Akin House Archaeology Project

slideshow: AHAP2009

2009-07-13T21:48:00.004-04:00

Dig Diary Weeks 4-5: June 21-July 1

2009-07-13T20:35:00.020-04:00

The final two work weeks of the Akin House Archaeology Project 2009 season were a whirlwind leading up to our Class Results Day on July 1 and Public Open House on July 4!

Week 4 was out last week to dig. Students and volunteers finished excavation in each of the 11 test units we opened this season. Everyone reached a clear stopping point: some on top of potential rock features; some within sterile (artifact-free) B subsoil horizons. A few students even excavated through the subsoil to the top of the pre-occupation C horizon-a layer left by the retreat of the glaciers! The number of artifacts in the units tapered off with depth, as expected. There were no surprises except for unit AH29. That unit had the most 18th-century materials and least 20th-century materials of any unit excavated. In it, we were very excited to find a rectangular soil stain inside a circular one: remnants of a post and filled post hole! Was this a sign of an 18th-century structure?
We carefully dug out this fill only to find plastic artifacts in it! Not what we were hoping for, but informative nonetheless. We believe it is most likely part of the clothesline that was surely in this yard area (based on the number of clothespin springs we have found here).

Week 5 began with students carefully cleaning their sidewalls in preparation for final photographs and drawings. They also took detailed notes about every soil level they saw, artifact they found, and theory they formed. We only get one chance to dig a site, so record keeping is very important.

Photographs of the sidewalls of a unit show the soil levels in relationship to each other. Details are clearer when those profiles are measured down to the centimeter and drawn on graph paper.

A few students have shared their final thoughts:

Chris

This was our final week at the Akin property. I finished the east wall map of the well. I worked on the east side as it is the wall with flat faced dirt and loose rocks. The stone lining of the well on the west is a particular challenging drawing and the professor will be tackling that project on her own. We also decided on the 2 units to remain open for the open house. A volunteer unit and a student unit which shows the soil strata and use through the Akin generations were selected. We concluded by back filling the remaining units. The idea of using a layer of sand to coat the bottom of the unit to show an end of excavation proved to be an ingenious cost effective solution. Looking back on this class I am very grateful to have had this opportunity and I wish all of those involved the best of luck.

Steph

This is it. End of class. I had a great time this semester learning about the Akin property. In total I took my unit, Unit 26 (34.5N/28E) through four contexts . . . at 36.0cmbs there are too many rocks to continue. A soil sample from the NW corner reveals only 15 more cm before hitting rock. I think excavations are DONE. I want to believe that the rocks were put there, probably piled and/or buried. Maybe a wall or foundation? I believe my unit was in close proximity to a coal shed or midden area because of the large amount taken out of the site. Though it wasn't an interesting center point to any of these features I'm glad I chose it. And we now have a precise account of what was found there so we can make an accurate interpretation.

Branden

Back-filling my dig site gave me a great sense of accomplishment and discovery, as I thought about all of the things I learned over the course of the short semester. Digging at the Akin House has been a wonderful experience. Despite the dirty knees, lusterless fingernails, and fire ants at the bottom of the holes, the archaeology project has afforded me great insight and appreciation of the work, research, and patience necessary to this project. There seems a great deal of work to be done on the Akin House property, and I am excited to follow its development and growth in the years ahead. Everyone involved with Akin House who was able to make it to site - Dr. Hodge, us students, Diane and Peggi, and of course Jan Hodge - were a pleasure to work with and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to learn from everyone's hard work and theories. All the best!

At the end of the season, we "backfill" each unit by putting down a layer of clean sand and then shovelling our sifted dirt back into it. Students pitched in and worked together to get backfilling done efficiently and safely. They also spent some time polishing off their final field notebook entries. Wonderful job, guys!

So what did we learn?

The barn was not located on top of another structure. At least some of its floor was paved with thick, flat stones. There may have been some bricks as well, but they were salvaged (leaving nothing but mortar) when the barn came down.
The barn came down in the late 1930s or early 1940s, based on ceramics and glassware found on top of those flat stones. At least some of the architectural debris from the barn was burned, leaving many nails from different time periods mixed up with shells and other debris in a black charcoal layer. Some one's jeans or similar clothing items were burned as well - there were lots of snaps and buttons!
The small outbuilding seen near the barn in the 1922 movie Down to the Sea in Ships was used for coal. It was probably about as old as the barn, judging from the few 19th-century and 20th-century ceramics and glassware that were found mixed up with the coal fragments. The household also threw some animal bones into the stove and threw them out with the burned clinker.
The midden near the north edge of the property dates from around the time of the barn's destruction, maybe a bit earlier than a trash midden excavated in the back yard in 2007 and 2008. This year's midden contained different materials, including perfume and medicine bottles, jewelry parts, and several ladies hair clips.
While the early 19th-century household did not seem to have many expensive ceramics, the late 19th/early 20th century household had a least a few fancy pieces. Some had hand painted gilding and vibrant colors.
Children played in this yard from the early 19th century through the 1960s or 1970s!
Special finds, including a miniature smoking pipe and a Chinese-coin shaped token, deserve further research.
There is considerable artifactual evidence of mid the late 18th-century occupation at the site - ceramics, medicine bottles, and smoking pipes from households just before and after the Revolutionary War. We don't have any features from this period yet, but the potential is high in yard areas that have yet to be evaluated.

Check under our "slideshows" heading at right to see a selection of photographs from this years dig! thanks for visiting!

July 4 Open House

2009-07-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, see you at the Akin House 11-3!
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REMINDER - Weekend Public Open house!

2009-07-03T13:18:00.010-04:00

Wednesday's event recap:
Our Wednesday afternoon event started out great, but the supposed "40% chance of showers, less likely along Cape and Southcoast" thing didn't work out so well. (We're not the only archaeologists dealing with crazy weather - check out the Time Team America link posted on the right sidebar called "All Kinds of Weather".) The students and some hard core family members and volunteers - predictably - had great attitudes and soldiered through the deluge. Thanks to Southworth Library for letting us crash/take refuge in their meeting room! The student presentations were amazing, especially given the fact the several of their posters and our powerpoint projection system were abandoned in the exodus. All the student project posters and all their artifact choices will be featured on site this weekend! And I'll be recreating the posters as powerpoints here on our blog in the near future.
Weekend: END OF SEASON OPEN HOUSE

shine: Saturday July 4th, 11AM-3PM, on site, 762 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA 02748
rain: Sunday July 5th, 11AM-3PM, on site, 762 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA

No worries if you didn't make Wednesday's event, we are also having a weekend Open House on Saturday July 4th (if shine) or Sunday July 5th (if rain). The students may not be there, but you can still see artifacts, ask questions, and learn about house history. As you are tooling around town on the 4th, celebrate the holiday by stopping by one of Dartmouth's own historic sites, a house linked to events of the Revolution itself!

