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Virtual Port Hampton Lecture
“A very agreeable place and all the houses extremely neat”
 Hampton History Museum Facebook Live - Monday, January 4, 7-8 pm
Downtown Hampton has been subject to extensive archaeological investigations over the years. Those excavations and the records of 18th-century Elizabeth City County reveal that the residents of Hampton worked hard to stay up-to-date with the lasted news and fashions coming from the center of the English speaking world. Join Christopher McDaid, Cultural Resources Manager and Archaeologist at Joint Base Langley-Eustis to hear how information revealed by what was discovered during excavations in downtown Hampton highlight the sophisticated choices made by residents with a special focus on the remains of the Bunch of Grapes and King’s Arms taverns that were the social center for Hampton’s elite.

Christopher L. McDaid is currently the lead archaeologist for Joint Base Langley-Eustis.  He has worked for the US Army as a regional archaeologist, as a field archaeologist for the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, and for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Department of Archaeological Research.   He holds a Ph.D from the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History.  His Ph.D thesis was on the archaeology of Hampton’s Bunch of Grapes and King’s Arms taverns.

The title Chris chose for his talk, "A very agreeable place and all the houses extremely neat," is a quote from the diary of a woman only known as Mrs. Browne. The entry was on March 11, 1755. Gen. Edward Braddock was the British officer sent to America during the French and Indian War, and Browne accompanied Braddock's army. The entry refers to when the army was moving through Hampton.

After the event debuts on Facebook Live, you can find it under the videos tab on the museum’s Facebook page. Soon after, it will be uploaded to the Hampton History Museum YouTube playlist, and website, www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org.

Photo of Christopher McDaid with a delft plate during fieldwork in Downtown Hampton in the 1980s. Photo by Rob Hunter