Cornelius’ Corner: “Digging Into Archaeology Classes”
The class studies the newly-restored millrace spillway.
Greetings, friends!
How has your March been going? I’ve been working hard to get ready for spring field trip season by doing lots of laps through my logs, followed by speed climbing on my branches. Gotta make sure I’m in good shape to meet all those students!
Here at the Visitor Center, we’ve been hosting our own winter archaeology class for the volunteers that work with our archaeological program. Site Manager Keith Doms has over 45 years of experience as a professional archaeologist, and he created this class in order to help the archaeology volunteers learn new skills and go more in-depth on topics that have come up in previous excavations.
Over the last ten weeks, the volunteers have gathered every Wednesday to learn about a whole series of important topics in archaeology, including dating techniques, soils, lab procedures, and types of artifacts. “My favorite class topic so far is the faunal session (bones, etc.) because of my background in EMS,” shared volunteer Bob Bardsley. Personally, I wish the class had included more information about mice, but I suppose everybody has to start somewhere!
Volunteer Tom McNally excavates during Public Archaeology Day
Mike Cassidy has been volunteering with us for almost two years. “I did some archaeology on the west coast and thought it would be interesting” he said. His favorite part of the class has been learning about the history of the Mill, how much change has occurred on the grounds, and why those changes took place.
Besides the class sessions, the volunteers were able to visit nearby West Chester University, where Dr. Heather Wholey gave a tour of their archaeology and anthropology lab, reviewed the lab’s procedures, and showed off their Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) unit! Dr. Wholey’s students even demonstrated a database for cataloging artifacts. Everybody liked the database, but they especially enjoyed an electronic Munsell reader used to assess soil colors. Back on site, they got to practice digging shovel test pits (STPs) near the Archive and try their hand at drawing soil profiles.
“I am a librarian at heart, so I enjoyed the paperwork class the most,” shared volunteer Jacquelyn Pillsbury. “I love keeping things organized and learning about different ways to keep track of what is discovered. The key is consistency, but that can be achieved in different ways.”
A big part of archaeology is being able to identify the things that have been excavated (such as nails, bottles, ceramics, and shells) and tie them to a specific time period. Long-time volunteer Ed Lewis shared, “The most interesting artifact I’ve excavated so far was a simple piece of a slip ceramic from Trimble House Outbuilding 1, because of the colors. I was intrigued by how much time was in the process!”
The “Lady of the Barn.”
Mike said that his most interesting artifact was a cast white metal bust that was part of some sort of lighting device like a lamp or a candlestick, which the group dubbed the “Lady of the Barn.” It was excavated from the ruins of the Trimble House Barn near the orchard, and dates to the last half of the 1800s.
Without our skilled archaeology volunteers, we would not have learned so many cool things about the history of the site. Through excavations at the Mill, we found and documented a number of previously unknown features, including a wooden structure that once stood against the east wall, the sawmill tailrace, the original 1704 waterwheel pit, and a window that was once a door!
At the Miller’s House, we discovered a buried garden, an unknown entrance to the 1739 basement, and the location of a former porch’s foundation. During excavations of the Trimble House’s outbuildings, we were able to prove that Outbuilding 1 was originally a grain drying and malting house likely used for brewing, not a privy as had been passed down through oral histories. We were even able to locate the foundations of the original Trimble House Barn, which we had only seen in historic images previously.
Volunteer Martha Pearlman (left) helps visitors screen soil during Public Archaeology Day.
For class graduation, the volunteers helped out with our first Public Archaeology Day of the year. Besides helping visitors screen soil and search for artifacts, the students excavated a sherd of a thin-walled ceramic teapot from the interior of the Trimble House Barn. It dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. I hope they all passed the class after finding such a cool artifact!
I asked the volunteers what my readers should know about the archaeology program. “It covers more than just playing in the dirt!” said Bob. Mike shared that the program is open to all and is very interesting and educational. Ed emphasized how much learning is possible, and “it can be as in-depth as you want it to be. If Keith doesn’t have the information, he can certainly help you find it!” Jacqueline highlighted the comradery and shared sense of accomplishment: “They are a great group of people working together week after week!”
If you want to meet our great group of archaeology volunteers, our next Public Archaeology Day is on Saturday, April 19th from 10am to 3pm. You will learn a lot and maybe help us discover new information about the site!
– Cornelius