ANY WEATHER UPDATES WILL BE POSTED by 10:00 AM tomorrow and during the day. Right now, it looks like we should be on site tomorrow, Saturday the 4th of July 11AM-3PM.

ON SITE WED AFTERNOON

2009-07-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

We WILL have our 1-4 students presentations on site this afternoon. May still be a shower, but we'll stick it out. Happy end of season!
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Wednesday morning not there - afternoon Open House!

2009-06-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

Reminder: we will not be on site in the morning tomorrow but *will* be there 1-4 for afternoon student presentations! We will start promptly at 1 and and at 4, but the public is welcome to drop by or leave at any time during the presentations.

IN CASE OF RAIN: I will post plans here by 11:30 am. If it looks too risky, we will meet at Dion 110 on the UMass campus (http://www.umassd.edu/vtour/). Public still welcome!
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Tues morn canceled, afternoon on site

2009-06-30T07:08:00.000-04:00

Reminder: this morning we are canceled, but its looking good for this afternoon's class. See you on site!

I may be a few minutes late depending on traffic - apologies if so, I will be there asap.
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Monday morning canceled, afternoon on site! Tuesday morning canceled.

2009-06-29T08:04:00.000-04:00

Alas, it is raining and the rain band is supposed to persist for the next few hours. All morning work is canceled today. BUT rain is supposed to "fall apart" around mid day, so I am planning to be on site with the class this afternoon. If this plan changes I will update here at 11:30.

I cannot be on site tomorrow morning, so without the archaeologist there will be no work on site. Class will happen as usual in the afternoon, hopefully on site - check back here for news tomorrow after 11:30 am.
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Sunday afternoon - sunny!!

2009-06-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

So of course the predicted rain for this afternoon hasn't shown up. We're on site this afternoon until it does or 4, whichever comes first.
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Sunday - morning on site, afternoon cancelled

2009-06-28T08:07:00.000-04:00

Weather challenges persist. We're on site this morning :) but showers are forecast for the afternoon around 1 :( our wrap-up week begins!
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INVITATIONS!

2009-06-26T15:47:00.020-04:00

Sunday begins the last week of AHAP2009! The past four weeks have flow by, despite the drizzly weather. We have met many of our season's goals, and AHAP2009 and DHPT are excited to share findings with family, friends, neighbors, and visitors. So, we invite you to TWO end of Season, Open House opportunities! As always, please check here for weather updates regarding rain dates or locations.

Wednesday, July 1, 1-4PM: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

shine: on site, 762 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA 02748
rain: UMass Dartmouth, Dion Bldg., Rm. 110, 285 Old Westport Rd., North Dartmouth, MA 02747

All are invited to drop in/drop during our final class meeting of Sociology/Anthropology 180-407. Students will each give a 15 minute presentation on their final class project. These projects include interpretive modules that use new archaeological information to build on existing understandings of house history and significance. Come see the site and artifacts and hear first-hand from those who discovered material history here!

Weekend: END OF SEASON OPEN HOUSE

shine: Saturday July 4th, 11AM-3PM, on site, 762 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA 02748
rain: Sunday July 5th, 11AM-3PM, on site, 762 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, MA

No worries if you can't make Wednesday's event, we are also having a weekend Open House on Saturday July 4th (if shine) or Sunday July 5th (if rain). The students may not be there, but you can still see artifacts, ask questions, and learn about house history. As you are tooling around town on the 4th, celebrate the holiday by stopping by one of Dartmouth's own historic sites, a house linked to events of the Revolution itself!

Wednesday -ON SITE

2009-06-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

Reminder, we're on site all day today unless I post other at 11:30. See you there!
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Week 3 Dig Diary: 14-17 June

2009-06-23T19:16:00.035-04:00

The survey grid is mapped, the surface finds are collected, and we have started our excavation! Each student has chosen a 50 x 50 cm unit to explore, while the volunteers are concentrating in the southeastern area of the survey grid. Our questions include: what was the barn used for? When was it demolished and how? What was the small outbuilding to the east of the barn (seen in the 1922 movie Down to the Sea in Ships) used for? What other trash areas were used in this yard space, and when? When was the well filled, and how? For how long has this area of the yard been viewed/used as distinct the front and back yards? How deep are mounds of topsoil brought to this part of the site in the late 20th century, and what's in them? What was daily life like for the people who lived on the site or moved through the landscape 20 years ago? 50 years ago? 150 years ago? 250 years ago? more? As you will see in the photos below, the first few soil levels are dark brown and organic, and they have accumulate during the past couple hundred years or so as yard surfaces. We continue to wash artifacts every day on site. There are plenty already to keep us busy for a while!

Jake: unit AH20 (adjacent to north barn foundation)

Results TBA.

Brenden: unit AH21 (between east barn foundation and line of small rocks/possible shed foundation)

Results TBA.

Sarah: unit AH22 (east of line of small rocks/possible shed foundation)

This week has been the most exciting week of class so far. We got to start digging in our assigned unit. My unit is just outside of the shed near the barn. So far in my unit I have discovered intense amount of coal, burned and new. Along with the coal I have found quite a few pieces of burned animal bone along with an unburned piece of bone from an animal leg. I also found some interesting small artifacts such as a small shirt button, furniture tack, some nails and some glass. I believe that my area was used to either store coal or dump it. I am excited to further discover that this are of the yard was used for.

Colleen: unit AH23 (interior of barn foundation, sampling shell/glass midden visible at surface)

Everything we have done up until the beginning of this week has been building up to the excavating! It was pretty thrilling being able to pick a spot to excavate and then carry through with it. My square is right outside the barn area where there was a high concentration of glass and sea shell that were laying on the surface of the ground. It intrigued me to see if there were more in bedded in the dirt or not. Not to my surprise there were literally TONS. Along with the numerous sea shells and shards of glass I found a fully intact small medicine bottle, and pieces of a Dannon vegetable glass container. My spot was very rich with other types of artifacts as well. There were numerous nails and door hinges which I speculate to be part of the door hinges and possibly nails from the frame of the barn as well. I also found a hunk of metal that is fairly heavy and has a few odd bends in it, which made it hard for me to decipher what exactly it was for or a part of. I am hoping that I will possibly uncover more metal or artifacts that can help me piece together what this odd thing is. I am so thrilled by the grid I have picked and am excavating and I am hoping that this upcoming week is full of sun so the excavating can continue!

