Montgomery Parks has conducted archaeological research on this property since 2009 and will continue studies to learn more about the daily lives of those enslaved here, whose experiences are not recorded anywhere else. Reconstructing the plantation landscape of the early 1800s enriches understanding of how the enslaved community and the Riley family used these areas differently. A dwelling stood at this location in the 1800s, and although above-ground indications are gone, evidence of human activities remains buried under the soil. Archaeologists found intact postholes and remnants of posts used to support wooden structures. Though obscured by 20th-century changes, elements of the Riley plantation landscape remain within the park, and identifying these physical spaces allows better awareness of the human interactions that once took place here. Excavations in this area uncovered features indicating a wooden structure and rubble from a stone chimney. Artifacts including plates, cups, smoking pipes, pins, and marbles suggest the building was a residence dating to the first half of the 1800s, likely quarters for the enslaved or the overseer.
