Colony of Avalon Walking Tour - Pool Plantation Later Period

Pool Plantation, 1638 - 1696
Pool Plantation, 1638 – 1696
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

Between the abandoned forge and the cobble street a house was constructed sometime after mid-century. This photograph shows the rough stone foundation in the foreground and a portion of the fireplace at left.

Foundation of a Planter's House
Foundation of a Planter's House
This house was from the mid-17th century.
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

The house foundation fronting the street encroaches on the cobbles, suggesting that space was at a premium and that rigid social control over construction may have been breaking down.

Foundation Encroaching on the Cobbles
Foundation Encroaching on the Cobbles
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

As well as coarse earthenware, glass and other objects the refuse from this house included this flesh fork and fragments of a Westerwald jug from the later 17th century decorated with purple hearts and the usual cobalt blue.

Later 17th Century Flesh Fork and Westerwald Jug Fragments
Later 17th Century Flesh Fork and Westerwald Jug Fragments
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

By mid-century the settlement had spread beyond the original defenses and on to the Ferryland Downs to the east. This photograph shows a house with the foundation of a massive stone fireplace in the eastern gable end.

Planter's House Foundation on the Downs
Planter's House Foundation on the Downs
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

Among the ceramics from the Downs house was this unusual North Devon coarse earthenware bedpan/urinal, made late in the 17th century.

Course Earthenware Bedpan/Urinal from the Downs House
Course Earthenware Bedpan/Urinal from the Downs House
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

The silver cufflinks are virtually the only high status object from the "middling class" house.

Silver Cufflinks from the Downs House
Silver Cufflinks from the Downs House
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

South of the Downs house, and slightly up hill, was this stone-lined well, about 25 feet deep. Glass and ceramics from the bottom of the well matched with the material from the house. The well appears to have been in use from the latter part of the 1600s until it was filled about 1800.

Stone-lined Well South of the Downs House
Stone-lined Well South of the Downs House
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

The planter's house on the Downs was destroyed during the French attack in the fall of 1696. The settlement was entirely destroyed and the settlers either imprisoned or transported to Appledore, England. Many returned the following spring to resume their lives in the New World. The winter of 1696/97 was the only period following 1621 when Ferryland was not occupied by European settlers.

Destruction of the Downs House by the French in 1696
Destruction of the Downs House by the French in 1696
Reproduced by permission of the Colony of Avalon Foundation, Ferryland, NL, © 2001.

End of Tour


Previous - Pool Plantation Waterfront | Next - Return to Introduction

Also follow the Audio Visual Version of this text and image-based tour at the Colony of Avalon Foundation website.