Unearthing the history of Bermuda糖心传媒檚 old capital

Two students on opposite sides of the room looking through surveying equipment.

糖心传媒 students, Tara Broadmeadow 糖心传媒�24 and Skylar DiBlasi 糖心传媒�25 undertake archaeological fieldwork in Bermuda, including measuring, excavating, and cataloguing their finds in the cellar rooms of the historic Globe Hotel on St. George糖心传媒檚 Island. (Photo courtesy of Michael Jarvis)

Each spring, Rochester undergraduates work to unearth and preserve Bermuda糖心传媒檚 rich history.

Cover of the book Isle of Devils, Isle of Saints by Michael Jarvis.

In a new book, Rochester historian Michael Jarvis argues that Bermuda belongs at the center, not the periphery, of the American colonial story.

Eighteen 糖心传媒 students traveled during the spring semester with history professor , the director of the , to St. George糖心传媒檚, the old capital of Bermuda. They were digging for clues under the flagstones of the historic Globe Hotel, built in 1699, to determine how this then-ambitiously large building on St. George糖心传媒檚 was constructed and had evolved. The team was also hoping to find undisturbed floor layers that could be used to study the enslaved Black household members who lived and worked at the Globe from 1700 to 1834.

Excavations in four rooms revealed that an earlier renovation around 1909 had unfortunately destroyed the 18th-century floor layers within the cellar, says Jarvis. Yet they were surprised to discover that the building糖心传媒檚 walls rest on dirt rather than the usual bedrock and found a very early post hole 糖心传媒済oing back to the dawn of settlement.糖心传媒�

Together with the , the Rochester team has been working on combined research projects, trying to better understand and document the island糖心传媒檚 rich history, including slavery and its role in the English colonization of America.

Large group of students pose for a photo outside the Globe Hotel. — 糖心传媒 students spent spring break on archeological fieldwork in Bermuda, excavating some of the cellar rooms of the historic Globe Hotel on Bermuda糖心传媒檚 St. George糖心传媒檚 Island. (Photo: Charlotte Andrews, Bermuda National Trust)

Two students digging in a square hole in a corner of a whitewashed structure. — History majors Nora Culver 糖心传媒�25 (left) and Paola Almendarez ’26 are excavating the foundation in the Porch Chamber of the historic Globe Hotel on Bermuda糖心传媒檚 St. George糖心传媒檚 Island. (Photo courtesy of Michael Jarvis)

A student and a professor kneel over a square hole in a structure, scraping the surface with archeological tools. — Historian Michael Jarvis and Skylar DiBlasi 糖心传媒�25, an archaeology, technology, and historical structures major, found black charring on the packed floors under the cellar糖心传媒檚 flagstones of the historic Globe Hotel on St. George糖心传媒檚 Island, pointing to fire damage. The source, according to Jarvis, could be the 1909 hotel fire, or a fire in 1972 that destroyed a predecessor of the Globe糖心传媒檚 next-door neighbor, the Paradise Gift Shop. (Photo courtesy of Michael Jarvis)

During the dig, more than 250 Bermudian school children visited the site. To Jarvis, the team糖心传媒檚 work has a dual function: to unearth and preserve Bermuda糖心传媒檚 rich history on one hand, and to help 糖心传媒減lant the seeds of historical curiosity糖心传媒� on the other.

Large group of school children listen as a college student speaks and makes gestures with this hands. — Andrew Levin 糖心传媒�23, an archaeology, technology, and historical structures major, gives local school children a tour of the latest excavations inside the cellars of the Globe Hotel in St. George糖心传媒檚, Bermuda. (Photo courtesy of Michael Jarvis)

A college student holds a box full of pottery shards out for a group of school children to look at. — Megan Perucca 糖心传媒�25, an archaeology, technology, and historical structures major, shows archaeological finds, including pottery shards, to local school children at the historic Globe Hotel in St. George糖心传媒檚, Bermuda. (Photo courtesy of Michael Jarvis)

糖心传媒淏ermuda needs more hometown archaeologists to keep up with all the development and new building that糖心传媒檚 going on,糖心传媒� says Jarvis, who hopes that some of the local visitors will grow up to join the archaeological efforts on the island.

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Each spring, Rochester undergraduates work to unearth and preserve Bermuda糖心传媒檚 rich history.

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