George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation

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Version DAVID MURACA
Director of Archaeology

David Muraca has been the director of archaeology at The George Washington Foundation for the past seven years. His research interests include 18th-century plantation life, 17th-century Chesapeake life and the development of towns in colonial Virginia.

Prior to his work at Ferry Farm, Muraca oversaw excavations as staff archaeologist at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has a master’s degree in anthropology from the College of William and Mary. Muraca, his wife and two daughters live in downtown Fredericksburg, Va.

PHILIP LEVY
Research Fellow

Philip Levy is an associate professor of history and an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida. He is responsible for overseeing the operation of the university’s field school at Ferry Farm. His prize-winning writings explore many aspects of life and landscape in early America and the Early Modern British Atlantic. He is the author of “Fellow Travelers: Indians and Europeans Contesting the Early American Trail,”as well as numerous scholarly articles dealing with colonial-Indian relations, early exploration, historical archaeology, early modern Virginia landscape and material culture. He is currently writing a book about how stories like that of the famous cherry tree took shape at George Washington’s boyhood home.

Levy has been a fellow at institutions including the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and The George Washington Foundation. He holds a doctorate from the College of William and Mary.

MARK WENGER
Architectural Historian

Mark Wenger is the consulting architectural historian for Ferry Farm. He is the author of The English Travels of Sir John Percival and William Byrd, 1701 and Carter’s Grove: The Story of a Virginia Plantation, as well as several articles exploring various topics of architectural history. Wenger specializes in the study, preservation and restoration of 18th century structures.

Wenger currently works with the architectural firm of Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker, where he has worked on projects for clients including the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary’s President’s House, Hasbrouck House and Hanover Courthouse. In addition to Ferry Farm, he has consulted on several projects, including Battersea, the Thomas Nelson House, Mount Pleasant and Gadsby’s Tavern. Previously an architectural historian for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Wenger has a master’s degree from the University of Virginia.

PAUL NASCA
Staff Archaeologist

Paul Nasca is a staff archaeologist and field supervisor for the excavations at Ferry Farm. Nasca assists with interpreting archaeological remains and is responsible for training students and site interns in archaeological field methods. He also oversees artifact conservation and public education at Ferry Farm. Nasca has 20 years of field experience and has participated in research excavations in Virginia, New York, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Dutch West Indies. His scholarly interests are in colonial Chesapeake archaeology and the archaeology of military sites.

Previously, Nasca served as archaeologist at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Old Fort Niagara Association. He holds degrees in anthropology from the State University of New York, Buffalo and the College of William and Mary.