Quest for Washingtonia
How a Messiah professor and student team helped uncover a lost ancient colony
Historical records clearly showed that Washingtonia — the experimental community that welcomed refugees fleeing theirhomes amid war in Greece in the 1820s — existed on the Isthmus of Corinth. Though the colony had been founded by a well-known individual of the day, American physician, philanthropist and abolitionist Samuel Gridley Howe, its exact location mystified modern-day researchers, including David Pettegrew, professor of history and archaeology.
That’s where two maps — one very old and one very new — come in.
A eureka moment
In 2023, a colleague of Pettegrew’s uncovered a sketch of the isthmus by 19th-century French geographer Pierre Peytier. “The unpublished draft map revealed an extraordinary level of local detail,” says Pettegrew.
Meanwhile, another colleague, from Harrisburg University, used drone footage and images from other sources (even World War II aerials) to create a geographic information system (GIS). The computer-based tool stores and analyzes layers of data to generate interactive digital maps.
Pettegrew and his colleagues brought the sources together, overlaying Peytier’s map with the digital map — and suddenly, the landscape unfurled in a new way.
“These are the moments archaeologists and historians yearn for — the ‘eureka’ moments when varied evidence locks in place to unlock new interpretive horizons,” Pettegrew says. “The Peytier map illuminated the lost geography of Washingtonia.”
Living history
In 2023, Pettegrew and students from Messiah traveled to Greece, joined by experts and students from other academic institutions and across fields from computer technology to environmental science to history. “Each discipline had something unique to contribute,” says Alex Shehigian ’24, a student on the trip.
And sure enough, another eureka moment.
During an early morning drone survey, Pettegrew and a colleague officially confirmed that the ground on which the group stood held the remains of a building from Washingtonia.
“History came to life in that moment,” says Nick Barnes ’23, another trip participant.
Illuminating the path forward
Since that day, Pettegrew, his colleagues and their students have shared their findings at conferences and in academic papers. Last fall, an Archaeology Magazine article featured their work.
Re-locating Washingtonia was a remarkable scholastic accomplishment that also proved to be deeply personal for Barnes and Shehigian.
“This project changed my life,” states Barnes, who’d planned to study law but is now in graduate school to become an archaeologist.
He adds, “Neither my participation in this project nor my academic career would have been possible without Messiah University’s dedication to the study of the humanities and an approach to Christian humanism that is truly unique for Christian liberal arts schools.”
For Shehigian, who’s pursuing an M.A. in history, the experience allowed her to live out her values. “As a historian, I commit to seeing the value in each person’s story, while being especially attentive to those traditionally left out of the narrative,” she reflects. “Sharing the history of a refugee community in 19th-century Greece using evidence-based storytelling was an opportunity for me to live out this commitment.”
— Kristine Frey ’07