Latest news with #W&M
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Excavated One of America's Oldest Schools—and Found a Secret Cellar
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: The Williamsburg Bray School is one of the oldest schools in the United States to educate Black students. Archeologists discovered remains of the school on the William & Mary campus in Virginia. Finds include the foundation of the school, a previously-undocumented cellar, and more than two centuries worth of buried artifacts. Few schools can say they're older than the countries in which they reside, but the Williamsburg Bray School holds that distinct honor. The Bray School was also one of the oldest schools in the United States dedicated to educating Black Americans. From 1760 to 1774, head teacher Ann Wager taught both free and enslaved students lessons from the Anglican Church. While the Bray School may seem revolutionary for its time, its history was actually much darker. The school was founded for the flawed purpose of convincing enslaved children to accept their circumstances. Today, the school serves as a key chapter in the history of Black education, yet historians know little about the students who actually attended. Luckily, researchers just discovered a few more pieces of the puzzle: the near-complete foundation of the Bray School and an undocumented cellar filled with centuries worth of artifacts. The remains fall on the College of William & Mary's (W&M) campus in Virginia; excavations were led by the school's Center for Archeological Research. According to a press release from W&M, the remnants of the cellar are sizable, measuring 36 feet by 18 feet. Tom Higgins, an archeologist for the Center, explained in the release that the cellar likely had multiple levels and was dug soon after the original foundation was laid. These recent excavations revealed the bottom of the cellar to be nearly 18 inches higher than previous research found. 'The discovery of this cellar is thrilling,' W&M President Katherine Rowe said in the release. 'The roots of our city and university entwine here. Every layer of history that it reveals gives us new insights into our early republic, from the Williamsburg Bray School through the generations that followed, up through the early 20th century.' Perhaps even more valuable than the cellar itself is the historic treasure archeologists found while digging. The artifacts discovered at the site provide a rich story spanning from the 18th to the mid-20th century. The newly found broken pottery shards, slate pencil pieces, buttons, and jewelry painted a picture of everyday life at the Bray School. According to the release, one of the team's favorite discoveries was part of a broken glass depicting the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva. One researcher at the center, Michele L. Brumfield, explained that the glass may have come from one of the school girls furnishing her dorm room, though the researchers say they're hesitant to draw any conclusions because 'it's early days.' Now that these once-lost stories have come to light, some of the artifacts will be displayed as a permanent installation in W&M's Gates Hall. Other treasures will be lent to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and exhibited at the Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center once it opens in 2026. In the meantime, there's still much more to be done at the site. 'This is exciting,' Maureen Elgersman Lee, director of the W&M Bray School Lab, said in the press release. 'What else are we about to learn? We are not done understanding the history of the Williamsburg Bray School, the history of Black education. We are not done learning the history of this area, and we are certainly not done learning the history of this country.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Digging Backwards Through History Lights the Way Forward
'Groundbreaking' archaeological discoveries at W&M provide a deeper understanding and connection to the historic Williamsburg Bray School WILLIAMSBURG, Va., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beneath William & Mary's Robert M. Gates Hall, archaeologists this summer uncovered a remarkable find: the near-complete 18th-century foundation of the Williamsburg Bray School. The Bray School, one of the oldest known institutions in North America dedicated to the education of enslaved and free Black children, operated on the site from 1760 to 1765. Its foundations were thought to be only partially intact. Researchers also discovered a previously undocumented cellar, layered with centuries of artifacts. The discoveries provide a new portal into the site's past, providing a more complete story of the Williamsburg Bray School, its scholars and their impact. "As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, William & Mary is embracing its role as a steward of the nation's origin stories – and as a catalyst for their expansion," said W&M President Katherine A. Rowe. "The discovery of this cellar is thrilling," Rowe added. "The roots of our city and university entwine here. Every layer of history that it reveals gives us new insights into our early republic, from the Williamsburg Bray School through the generations that followed, up through the early 20th century." Layered with history The foundation and cellar discoveries were first made early this spring by Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF) archaeologists conducting preliminary investigations for the Gates Hall renovation project. The W&M Real Estate Foundation is managing the renovation and expansion on behalf of the W&M Foundation. Since the spring, the W&M Center for Archaeological Research (the Center), under the leadership of Elizabeth J. Monroe and David