Metal Detectorists Assist at Madison’s Montpelier

ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA—Metal detectorists have been recruited to help archaeologists investigate the 2,700 acres of land at Montpelier, the eighteenth-century home of James Madison. They are looking for artifacts in areas that were once fields, mills, and slave quarters. After an archaeology lesson, the hobbyists are paired with a staff member who records the finds. “What we’re finding is that metal detectorists absolutely love this. It opens a whole new window into their hobby and what we’d eventually like to do is have more archaeologists and detectorists working together,” said Matt Reeves, director of archaeology at Montpelier.