Photo: Archaeologist Martha Williams, a dedicated volunteer, assists with shovel testing on the Bal Gra property.
16th Century Occupation Indicated in Bertie County
The Town of Windsor and the County of Bertie have granted funds to First Colony Foundation for additional archaeological research on and near the area that has been dubbed Site X, where contact period components have offered strong evidence of 16th Century occupation. This funded work began in the fall of 2018 with an investigation of ground penetrating radar anomalies at Site X followed by an initial excavation of the adjacent native village of Mettaquem. During the spring of 2019 a field crew surveyed the nearby shoreline along the Chowan River. The focus of future work will depend on an examination of the spring results, but the survey should extend to specific areas along Salmon Creek, where verbal tradition places some of the Roanoke colonists.