Isaiah: unit AH24 (south of barn, on theorized SE corner of barn foundation)

This week, we began the exciting part of the work behind archaeology; we chose a spot on the property in which we wanted to learn more about. For example, some people chose locations where there were lines of stones. They believed that the stones were from the foundation of the barn, so they chose to dig there to try to find out exactly what was going on that area of the barn. The technique we used was a scraping method. This makes it easier to see exactly how far you are digging, and it also helps to keep the artifacts from being destroyed. I am looking forward to continuing digging when we return next week.

Eliska: AH25 (east of barn area & 20th-century dirt mounds on surface)

This week we started digging! I chose my plot in the barn area, which is located next to the large mounds in the middle of the yard. We started digging 10 cm at a time and, within the first few cmbs (cm below surface), I found a pair of rusted old scissors! I thought this was really cool and I couldn’t help but think of all the stories that could go along with these scissors. Then I went down to 20cms and it wasn’t too exciting. I did however find a lot of ceramic that looks as if it could have been from a plate. I thought this was also really interesting and can't wait to see what else I’m going to find!

Steph: unit AH26 (between barn area and eastern survey area glass/plastic midden visible at surface)

We're DIGGING! We chose my area because there seems to be alot of clinker and charcoal around it. My area is AH 26. In the top 10-15cmbs there are tons of coal and clinker, some window and not-window glass, ceramic, and a small metal latch. Excavation is proving difficult because the amount of roots and rock that have to be cleared. To 22cmbs there was more coal, clinker, glass, a couple nails, and some ceramic (which fell from the western sidewall) Hitting big rocks now, might have to close finally at 36cmbs (much shallower than some of the other units people are working on/feeling bad that i couldn't go deeper) Still haven't hit and of the B soil yet.

Jesse: unit AH27 (east area of survey, along north lot line, sampling glass/plastic midden visible at surface)

Last week we started digging out our 50cm by 50cm square. I ended up with a square in the Northeast most corner of the digging area. My Square looks like it was an old trash burning site judging by the objects found on the surface of the square. Many little objects turned up in the first 10cm of digging. Objects like glass, metal nails, metal flakes. Some ceramic, hair clips, small glass bottles, shells, little metal rings looking like they are from clothing. It was a lot harder to dig this first 10cm or so; the second section of digging was far easier. There was far fewer objects the deeper the square went. The objects that turned up all over the yard in other peoples grids where also very interesting, many interesting similarities and other didn’t have anything in common even though they are so close. This week we are going to be digging down deeper, the objects will probably be decreasing as we get deeper but they get older in age. I hope that we find some clues to what happened to the barn this week.

Chris: unit AH28 (over well near south edge of survey area)

This past week the weather cooperated and each day was spent at the dig site. On Monday as teams we finished mapping the remaining units. Over the following two days all of the students worked individually on their 50cm x 50cm squares. I was fortunate to receive the well feature as my square. One of the challenges that arose this week in excavating the well was its width and depth. One of the rewards of excavating is it seems to get more interesting the deeper I go. While other students have noticed there artifact count drop past 10 and 20 cm, the well artifacts richness peaked at 20-30cm as hand blown glass [base from a small medicine bottle] and likely 1700s ceramic [scratch blue white salt-glazed stoneware cup rim fragment] was found. I am looking forward to completing the well excavation next week.

Volunteers: unit AH29 (east edge of survey area, over possible line of stones/remnant stonewall)

Volunteers David and Kim opened AH29 near a line of three or four small surface rocks along the eastern edge of the survey grid. We wanted to sample this yard area and understand when and how it has been used over time. The sod level was not remarkable and was nearly devoid of objects, but it got more interested underneath. Finds in the buried A horizon (topsoil) levels were almost all from the mid-18th to early 19th century and included window glass, creamware, and a tiny clay smoking pipe bowl (probably a toy). There was almost nothing from later periods, making this unit unique among those excavated over the past three years. We will expand this unit into a 1 x 1 m unit next week to understand the nature of these colonial period deposits, which likely dates before or during the time the first generation of Akins lived at the house.

Wednesday - ON SITE

2009-06-23T18:20:00.003-04:00

The forecast is: "showers likely, mainly before 10am... Otherwise, cloudy." Unless the weather forecast changes, we will be ON SITE tomorrow, Wednesday, morning and afternoon. If otherwise I will update here at 8AM and 11:30AM-12PM.

Tuesday afternoon - ON SITE

2009-06-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

Looks like the rain will move through in the next hour or so, so class meets on site this afternoon! Sill dress for damp.

I am driving down from Boston and may be a touch late depending on traffic. Students are all ready to dig your next levels, and the site will be open, so find equip and your forms in the paperwork bin and get started-I'll be ther soon!
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Tuesday morning - cancelled; afternoon, TBA

2009-06-23T07:30:00.004-04:00

I'm canceling this morning because it's still looking very damp, and pretty breezy, outside this morning. Not good conditions for washing artifacts, and that all that is going on on site this morning.

We are tentatively ON for class this afternoon (bring raincoats), I'll update between 11:30 and 12.

Tuesday morning

2009-06-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

Tuesday volunteer morning will be washing only, weather permitting. Check here around 8AM for updates.

Students check here around 11:30 for afternoon updates.

Last I heard for Tues was occasional showers, which isn't too bad and we'd be on site. With raincoats! See you tomorrow afternoon!
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Monday class - at UMD

2009-06-22T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hi! Its too wet to manage on site this afternoon, so well be at the Dion 110 classroom. I may be a touch late after going home to de-mud. See you there!
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Monday morning - 10AM till whenever it starts

2009-06-22T08:54:00.002-04:00

I'll be on site working at 10, going until whenever that rain band gets here. Washing in this wind is tricky but we'll do what we can there too - running out of time, and much to do!

It is your decision whether to come join me for what may be a little time - If you drive a ways, it may not be worth it for you.

I'll still reevaluate for this afternoon, so check back for the decision on where the class will meet.

Monday morning - 1 hour delay check back

2009-06-22T08:06:00.000-04:00

Its a light rain/heavy mist now, but a rain band is circling back on us and they're not saying when it'll be here. Too windy again today - worse than yesterday - for washing tent.

I'm having trouble calling this morning right now, so if anything happens it will be 10-1 rather than 9-12 and probably won't include washing.

This afternoon for class looks better and is TBA.

