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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Williamsburg in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Efforts of a Virginia Tradesman 1670s

 
 
Efforts of a Virginia Tradesman Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 14, 2008
1. Efforts of a Virginia Tradesman Marker
Inscription. The early English settlers came to Virginia looking for gold, silver, and precious gems, but never found them. Some of the artifacts they left behind, however, are highly valuable to the archaeologists who excavated Jamestown centuries later.

One such artifact lay in the ruins of a structure built for Ann Talbott around 1660, and later owned by George Marable. The building had a floor paved with brick and a substantial seven by three foot hearth with connected oven. It may have been a dwelling or workshop used for light industry like commercial brewing or baking.

The unusual artifact that impressed archaeologists is a simple pewter spoon found in the yard. Although only the handle survived, its 1675 maker’s mark identified it as the work of Joseph Copeland, a craftsman who worked 30 miles down river from Jamestown at Chuckatuck.

The spoon handle is the oldest, dated pewter artifact of North American origin in existence.
 
Erected by Colonial National Historic Park.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Colonial Era. A significant historical year for this entry is 1660.
 
Location. 37° 12.444′ N, 76° 46.585′ W. Marker is in Williamsburg, Virginia, in James City County. Marker can be reached from Colonial Parkway
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, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in the "New Towne" section of the Historic Jamestown unit of Colonial National Historic Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Williamsburg VA 23185, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Water and Well (a few steps from this marker); Interpreting Jamestown (within shouting distance of this marker); A Campsite pre-1607 (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonial Highway (within shouting distance of this marker); The Jamestown Riverfront 1630-1690 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Row Houses (about 300 feet away); Ditch and Mound (about 300 feet away); A Jamestown Warehouse 1630s-1699 (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williamsburg.
 
More about this marker. The right of the marker contains a picture of a “House built by Ann Talbott and later owned by George Marable.” The bottom center of the marker contains a photograph of “Excavations of the Marable house, ca. 1930s.” The left of the marker features a picture of “A 17th-century Virginia pewter-smith at work,” and a picture of the “Handle of the Copeland spoon with a rendering of Joseph Copeland maker’s mark, excavated ca. 1935.”
 
Also see . . .
1. Efforts of a Virginia Tradesman - 1670s
Marker in Historic Jamestowne image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 14, 2008
2. Marker in Historic Jamestowne
. Colonial National Historic Park from National Park Service website. (Submitted on March 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 

2. Historic Jamestowne. Historic Jamestowne is the site of the first permanent English settlement in America. The site is jointly administered by APVA Preservation Virginia and the National Park Service. (Submitted on March 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 
 
Ruins of the Talbott/Marable House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 14, 2008
3. Ruins of the Talbott/Marable House
The "Copeland spoon" was excavated from the grounds around this dwelling in 1935.
The "Copeland spoon" image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 14, 2008
4. The "Copeland spoon"
In 1675, tradesman Joseph Copeland produced this pewter spoon at Chuckatuck, a settlement 30 miles southeast of Jamestown. This is one of the earliest dated, American-made pewter objects excavated in North America.

The “Copeland spoon” 1675, made in Chuckatuck, Virginia, pewter, found near the Marable House along river’s edge in New Towne. This artifact and a reproduction of the entire spoon are on display in the Jamestown Visitor Center.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,224 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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Apr. 23, 2024