Archaeologists have unearthed what is thought to be the earliest cistern at the University of Virginia and found new evidence of an outbuilding that may have housed enslaved people. 

Located just southwest of Pavilion V, the cistern was part of the University’s early water distribution system, according to archaeologist Steve Thompson, who has researched the University’s early water lines. Thompson, a former principal of Rivanna Archaeological Services, identified the cistern as likely the first constructed at the University.

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