Check back around 9 for news!
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SUNDAY - on site

2009-06-21T07:58:00.002-04:00

We are in an unusual weather pattern for the beginning of summer, what a drag. NECN is still saying occasional showers, so we will be on site and digging as much as we can today (this whole week looks like occasional showers). Bring gear for rain, and things to do in case we need to break for the weather. The tent will be out this morning but it may get too windy for it, or for artifact washing outside the house, this afternoon. I can't say how much of a wash out it will be today, so if you drive a distance it is your call wether the come over. Local people have it easier.

Sunday - planning to be on site

2009-06-20T18:24:00.004-04:00

The weather for tomorrow isn't great, but so far they're saying only "occasional showers." That's OK digging weather as far as I'm concerned, so I'm planning to be there (with a raincoat). We'll be washing artifacts, too, under a 10 x 10 ft. canopy. I'll update this blog tomorrow around 8AM if the plan changes.

AHAP in the News

2009-06-19T20:57:00.004-04:00

Our project made the front page of the Standard Times on Thursday - "Prospecting for history's tell-tale treasures." Congratulations, everyone! We also extend our thanks to the paper for recognizing our contributions and the role the Akin House can have in local education and cultural enrichment.

note: that's Brenden front and center (sorry, Jake!).

Week 2 Dig Diary: 6-10 June

2009-06-16T18:49:00.015-04:00

This week the volunteers and students continued plan drawings of the survey area, which is focused on the 19th-century barn, suspected 19th-century outbuilding, and general northern side yard. The more we look, the more surface finds are there! Many plastic toys, golf balls, metal fragments, glass window and bottles fragments, shells, and as-yet-unidentified things. We lost some time this week due to rain, but the students were able to make good use of the time by re-bagging artifacts from last season in archival storage bags. In this way, they familiarized themselves with artifacts, with with some more of our record keeping techniques (there are many!), and with principles of archaeological cataloging and curation. Plus it was a preview of things to come!

The students did a wonderful job with their dig diaries this week, so I am including the entires as quotations in their own voices.

Eliska:
This week was a lot of fun! We continued mapping out what would have been the barn area, and we found some really cool objects in the ground and on top of the surface. Our group had a little trouble mapping out our first plot because our zero point had shifted in the earth a little, so our numbers where off, but after re-measuring our plot perimeter we were able to fix our mistake. The part of this week that I thought was the most interesting was definitely when my group started to clear away where the dog house was. I thought it was especially cool how it looked like there was just a pile of scrap wood, but when we looked underneath it we found another bottle and several pieces of metal that looked like it could have been from some kind of farm machinery. This makes me even more excited to start digging because I can't imagine whats going to appear!

Colleen:
The second week of class was mainly devoted to working on making the grids for the area that we will be excavating. Its a lot of scientific and mathematical work, which I am not to fond of, but what made it so interesting were the objects that were protruding from the surface waiting for us to pick them up. Unfortunately, we did have a rainy day, which meant that we were in a classroom. At first I was a little disappointed because I was dying to continue on work on site. But the time went by just as quickly when we were sorting through and re-bagging artifacts that had been found the previous year. It was exciting seeing what they had found and just made me want to start excavating that much sooner. We finished the week with only a few more grids to do, which we will most likely finish up on Monday and then follow it by doing a surface sweep and picking up objects laying on the top. I cant wait!

Sarah:
The second week of class we worked on mapping out the artifacts on the top of the ground and re-bagging artifacts dug up from last year. There were very interesting objects on the surface ranging from toy cars to an old piece of a broach and various glass bottles. The artifacts that we can see by just looking at the various grids tell about what the side yard has been used for over the various years; it was a play area for children, a trash pit and the living area for a pet dog. While re-bagging there were some fascinating artifacts such as a huge moral and horse tooth, some old pottery and even the lips to an original Mr. /Mrs. Potato head. While looking at artifacts that were already dug and the ones that are still on the surface waiting to be collected I continually become more eager to be assigned a grid to dig and to learn more insight into the history of the Akin house.

Chris
Due to rain we had one indoor day and two outdoor days this week. On Monday we learned mapping basics and broke into teams of three. Each team was assigned a 4x4 meter unit. Our team's unit had a collection of large stones that we are theorizing to be a part of the old stone barn. On Tuesday we had the opportunity to work with cleaned artifacts recovered in 2008. We sorted, photographed, labeled, and bagged these items. I found the objects intriguing as we are all anxious to start digging soon. On Wednesday we concluded our unit mapping. This time we had the opportunity to map the well feature. Each team member took turns in the various roles and we gained an appreciation for the details that go into each map.

Jesse:
Our second week at the Akin house was a productive week. We surveyed almost all the grids and found some exciting surface artifacts. Last Monday and Wednesday the class was on site and doing some final clearing of brush as well as plotting and mapping grids. About half of the grids held surface structures or artifacts, however some of the grids where almost empty. Many of the grids this week had elevations that had to be measured which seem to be the hardest part of the mapping. Tuesday was an awful day weather wise and had to be spent in the classroom. We spent most of the time bagging and labeling the artifacts from the 2008. We went through many bags and got to see some pretty neat finds while bagging. Also we got to see the changes in finds due to the depth of the bag. Overall the week was a productive, next week we start picking up all the surface finds that where found during all the brush clearing could be interesting.

Brandon:
The first week of mapping the site got me really pumped to start collecting surface artifacts and to start the digging process. Several items were noted while mapping, which include: glass bottles, plastic toys and fragments, rubber and golf balls, and clothing pieces. Hopefully all the surface artifacts on the barn site mean there are many more items below the surface. Another group noted the discovery of metal objects including nails and what I think was a trowel. If we are able to pull up some more tools around the barn site, we may be able to better determine what the barn was specifically used for, as well as the kinds of items that were stored inside during its functional years. This may also evidence of and insight about the barn's importance not only to the Akin family, but also about it's function in the larger Dartmouth/Padanaram community.

Isaiah:
We continued working in the yard of the Akin house. Since we had previously learned how to properly categorize and bag artifacts, we were able to begin this process in the yard. We took the plans that we drew up the week before of the areas and began to locate each item on the key. We then grabbed orange marking flags to show where each item was. After this was done, we took photos of each artifact and feature. Last but not least, we bagged the artifacts according to the quadrant that it was found in.

Steph:
This week we begin excavation. VERY EXCITING. 6/15, still working on clearing the vines (and apparently poison ivy...) and just generally cleaning up some of the yard so we can see the surface and better decide where we would be most beneficial to dig.

