Archaeologist, Donnie Sadler, spoke at the Hill House Museum and showed his private collection to guests on Saturday. Donnie grew up on a James River Plantation in Surry that was patented in 1619 and it launched his early love of history and archaeology. Also, he talked about the artifacts from the 2012 Hill House exploratory dig of the site’s privies and cistern.

A cistern water system stores the water needed for a household in a large container that is typically filled by rainwater. The Hill House Museum is fortunate to still have its original cisterns in place (both in the attic and outside). The cistern in the garden is now part of the tour for guests to see and learn about early 19th century plumbing. So, when planning a summer day trip stop by the Hill House Museum and tour a wonderful piece of history.