This incredible artifact was once a large cylindrical wooden container called a cask. It has been preserved because it was found by archaeologists at the very bottom of Jamestown’s first well in waterlogged soils. This anaerobic environment preserved the cask, as bacteria that requires oxygen to thrive couldn’t develop and degrade the fragile wooden staves. The cask was placed inside the well by the colonists to serve as a lining for the water reservoir of the well, and it was found by Jamestown archaeologists about 12 feet below ground.
Cask in place during excavation
The top half of the cask had decomposed by the time it was found by archaeologists, which is why one edge of each stave is irregular, but the cask could have been as large as 4 feet tall. We refer to this artifact as a cask and not as a barrel because we do not know its original size and shape. While casks and barrels are both cylindrical wooden containers, barrels are defined by their measurements. Likewise, a hogshead is yet another type of cask, defined by its shape and size.
Cask staves, exterior view
The cask included a total of 16 staves and measured 2.5 feet in diameter. Each stave measures about 2 feet long and between 5.75 to 7 inches wide, and all have a small carved linear groove on the interior, 2.5 inches from the bottom edge of the wood. These 3mm wide lines are croze lines, where the planks of wood that formed the head, or end of the cask were inserted in order to seal it. The top and bottom ends had been removed from the cask before it was placed into the well, although two sections of the head of a cask were recovered during excavations of the well feature and it is possible that they are related to this cask. Three wooden hoops wrapped around the bottom exterior of the cask helped to keep the cask staves in place.
Two cask head boards, during excavation
The wooden staves and two head boards have been preliminarily identified as Oak, and it is likely that the cask itself was made in England or Europe and shipped to Virginia. The staves have some interesting markings and modifications that may tell us more about how the cask was used before it was placed into the well. Two staves have holes augured into them near the croze line. These holes would have helped to secure a wooden batten to reinforce the cask head with pegs or iron nails. These two staves would have been opposite of each other when the cask was complete, ensuring that the head was reinforced from two sides.
Highlight of two staves with augured holes near croze lines
A number of the staves contain holes which have been pegged with small wooden pegs. These holes may have been sampling holes to test for spoilage, or they may have been used to siphon material out of the cask, perhaps an indication of pilfering.
Highlight of plugged holes on multiple staves
Two staves have carvings on their exteriors, markings which span the two boards. The mark appears to be a large letter R with a small circle carved on top of the middle of the letter, and a set of three overlapping circles to the right of the large letter R. There may also be a small letter X carved just to the right of the large letter R. Unfortunately, these markings are a mystery to us today. They may have been made by the cooper who made the cask, or could have been carved into the cask by a supplier, an inspector, or someone responsible for the cask during the transatlantic journey.
Markings seen on boards prior to conservation, overlaid on image, and drawn
Although we may never know what this cask originally held, it is a remarkable find at Jamestown, highlighting the movement of goods to and from Virginia and architectural innovations developed by the colonists using materials they had on hand. This cask was hidden belowground by the time the colony’s first well had spoiled and was filled with trash, which likely occurred in 1610. Thus, the large wooden vessel predates the import or export of tobacco. However, its presence in the Jamestown collection serves as a reminder of the massive amounts of tobacco shipped from Virginia to England and elsewhere throughout the world, an industry which provided stability for Jamestown and served as the backbone of the Virginia economy for hundreds of years.
