Overview of Dr. Rainville's Research Projects

Excavating at an Assyrian city

I direct micro-archaeological research at the site to better understand everyday life of non-elites at a fortified outpost of the Assyrian Empire. Micro-archaeology (also referred to as micro-debris research) involves the study of small artifacts, under 1 cm in size. These unintentionally discarded artifacts reveal daily habits: the lithic debris from sharpening stone tools, the chipped ceramic sherds from storage vessels, or the faunal remains from cuts of meat. Read more...

Locating and Research Historic African-American Cemeteries in Central Virginia

I locate, map, and study the communities associated with historic graveyards. I focus on Albemarle and Amherst Counties. To date, I have mapped over a hundred cemeteries, dating between the 1780s and 1980s. Maps of the cemeteries and photographs of each gravestone (including transcriptions) is available on a public database. Visit the project website. My research results have demonstrated that African-American cemeteries are an invaluable resource that provide genealogical and cultural information. Read More...

Studying Enslaved Communities in the Virginian Piedmont

For now, my research is focused on the African Americans who lived at the former Sweet Briar Plantation (in Amherst County, Virginia). Read more...

Poor Farms

Prior to the New Deal, most American counties (townships, parishes, etc.) established "farms" to house the local poor. This system, in turn, replaced the 18th Century version of social welfare which included hiring the poor to work with individual families and relying on church assistance. The poor farm system, often called "the poor house," was organized as a small-scale plantation, with the paupers providing labor and, in turn, receiving room and board. Unfortunately, families took advantage of this system and often had undesirable or crazy relatives committed to the poor farm so that they did not have to care for them. For the past several years I have been studying half-a-dozen poor farms in Albemarle and Amherst Counties. Read More...

Historic Monacan Communities in Virginia

In the fall of 2007 I co-curated an exhibition on Native Americans in Virginia titled "Family Portraits: Virginian Indians at the Turn of the Twentieth Century." Instead of focusing on their pre-historic past, we used reproductions of 20th Century photographs to illustrate the continued cultural heritage of Virginian Indians. In the spring of 2008 Sweet Briar College agreed to donate the photographs to the Virginian Foundation for the Humanities. The exhibit is currently travelling throughout the state. Between June 16, 2008 and August 1, 2008 it will be on display at the Swem Library at the College of William & Mary. My research is on-going into the 19th and 20th Century history of the Monacan Indian Nation in Amherst County. Visit the Exhibition Website ...

Archaeological Survey at an Ante-bellum Plantation

Between 2002 and 2005 I surveyed about 2000 acres on the campus of Sweet Briar College. In the 18th Century the land was divided among dozens of Amherst County farmers. In the 19th Century Elijah Fletcher began buying up land around his newly purchased farm (the Sweet Briar Plantation). Assisted by dozens of Sweet Briar undergraduates and University of Virginia graduate students, we walked north/south grids and located over 400 sites. Read more...