THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511100190
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
While the City Council, developers and residents try to agree on the future of the ``green spot,'' a patch of undeveloped land on the corner of Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road, Molly Kerr contemplates the land's past.
For years, Kerr, a Great Bridge native and a senior at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, heard the theory that the land was the site of the Southern Branch Chapel, a branch of the Church of England. The chapel, which burned in 1845, was built in 1701 and was said to have been the headquarters for patriot forces who defeated the British in a strategic battle of the Revolutionary War in 1775.
But a theory wasn't good enough for Kerr. She wanted proof.
``When I went to college, I discovered that everything you hear or that's written down isn't necessarily true. I wanted to find out for myself and the community to see what really was there,'' said Kerr.
So last summer Kerr approached the land's owner with a request for permission to conduct an archaeological dig. Last month, permission was granted just days before the dig took place.
``It was very quick timing,'' said Kerr. ``Some students that were supposed to help me couldn't come on such short notice. So I relied on help from area residents and some members of the Archeology Society of Virginia. Some people just walked off the street and offered to help once they realized what we were doing.''
The project was painstaking. Before digging started, Kerr roped off a 250-by-150-foot grid and she and her helpers began to dig.
``I had honestly not expected to find anything of significance,'' said Kerr. But she did.
``We found a brick walkway which concluded in stairs,'' said Kerr. The walkway was a mere four inches beneath the soil.
Although it appears the discovery is proof that the church did at one time occupy the corner of what is now Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road, Kerr maintains a scientific perspective.
``I can never prove definitely that this was the site of the church,'' she said. ``The brick is very decomposed. The remains could be from the church or they could be from another building that was once there. What's important is that there was something there.''
Kerr found much more than the brick walkway.
The expedition uncovered a variety of artifacts, including old nails, ceramic pieces, buttons, bits of glass, burned wood and flint that Kerr believes may have belonged to Revolutionary War soldiers.
But what Kerr and her volunteers found most interesting were ceramic pieces and Jasper, a substance used for making arrowheads. The items are believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old.
``When we found them, it really piqued my curiosity,'' Kerr said. ``At first, I couldn't understand how they could be there, then I realized that this area of Great Bridge might have been the only high ground 4,000 years ago.''
``It's possible that a small encampment of Native Americans once resided here. The river was probably larger then and the marshland could also have been much larger than it is today. If that's true, the area could have been one of several high grounds for them.''
But whether or not the Indians lived on what is today referred to as the ``green spot,'' Kerr doesn't pretend to know.
``The items might have been dropped during travel or the site could have been a temporary campground,'' she said.
With the dig behind her, Kerr is concentrating on finishing her senior year of college as well as writing a report on the dig for the city record. As for the items discovered during the excavation, they're being cleaned and dated by Kerr and fellow archaeologists.
Kerr admits she's hoping for the opportunity to complete her investigation, although she's received no word from the land's owner about that possibility.
``The dig site was actually very small. There's quite a bit of land we never touched during the excavation and we don't know what we could find there.''
As for the future of the green spot, Kerr remains neutral.
``My motives for wanting to research the property were never political. People can use the fact that the church might have been there when thinking about what the property should be used for. But my agenda was never to stop the development of the property.'' MEMO: The Chapel Green Project is accepting tax-deductible donations toward
the purchase of the ``green spot.'' Organizers hope to preserve it as a
historic park. More information is available by calling Robert or Maria
Parker at 482-5149 or 421-4314. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by KATHARINE KERR
Volunteers dig at the site, hoping to unearth evidence of a chapel.
Stuart Parker and Molly Kerr examine artifacts found at the dig. The
expedition uncovered nails, buttons, bits of glass, burned wood and
flint.
by CNB