Also this week, our volunteer Steve pointed out some very interesting paper stuck to the inside of a plank in the small keeping room (adjacent to the kitchen) of the house - it was historic newspaper! The newspaper was stuck a few layers thick over the painted planks that, in the 18th century, were the finished interior walls of the house. The newspaper has no date but several articles are legible. The date of the newspaper helps to establish when Akin family members decided to re-do the inside of their wall, adding lathes and plaster for a more "modern" and "finished" look (and warmer winters). A quick search on a 19th-century newspaper database found a match for at least one issue that's on the wall - an article on the "Mission to Rome" in The New York Herald,Wednesday, March 22, 1848. The author expected to see the day when all Europe would be a confederated republic - sounds like he predicted the EU.

Monday: ON SITE ALL DAY

2009-06-15T08:14:00.002-04:00

This morning is cloudy, and this afternoon (especially around noon) there is only a 30% chance of a shower, so we are meeting on site all day. Dress appropriately for being/working outside during a shower or drizzle (rain coat, umbrella).

Sunday: AFTERNOON ON SITE

2009-06-14T10:57:00.002-04:00

It is clearing and we will be on site this afternoon as planned from 1-4PM. Hope to see you then!

Sunday: MORNING DIG CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN, AFTERNOON TBD

2009-06-14T08:01:00.002-04:00

It's already wet and there is a nasty looking radar blob of rain heading for us this morning, probably hit mid-morning, so this morning's session from 9AM-12PM is cancelled. The afternoon has less of a chance of showers so we MAY be on-site 1-4PM. I will post an update here before heading over, or not heading over.

Tuesday: DIG TODAY CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN

2009-06-09T08:05:00.003-04:00

Radar shows a line of rain headed for us, looks like we'll be getting wet from about 10AM to 2 PM. I'm cancelling the morning volunteer session. This afternoon the UMass class will meet in our Dion 110 classroom instead of on site. Tomorrow looks better!

Boston carpool?

2009-06-08T19:27:00.002-04:00

There is a volunteer (haven't met him) who is interested in carpooling from Boston. Please get in touch with me if you might want to share a ride.

Week 1 Dig Diary: 1-3 June

2009-06-08T18:39:00.007-04:00

The Akin House Archaeology Project 2009 is underway! The UMass Dartmouth class met for the first time the first week of June. Students had lectures introducing them to archaeology and historical archaeology, to using the library at UMass, to Dartmouth history, and to the history of the Akin House. Peggi Medeiros, Secretary of DHPT, gave them a tour of the house on Wednesday, and I provided a tour of the archaeology site. As Chris describes, "We discussed ways to enhance the projects as well as some of our class reading like the MCAS [Social Science/History curriculum, to be used to guide site interpretation]. But the part I enjoyed most was meeting volunteers like Peggi and seeing their eyes light up as they discussed the Akins and their home." A lot of information packed into three days! Summer courses are intensive, and the student crew are committed to this year's project.

Some students, including Isaiah, Sarah, Jesse, and Colleen were struck by the complex history of Dartmouth and its reflection in the long history of the Akin House. They noted especially the personal impact of 1778 Revolutionary violence on the Akin family. Isaiah wrote "most of [Elihu Akin's] property was burnt down by the British during the Revolution in 1778. When everything was gone, he moved his family to 762 Dartmouth Street which was the only property of his that was undamaged." Sarah appreciated "the history of the house as is was passed down through many generations of Akins." Colleen felt "It was amazing entering the house and seeing the years of history that was left behind from the numerous families that occupied the house." Jesse wrote about the appearance of the house itself: "to think people lived there [in the now-dilapidated house] until the 1980s is incredible. This project is going to be full of surprises."

Both Brandon and Jake described the relationship between the current cultural landscape at the site and its history of occupation and use. Brandon noted that "the dirt between the surface of the mounds and the surface of the original yard/barn floor surface may hold some keys to discovering some of the activity on the property since the destruction of the barn... The old metal well rim, filled nearly to the brim with dirt, will be an especially interesting explore." Jake is also interested in that well, writing "the excavating of the site will be the most pain staking, but the revealing of trash sites, fire sites, and the well will fill most of the curiosity of the archeologists on site."

Several students, like Sarah, Chris, and Steph, are looking forward to mapping and then excavating. Perhaps Steph sums it up best: "The Akin House was great. Just seeing the inside and listening to our guest speakers was an eye opening experience. I'm wicked excited to begin excavation outside, but I know we have to do all kinds of drawings and measurements on Monday first. Though I respect the scientific method of it all... I just want to get in the ground and find stuff!"

WED June 3rd - class on site

2009-06-02T17:35:00.002-04:00

hey, guys - So far weather says it won't rain on Wednesday until the evening, so I'm planning to have class there. If this plan changes I'll post it here ASAP. As always, get in touch if you're confused or have questions!

Thanks for the successful clean up day!

2009-05-19T17:26:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all who helped out at last Saturday's Akin House clean-up day! Hard-working volunteers cleared the area of the yard that is the focus of this year's archaeology project. Even more stones (probably related to the barn that was here in the 19th and earlier 20th centuries) were found once the vegetation was removed. It will be an interesting area to survey!

room sharing?

2009-05-11T17:04:00.003-04:00

A potential volunteer is interested in possibly room sharing at a hotel or renting a room for the duration of the project. If you are interested in rooming with her or renting to her, please email the project at akinhousearch[at]gmail[dot]com.

Conference on New England Archaeology

2009-05-11T13:02:00.002-04:00

If you come to our May 30th Open House and still want some more archaeology, the Conference on New England Archaeology is happening on May 31st in Paxton, MA. See the CNEA website for more details.

Akin Site Clean Up Day - May 16th

2009-05-11T10:27:00.003-04:00

Saturday, May 16^th Dartmouth Heritage Day at the Akin House

On May 16, 2009 from 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. at the Elihu Akin House, 762 Dartmouth Street, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, DHPT is hosting a vegetation & brush clearing day in preparation for its third season of archaeological work. This event is part of Dartmouth Heritage Day organized in partnership with the Dartmouth Historical Commission. The 2009 field session under the direction of Dr. Christina Hodge is scheduled for June and will concentrate on exploring the side yard of the 1762 house. To be site ready for mapping and test pits, volunteers will cut back brush and weeds which now obscure the presumed site of the Akin barn.

For Additional Information, Please Contact Diane M. Gilbert, President, the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, d.m.gilbert[at]ComCast[dot]net or Peggi Medeiros, Clerk, pmedeiros[at]ComCast[dot]net
The Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 87026, Dartmouth, MA 02748

AHAP2009 Volunteer & Open House Schedule

2009-05-11T09:59:00.014-04:00

AKIN HOUSE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT 2009 VOLUNTEER INFO

Elihu Akin House, 762 Dartmouth Street, South Dartmouth, MA

Welcome to the 2009 field season of the Akin House Archaeology Project!

