Ryann Taylor | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Ryann Taylor
Title: Changing Communities: An interdisciplinary look at land use along the Maury River
Majors: Archaeology; Geology
Minor: Religious Studies
Advisors: Olivia Navarro-Farr and Eva Lyon
People have altered their landscape since the beginning of time, oftentimes starting along a river which provided them with a variety of resources. The Maury River in Rockbridge County, Virginia has a complex history of stewards, from the Monacan Indian Nation to early settlers, to post-industrial Euro-Americans. Each group that has lived along the river has had a unique world view, or ontology, which is intrinsically tied to how they view/treat the land. This research utilizes archaeological theory along with geologic and archaeological methods including radiocarbon dates, grain size analysis, historical data, and others to create a cohesive picture of the past land use and its impact on the Maury River. The samples used in this Independent Study were collected by the Keck Geology Consortium from numerous dam sites, including the focus of this study, Jordan鈥檚 Point Dam. Results from the tests ran on the sediment results in numeric data which can then be correlated with land changes and practices, and the surroundings archaeological work adds crucially to understanding the past and present communities. The Maury River has had stewards from many cultures throughout the last millennia which have all affected the river in various ways which I explore in my discussion of data within three major periods of occupation: Indigenous occupation, settler occupation, and modern occupation. This study is not the final piece in this research, rather an example of how connecting communities and their knowledge can help heal relationships both between communities but also with the landscape.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
