COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG WERTENBAKER 451 



and the fact that the posts were set diagonally to the wall. The 

 ornate form of these posts was determined by the finding of frag- 

 ments of stone caps and balls. The foundations of the garden houses 

 at the northwest and northeast corners of the garden showed that these 

 little structures, like the wall posts, were not parallel with the walls, 

 but diagonal to them. The location and width of the central path were 

 fixed by the discovery of the remains of its underdrainage bed of 

 broken bricks, of the foundations of the north gate, and of the wide 

 central limestone steps. As for the steps themselves, enough was left 

 to determine their length, rise, tread, nosing, and material. Remains 

 of the two flanking steps were also found, one near the east wall and 

 one near the west wall, and the three, in turn, made it possible to 

 estimate the elevations of the south terrace of the adjoining Ballroom 

 Garden. 



But the architects and landscape gardeners were not alone in profit- 

 ing from the findings of the archeologists, for the thousands of frag- 

 ments of china, glassware, household utensils, and tools which were 

 dug up threw a welcome light upon the tastes, fashions, habits, 

 domestic life, trades of the people. In fact, what the earth was made 

 to yield was of vital importance, not only in restoring the buildings 

 of colonial Williamsburg, but the people who lived in them. As a 

 piece of broken china was brought to light the archeologist could 

 reflect that from it Thomas Jefferson may have enjoyed a luncheon 

 of turnip salad and jowl; a bit of discolored glass might be part of a 

 bottle from which a waiter at the Raleigh Tavern had filled a glass 

 w^ith wine for George Washington ; on this iron step, now a mass of 

 rust. Lady Dunmore may have mounted to her seat in the Governor's 

 coach ; with these tools the cabinetmaker may have fashioned a table 

 or a desk for Chancellor Wythe. 



In a province where a majority of the people, rich and poor alike, 

 were engaged in cultivating tobacco, it was to be expected that smoking 

 would be, among the men, almost universal. But were there no other 

 evidence available, the unearthing at Williamsburg of thousands of 

 pieces of broken clay pipes would establish the fact. It seems to have 

 been the custom in every household to place in the hallway near the 

 front door a rack full of pipes. A guest, as he entered, was expected 

 to take one, and before filling it with tobacco and lighting up, to break 

 off an inch or more from the long, slender stem. In this way the 

 same pipe could be used by different persons, each of whom could be 

 certain of a clean end to place in his mouth. 



In refurnishing the houses, the staff were left in no doubt as to what 



varieties and patterns of china had been in use in Williamsburg in 



colonial days, for innumerable fragments were dug up in all parts of 



" the city. Here was a bit of a cup from which a blacksmith or a tailor 