The Akin House Archaeology Project is an archaeological excavation running from Monday June 1 through Wednesday July 1 at the historic Elihu Akin House. The house was built ca. 1762 and occupied from the 18th- through 20th-centuries. The property is now owned by the Town of Dartmouth and managed by the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust. In 2007 and 2008, we explored archaeological deposits in yards near the house. This summer, we are:
• working on artifacts discovered in 2007 & 2008
• mapping the side yard, area of the 19th-century barn
• excavating the side yard, area of the 19th-century barn

VOLUNTEER TIMES June 7th-July 1st:
Sunday: 9AM-12PM & 1PM-4PM
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 9AM-12PM

Visitors and volunteers are welcome! Training in basic excavation methods and artifact identification will be provided to volunteers, and there will be opportunities for on-site artifact processing and mapping beginning Sunday June 7th. Excavation will probably begin by June 14th. Come be a part of this project, the first of its kind in Dartmouth!

Find out more:
▸ By regularly visiting our blog: http://akinhouse.blogspot.com
▸ By emailing us: akinhousearch[at]gmail[dot]com

Please join us for our three Open House events:

Open House/Volunteer Training Day:
▸ Saturday, May 30th, 11AM-3PM (training @ 11AM & 2PM)
▸ RAIN DATE: Sunday, May 31st, 11AM-3PM (training @ 11AM & 2PM)
Open House/Student Results Day: Wednesday, July 1st, 1PM-4PM
Open House/End of Season:
▸ Saturday July 4th, 11AM-3PM
▸ RAIN DATE: Sunday, July 5th, 11AM-3PM

This summer's excavation at the Akin House is supported by the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, the Town of Dartmouth, and a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Chancellor's Research Fund and Public Service Fund grant. The project is approved by the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

Volunteers! Be prepared:
▸ Sensible clothes
▸ Closed-toe shoes/boots
▸ Sun protection
▸ Bug protection
▸ Water/snacks/medication/gloves…
▸ Enthusiasm & patience!

Read about historical archaeology:
James Deetz In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life (1996)
Barbara J. Little Historical Archaeology: Why the Past Matters (2007)

AHAP2009 approved

2009-04-27T16:44:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce that the Akin House Archaeology Project has received a State Archaeologist's Permit for our 2009 season. The Permit is issued by the State Archaeologist's Office at the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

Announcing AHAP2009! June 1-July 1

2009-03-26T11:16:00.007-04:00

Welcome to the Akin House Archaeology Project blog! As Principle Investigator at the site, I am happy to announce that we are planning our third season of work at the historic Elihu Akin House in Dartmouth, MA. The property is managed by the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust and owned by the Town of Dartmouth. Archaeology and history serve the goals of education and community engagement at this historic property.

This June, pending approval by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, we plan to study an area of the site that had known 19th-century outbuildings on it. We will also study and interpret artifacts from the previous two years in order to develop educational materials.

Volunteers will be welcome, as always. If you are interested, please email the project and stay tuned for training day scheduling in early June. I am also offering two project-based courses through the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Summer School. Register now for Soc/Ant 180: Historical Archaeology of New England at Professional & Continuing Education. The course is also offered as a degree required Soc/Ant 407 Field Inquiry I course.

Project work is not waiting for the Summer! I benefit from the support of the Harvard Extension School Faculty Aid Program. The Program is currently funding a Research Assistant who is cataloging materials from the AHAP2008 project.

slideshow: 18 October 2008 AHAP talk (at MAS)

2008-11-05T19:03:00.002-05:00

slideshow: AHAP2008

2008-08-15T13:04:00.004-04:00

Dig Diary Week 5: August 10-13

2008-08-15T11:51:00.013-04:00

This week was our final week of the second Akin House Archaeology Project 2008 field season! Thanks go to Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust for hosting the project at the Akin House property; thanks to volunteers from near and far who carried this project forward with dedication and enthusiasm; and thanks to everyone who visited us during our five week project at the site, at our Results Day Open House, and here on our blog. The community that has grown up around this project makes it an exemplar of public archaeology.

Work at and on the Akin House property is ongoing. Check back here for updates about the Akin House archaeology project, structural preservation, and related news and events.

AH8
This unit, located in the far northeast corner of the cleared yard area, has proven to be one of our most interesting. It has thick topsoil accumulations with many artifacts, from coal to kitchen wares, shells to statues. We nearly finished digging through the B subsoil levels in this unit on Sunday. The upper subsoil, even under the topsoil/subsoil transition, had a few artifacts; in most units, there were no artifacts in these levels. The deeper subsoil was sterile (though we kept a close eye out for more prehistoric stone tools). Before the end of the day on Sunday, we hit the gray silty clay substratum ("C horizon") in a couple places in the unit, and found the sandy tannish, sandy B/C transitional soil in all but the southwest corner of the unit. Unfortunately, Monday morning brought a torrential rainstorm! We couldn't work on site until the afternoon, and we found that AH8 was full of water. The unit had to be bailed out. We let it dry for a while before taking out the rest of the orange-brown B subsoil, exposing the B/C transition across the whole unit. Unfortunately, the soil was too wet to see and expose the gray substratum. We hoped for better weather, but Dartmouth was hit by another torrential rain in the very early morning on Tuesday! Two such storms in less than 24 hours proved too much for the water table, even though our site is located near the top of a hill. After bailing out AH8 for a while on Tuesday, I noticed that the water level was actually rising! There was a small stream of water coming in from under a rock on the unit's floor! The rains had raised the water table so much, a small underground spring filled the unit with about 9 cm of groundwater. We now have a better understanding of how extreme weather affects the site. The high soil berm around the house foundation, which serves to protect the cellar from flooding, is a vital component of house construction. We will not be able to finish excavating and recording AH8 until the water recedes and the unit dries out. I will return to site after the field season is over to finish up in this unit.

The hard rains on Monday and Tuesday affected more than the water table: they washed away topsoil on site, exposing dozens of "surface finds." Surface finds are artifacts visible on the surface of the ground, without any digging. We try to leave as much of a site intact as possible, but when artifacts are exposed they sometimes need to be collected. At the Akin House, we collected artifacts to improve site safety (glass, rusty metal). We also collected artifacts to protect them (if they would be broken by trampling). Knowing the context of artifacts is as important for surface finds as for excavated finds. We recorded the place where all surface finds were found. I also took photos of several of the finds before they were removed, including a green plastic bead, cut ferrous nails, and galvanized wire nails found on the dirt floor inside the cellar entrance; a large ferrous pipe found near AH13 in the back yard; and a piece of a cooking stove once used inside the house.

