Historic home older than the USA is getting a makeover as volunteers screen the area for artifacts
A home built in the 1700s in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is undergoing significant rehabilitation.
The historic , located on 270 acres adjacent to the Shenandoah River, is being restored to preserve its rich history.
As restoration work progresses, volunteers are actively searching for artifacts around the property.
"As the stabilization is taking place, we are here where they have moved soil that was in place, and we are screening it to look for artifacts to see if what we're finding today matches up with what we found 10 years ago," Carole Nash, with the Archaeological Society of Virginia, told .
Nash described the home as one of the great stone houses of the Page Valley.
"It is what we call a German Flurküchenhaus design, which means it is a design that dates back to the medieval period in Germany," she explained, going on to say that the home has a barrel roof cellar and that the floor plan "is very much focused on the family itself."
She noted that other houses in Page County share this design, and they're often referred to as "the forts."
"They date to the period of the French and Indian War, and there is a mistaken assumption that they were built as fortifications against attack when really this is an old German design," Nash added.
Volunteers have been screening the area outside the home to uncover artifacts.
"We have animal bones from their meals, ceramics, and paned glass from the windows," Nash said. "You get the image of a family here making their way out to what was then the frontier."
Through handling artifacts that have remained untouched for about two centuries, Nash has gained insights into the environmental history of the area.
The restoration is slated to be complete in 2026.
See more in the video player above.