As construction negotiations for a new $37 million courthouse building dragged on during the winter, archaeologists digging up the yard of the former Swan Tavern in downtown Charlottesville got extra time to excavate as volunteers. But their permission to dig ends Monday, about a month after an Albemarle County-imposed gag order prevented the archaeologists from speaking with reporters.
Craig Kelley, an archeologist with Rivanna Archaeological Services, walks through the excavation site at the former Swan Tavern in Court Square in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Craig Kelley, an archeologist with Rivanna Archaeological Services, digs the excavation site of the former Swan Tavern on Court Square in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society gives a tour to the public of the Swan Tavern archeological dig site in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society gives a tour to the public of the Swan Tavern archeological dig site in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Craig Kelley, an archeologist with Rivanna Archaeological Services, walks through the excavation site at the former Swan Tavern in Court Square in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Craig Kelley, an archeologist with Rivanna Archaeological Services, digs the excavation site of the former Swan Tavern on Court Square in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society gives a tour to the public of the Swan Tavern archeological dig site in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society gives a tour to the public of the Swan Tavern archeological dig site in Charlottesville on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.