We continued to wash artifacts this week and are almost finished cleaning all our new finds. Volunteers who attended our Results Day worked on washing in the afternoon, provided a live exhibit for site visitors.

Our Results Day Open house, the grand finale of our excavation season took place on Wednesday. We had beautiful weather and a great turn out! People came by all day long! They learned about some of our most intriguing artifacts, some of which were highlighted in earlier blog entries. AH17&18 were left open to show the thick black level that marks the 1760s land surface, which was cleared before house construction. Visitors also saw the high water in AH8. They were treated to tours of the house and heard about plans for its future. Most importantly, they ensured that the Akin House property is already a vital place of research, preservation, and education.

Dig Today CANCELED due to Rain/Sogginess

2008-08-12T08:52:00.004-04:00

dear all,

I am canceling the dig today. After the torrential rain yesterday afternoon AND very early this morning (scary storm!), the site is way too waterlogged to finish digging our last unit. The final tasks we have need dry weather! We had a great dry afternoon yesterday, but no such luck today. Even washed artifacts will not dry.

I'll go and bail things out a bit later today.

The good news is that tomorrow - our Open House Day - looks like no rain! Come see our fabulous finds and marvel and what we have accomplished through your dedication and hard work! Plus, we'll be working to finish digging, recording, and washing artifacts as much as is possible.

- Dr. Hodge

dig this afternoon is ON!

2008-08-11T12:41:00.002-04:00

I'll be on site beginning a little after 1PM - looks like we'll be rain free for most of the afternoon. I hope you can make it out! - Dr. Hodge

dig this morning CANCELED due to RAIN

2008-08-11T08:54:00.002-04:00

hello - it is raining hard here and thundering - no dig this morning!

the band of storms looks like it may roll through by this afternoon, I'll be on site if at all possible for our 1-4 session. of course, as always, use your judgment.

- Dr. Hodge

Week 4 Dig Diary: 3-6 August

2008-08-10T03:55:00.019-04:00

We had a very productive week on site last week despite losing Wednesday to rain. We are in good shape going into our final few days on site. We finished excavating and recording several units and backfilled some of the units we've completed. We also made great progress on washing our excavated artifacts. We'll finish digging our final unit next week, finish backfilling, and work hard to complete artifact washing before we close our project.

Our end of season Open House is planned for Wednesday August 13th, 9:30 AM-4 PM. The public, volunteers, and friends are welcome to see the site, some of the materials we have recovered during the past several weeks, and the house. I'll be presenting a short talk on the Akin House Archaeology Project at 11 AM. Stay tuned here for additional event details in case of rain.

AH8
We opened up one final unit this week, AH8. It is placed at the northeastern extremity of the cleared yard areas. AH8 is out of numerical sequence because it was measured in last year, but it we did not have time to excavate it. Due to the great efforts of our volunteers this year, we were able to expand our knowledge of the rear yard and open up the unit! Excavation began on Sunday afternoon and continued through Tuesday. Artifacts and soils in AH8 reveal a history distinct from other areas of the yard, even those nearby. Clothespin springs, a glass marble, and a miniature hand painted porcelain teacup evoke the ways past families used this yard. Ceramics, several pipe stem fragments, and animal bones are kitchen and other domestic debris. Perhaps the most unusual find was several fragments from a porcelain figure of a saint, probably Saint Francis. We can add another feature to out list; AH8 clipped a dense 19th- or 20th-century shell midden in its southeast corner. The number of whole and partial quahog shells in this small area was astonishing. The many artifacts from the historic soil levels of this unit are of types and frequencies unlike other units we've excavated, and they suggest that the nearby overgrown yard areas will indeed provide new stories of this cultural landscape. We already reached the top of the B subsoil in this unit.

AH13
AH13 is located in the rear yard and, and its surface levels, sampled a mid 20th-century burned trash midden. We finished excavating AH13 last week, and I finished its final photographs and drawings on Sunday. The unit was among those backfilled this week. Important new information was discovered as artifacts from this locus were being washed, however; a reminder that artifacts are discovered not only during excavation, but also during soil screening and during washing! And a reminder that it is always better to save a questionable object than to discard it. During the excavation of context AH13.31, a lower level of accumulated topsoil, volunteers saved several interesting rocks along with the rusty nails, ceramics, coal, and glass. One of these rocks was a pointy fragment of milky quartz. Volunteers washing artifacts from AH13.31 came upon this quartz, cleaned it up, and were intrigued by its three-dimensional symmetry. It looked like a point – it was a point! A prehistoric small stemmed point, typical for this area and produced sometime between 6000 and 400 years ago (most likely around 3000 to 2000 years ago). This small point is unusually sharp and may have been lost before it was used. Unlike the retouched Pennsylvania jasper flake we recovered from AH12 a couple weeks ago, this quartz lithic was found among much later artifacts. It probably was disturbed from its original soil context during landscaping or other yard activities. More information about northeastern stone tool and other traditions can be found at the NativeTech website.

AH19
We finished excavating AH19, near the 20th-century shed. Sterile gray substratum was only about 55 cm below the surface, and both the brown topsoil A horizon and the orangey/sandy B subsoil horizon were unusually thin, as seen in this profile photograph. These characteristics suggest this area of the yard was flattened at some point, perhaps to build the present shed or the earlier, slightly larger shed that stood at the same site ca. 1905 (known from a historic photograph).

We continue to have regular visitors of all ages (and sorts) on site. Thanks for your interest!

Dig Today Canceled Due to Rain

2008-08-06T08:28:00.002-04:00

We will not be digging today due to rain. Today's forecast is looking grim, with 90% chance of rain, rain to the north and south of us now, and an all encompassing cloud mass moving through on radar. If something changes by 1PM I'll post a follow up here, but as of now we're not going to be on site today. So hopefully I'll see y'all on Sunday! - Dr. Hodge

slideshow: 31 July Akin House Archaeology Talk

2008-08-01T16:44:00.005-04:00

I presented a talk about the Akin House Archaeology Project at the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust's first Annual Meeting, on 31 July at the Dartmouth Grange. Here are the powerpoint slides (all rights reserved) - enjoy!

Week 3 Dig Diary: 27-30 July

2008-08-01T15:09:00.012-04:00

We are nearly done with the excavation phase of our summer project! We finished up many of our excavation units this week. Once the final photographs and drawings are done, the units will be filled back in with dirt. We will spend the rest of our time this week and next week opening one more unit and processing artifacts - a great, hands-on chance to see everything that was found this field season!

