religion, and Ritual in Historical Archaeology,” and a second article, “The Material Culture of Ritual Concealments in the United States.
In addition to conducting field work and writing reports, Dovetail staff is busy writing scholarly works to be included in publications. Brad Hatch, one of Dovetail’s project archaeologists, recently published an article, along with co-authors Dr. Barbara Heath and Lauren McMillian, in Historical Archaeology.
“Reassessing the Hallowes Site: Conflict and Settlement in the Seventeenth-Century Potomac Valley.” can be found in Historical Archaeology 48(4):46-75
View story on our Facebook page.