Lewes, has expanded the excavation and led artifact recovery. The cellar is sizeable: approximately 36 by 18 feet. Two distinct levels are emerging. The Center team has exposed the bottom of the cellar almost eighteen inches higher than the previous depth found by the CWF team. "It looks like the cellar was a partial cellar, and had different floor levels potentially," said Center Project Archaeologist Tom Higgins. "It's not a brick-lined cellar – it was probably dug soon after the foundations were laid." In addition to the foundation and cellar, their work is revealing a rich archaeological story that stretches from the 18th century to the mid-20th century: jewelry, slate pencil fragments, sherds of pottery and vases, buttons – the stuff of everyday life, the ephemera of history. Each excavated layer reveals more discoveries. Among the recovered items are fragments of colonoware pottery – handmade ceramics often associated with sites of enslavement and Indigenous communities – as well as sherds of Greek Revival ceramics, glass, and decorative items linked to the women who lived in Brown Hall during the early 1900s. Before it was moved down Prince George Street in 1930, the original Williamsburg Bray School building housed Methodist women attending William & Mary from 1924-1930. These students were among the first generations of women to attend college in the U.S. The significance of these discoveries is amplified by the site's connection to the Williamsburg Bray School. A favorite recovery of the team is a sherd of glass depicting Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, war and the arts. The Minerva sherd juxtaposes with a piece of late 19th century or early 20th century flatware, painted with a Greek meandros pattern. "We know that the girls at Brown Hall were furnishing their dorms," Michele L. Brumfield, senior researcher at the Center, said. "So maybe they were bringing in things like this." The team is careful not to draw too many conclusions from what they are finding – yet. "It's early days," Monroe added. Once bagged and labeled, artifacts will travel to the lab at the Center for further study. Spaces of engagement Plans are underway to incorporate the archaeological discoveries, as well as photographs and other documents, into a permanent exhibit inside Gates Hall. The exhibit will be co-curated with members of the Williamsburg Bray School Descendant Community and other stakeholders. Their stories – once lost to the recesses of the cellar – will enlighten students and visitors. Other artifacts will be lent to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where they will join additional items connected to the site for display at the Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center, scheduled to open in 2026. At Gates Hall, the intention is to outline the foundation of the original Bray School on the floor and, if possible, excavate a portion for display in the exhibit – reminders of the lives lived on the site. The renovation at Gates Hall, made possible by a $30 million gift from an anonymous alumna, represents William & Mary's commitment to addressing 21st-century challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. The building will house the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole of Government Center of Excellence. Ann Marie Stock, presidential liaison for Strategic Cultural Partnerships, leads the collaborative efforts related to the exhibit. She envisions a portal which will shed light on those who traversed the site over centuries: "foragers and farmers, singers and soldiers, clerks and clergy, dancers, drummers, weavers, writers, teachers, learners, and so many others, all belonged to this community through the years." Maureen Elgersman Lee, director of the W&M Bray School Lab, part of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, sees new directions for her team's research: "This is exciting," she said. "What else are we about to learn? We are not done understanding the history of the Williamsburg Bray School, the history of Black education. We are not done learning the history of this area, and we are certainly not done learning the history of this country." View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE William & Mary Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of murdering W&M student found not guilty
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Keith Bryant was found not guilty on Friday after a two-hour deliberation by the jury. Second man accused in 2019 murder of W&M student testifies This was Bryant's retrial for the death of William & Mary student Nate Evans in March 2019. His first trial in April 2024 ended with a mistrial due to a hung jury. Evans was a 19-year-old sophomore at the university. Evans was shot just east of Old Dominion University's campus. The shooting was Norfolk's second homicide of 2019. William & Mary remembers football player killed in Norfolk shooting Bryant and another man, Kri'shawn Beamon, were both charged with murder in the case, though only one gun is alleged to have been used. Now, Bryant is a free man after being found not guilty of homicide and not guilty on his weapons charge. In a statement, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said he was disappointed with the verdict, but respected the case's outcome. 'Here in Norfolk, we are not afraid to try hard cases,' Fatehi said. 'We do it every day, because we owe victims and the accused their day in court. While we wish the result had been different, we respect the process and the jury's verdict.' 10 On Your Side's Keagan Hughes was in the courtroom and will provide additional details throughout the day including reactions from families and lawyers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
