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| Archaeologist Kathleen Child, left, and construction project manager Lisa Grieco examine artifacts discovered during the digging of a geothermal well at Market House. Over the past two months, workers have found traces of an old brick walking path, cattle and other animal bones, a shard of pottery, a handle for a jug, a hand-wrought nail and a handmade spike [Credit: Elisa Sauers/The Capital] |
Workers have found traces of an old brick walking path, cattle and other animal bones, a shard of pottery, a handle for a jug, a hand-wrought nail and a handmade spike.
While the cache is not extensive, the finds leave archaeologist Kathleen Child, who is consulting with the city on the project, hoping for more.
Child believes that if there is anything significant buried at Market House, it would likely be closer to the building. The construction workers will be digging the trenches closest to the building in coming weeks.
“We’re very hopeful,” she said. “Well, I guess archaeology is all hope.”
Though the artifacts are interesting to look at, they’re difficult to interpret, Child said. The soil around Market House has been filled in from other locations. The shoreline used to extend much farther into downtown — at one point even up to the base of Main Street.
That means there aren’t neat underground layers of dirt that give clues about the dates and times for the items that are found.
And the finds don’t compare to those from the 2010 excavation next to the Gotts Court parking garage, which revealed thousands of centuries-old pieces of china, bottles, pottery and bones in historic garbage pits.
Child is unsure of the ages of the Market House bones, and even the pottery and nails say little about their age without other evidence.
For instance, a shard of whiteware pottery made in England could be as little as 200 years old, and a brownstone jug handle with a salt glaze, found closer to the plaza, could be close to the same age.
The hand-wrought nail and spike could have been made in the 1850s, she said, because it wasn’t until later in the 19th century that people began manufacturing them.
One group of artifacts was actually discovered inside Market House. When the contractor who installed the meters for the new geothermal system dug into the floor, cattle bones were found underneath it. They were where, most recently, Wok Your Way had a stall.
The thing Child can determine clearly is that the bones were butchered — they had clean, smooth breaks. Butchers used to sell meat at Market House.
But without more evidence, experts can’t say whether the bones came from the market or another butcher or pub in the area.
Child said that while Market House is a difficult site for an archaeologist, there’s potential for illuminating finds.
“What I’d like to see are things that say what this place was historically used for,” she said. “Things coming off the ships, and things being sold here in the Market House, to help us interpret the activities going on here.”
Author: Elisha Sauers | Source: The Capital [March 16, 2012]