Trash, or Time Capsule?
These mid-century treasures allow us to research what life was like in fine detail and help validate the stories of living Bull Run Mountains descendants. Because these artifacts tell us the history of the people living here before the mountain was depopulated in the 1960s, it’s important that they remain where they are. It may seem helpful to bring any human object you find in the woods to VOF staff, but leaving the object in place provides the context that our modern archaeology requires.
Objects Connect to Oral History
Pepsi-Cola Bottles Found at the Homesite
Shirley Robinson, a resident of the Bull Run Mountains in her youth, recalls her mother, Elizabeth, burying Pepsi-Cola bottles in the snow outside of the back door to keep them ice-cold. Her mom always told the kids that she had to take the first sip of each bottle because there was a little poison in each that rose to the top. Admittedly, this tall tale was to keep the children from drinking the cola without permission. Looking back, Shirley laughed at the efficacy of her mother’s claim.
The Pee-Pot
Ann Washington, a descendant of the Bull Run Mountain families, returned to her childhood homesite in 2020. She was able to identify one important artifact left at the site: an unassuming white metal pot. She explained that at night, rather than walk to the outhouse in the dark, the kids would use the “Pee Pot” or “Slop Pot” to go to the bathroom.
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