vol. 27 no. 3
spring 2010
of
INTERIORS
FILLING THE VOIDS OF HISTORY: THE DRAYTON HALL ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTION by Carter C. Hudgins, Ph.D., Director of Preservation Readers of Interiors know that Drayton Hall is internationally acclaimed for its architecture and remarkable state of preservation. The main house, flanker buildings, garden house, privy, and the 19th-century caretaker’s cottage are invaluable resources that illustrate the trajectory of American history, design, economics, and adaptation. Equally important, though less well known, is Drayton Hall’s extensive
archaeological collection of more than one million artifacts. Recovered during archaeological campaigns from the 1970s to the present, these artifacts help to fill the voids of history that persist due to gaps in historical documentation. While often only fragments, each artifact tells a story about past peoples and events. We are now able to more fully comprehend these continued on page 4