Carole Nash, Ph.D., is a Professor in the JMU College of Integrated Science and Engineering. Her areas of expertise include Middle Atlantic Archaeology, Human Ecology, and Citizen Science. Her research topics include the archaeology of the Appalachians, Native American cultures, applications of technology in the field sciences, historical ecology, long-term climate change and impacts on human community, and public participation in science. She is consulting archaeologist and principal investigator for Shenandoah National Park, a registered professional archaeologist, and has 40 years of experience in cultural resource management with National Park Service, National Forest Service, State of Virginia, and others.

Dr. Nash is also a Founder and the current President of Mountain Valley Archaeology, a collaboration of citizens and professional archaeologists that works with communities in and around the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge to discover, understand, and promote cultural heritage through education, citizen science, and focused research.

Topic: Belmont Vineyard and the 19th Century Wine Industry in the Virginia Blue Ridge

Current popular reconstructions of the Virginia wine industry focus on the limited success of production vineyards until the late 20th century. However, historical research and archaeological survey in Shenandoah National Park resulted in the rediscovery of a significant winery with origins prior to the Civil War: Belmont Vineyard. By 1890, the vineyard was producing and shipping thousands of gallons of wine and brandy across the eastern United States. The operation was established by Warren County farmer Marcus Buck in the 1850s on tracts of Blue Ridge land. Its development slowed by the Civil War, the vineyard ultimately included 80 acres of the farm. Archaeological survey has located the remains of the manor house, dependencies, extensive road and stone wall networks, cistern, pressing room, and two three-story wine cellars constructed into the mountain. With the assistance of Marcus Buck’s farm journal, current vintners, and the Virginia Wine Board, an offshoot of research will focus on the identification of surviving 19th century grape varieties, as well as an understanding of 19th century grape cultivation strategies in a region that is seeing the resurgence of the wine industry.