AH13
This unit sampled a mid-20th century burned trash feature in its upper levels. Interesting finds included a blue gilded plate (broken into many pieces!), a large caliber shell casing (WWII souvenir?), and what looks like a home-made machete. We finished excavating through the subsoil of this unit this week. A big part of any excavation is record keeping. As with any finished unit, we took final photographs of the bottom and all the sides (or walls) of this square hole. We also drew the final north wall profile, which shows the different soil layers more clearly than any photograph could. Last year's AH10 unit, located just to the north of AH13, ended on several very large rocks; one of which took up over half the unit! We wanted to make sure this unusual concentration of unusually large rocks was a natural result of glacial activity, and it did not result from human manipulation in either historic or prehistoric times. In AH10, there were more large rocks, especially where the subsoil met the substratum (glacial layer). But these rocks were not arranged in any clear pattern and were set into what looked like undisturbed subsoils. We now have clear evidence that they are not the result of human activity.

AH16
This unit, located behind the 20th-century shed, was also finished this week.

AH17
Unit AH17 was an extension of AH18, located adjacent to an old cellar entrance on the house's north facade. Finds from AH17 were much like those from AH18. AH17 provided additional artifacts that will help us to figure out when the entrance was filled in. This entrance is a bit confusing, as there are stones outside the house foundation (shown here) that look like retaining walls to a cellar entrance. But the house foundation itself does not look modified in any way. If this were a coal chute or similar, we would have expected to find much evidence of coal fragments and dust nearby, but there wasn't any. We hope examination of the artifacts and a study of house occupants will help to explain this feature.

AH19
We began and finished excavating AH19, our final unit of the season! Thanks to all the volunteers or doing such a careful and expeditious job. AH19 is located near the front (west) facade of the 20th-century shed. The unit yielded many architectural fragments from its topmost layers, but as excavators dug deeper, these gave way to many ceramic fragments. This shift in artifact types and frequencies is a sign that disposal patterns and yard use changed over time. Compared with other units on site, AH19 had almost no subsoil - old topsoils that accumulated after the last Ice Age and have been depleted over time. This fact supports the idea that the back yard had some of its soils modified and removed at some point in time.

Week 2 Dig Diary: 20-23 July

2008-07-24T15:30:00.014-04:00

We have completed our second week of excavation and are now halfway through the excavation phase of the project! We have opened and closed a few more units and are now washing artifacts on site. Thanks to all the volunteers who were able to make it this week.

AH12
We finished excavating this unit last week, but (thanks to a volunteer who also volunteers at the Massachusetts Archaeological Society museum) we have new information on an important artifact found here! A small flake of what's known as Pennsylvania jasper was recovered from soils a little over a foot below the current ground surface, at the interface between topsoil and subsoil levels. This small stone artifact was made by "flaking," striking or pressing a stone in order to remove thin flakes. Pennsylvania jasper was widely traded in New England during prehistoric times. This flake's reddish color probably results from heating. It may have been burned when the property was cleared before the house was built. This small artifact is a material token of the long Native American history in Dartmouth and on the Akin House property. Dartmouth is located within traditional homelands of the Wampanoag people.

AH13
We finished taking out the 20th-century trash level in AH13. AH10 sampled this feature last year and, even though the units are next to each other, different sorts of artifacts were found! Compared with AH10, the midden in AH13 yielded much less shell, animal bone, and slag and more burned glass and ceramic fragments. We hope to match some of the tableware to known patterns in order to see what sorts of things tenants at the Akin House were using in the middle decades of the 20th century. There was a compact brown topsoil under the midden with many fewer artifacts in it. We ended the week by digging into the transition between topsoil and subsoil. All topsoils in this yard area date from the 20th century, which suggests either that there was almost no earlier activity in this yard area (unlikely), or that the earlier topsoils were removed at some point, perhaps to flatten this yard area for use as a garden or work space, or for construction of a nearby shed.

AH16
We continued excavating in AH16. This unit, behind a 20th-century shed, had three dressed granite blocks visible at its surface. We expected these blocks to mark some sort of feature, such as a privy, well, or trash pit; but whatever they were from was only superficial. Soils below the rocks had few artifacts and no indication that anyone dug or built here before the 20th-century. While we were hoping to find an earlier feature, we have gained important information about the history of this portion of the yard. This information will help site stewards plan for the future.

AH17&18
These two units are located adjacent to the northern house foundation, where an old cellar entrance was filled in. As discussed in last week's post, we're digging in this place because we'd like to know when this change happened. The fill in AH18 did not have any artifacts in it, although the layers above it did. They will help us figure out when the filling occurred. We did, in fact, find an earlier land surface in AH18: what I believe was the ground level when the land was cleared and the house was built! This level is marked by black charcoal and reddened subsoil, evidence of burning. You can clearly see this black level, and the orange level underneath, in this profile of AH18's southern wall. The rocks just above the black line may be part of the original cellar entrance. Because we wanted more information about the cellar entrance fill, we began unit AH17: a 1/4 sized unit that is adjacent to AH18 and actually within the entrance fill itself.

slideshow: Akin House interior

2008-07-24T15:01:00.001-04:00

Week 1 Dig Diary: 11-16 July 2008

2008-07-19T13:26:00.011-04:00

I will be posting weekly updates about the 2008 Akin House Archaeology Project, as well as news and event information, so check back regularly. If anyone is still interested in volunteering, please email me at the address provided on this blog.

Thanks to a group of very generous and hard-working volunteers, we have made great progress with only four days of excavation!

Open House/Volunteer Training Day
About 25 people showed up on Friday the 11th for our Open House/Training Day. Thanks to all for coming by! We discussed the history of the house, last year's archaeology project, plans for this year, and archaeological excavation methods.

AH12
This unit is located in the middle of the backyard, near AH7 form last year. While AH7 was inside a shallow rectangular area anomaly and a bounded deeper rectangular anomaly, AH12 is outside the shallow anomaly and inside the boundary. We completed excavation of this unit! The sequence of topsoil, subsoil, and substratum in AH12 was as expected from last year, although there were fewer artifacts in the topsoil levels than in nearby AH7. There was a deep, apparently natural concentration of fieldstones just above the substratum (glacial layer of compact silt laid down before any occupation). Close comparison of the stratigraphies in AH7 and AH12 will clarify the nature of the shallow anomaly. We may dig another unit on the edge of the deeper anomaly to determine whether it is a buried stone path or the result of other construction.

AH13
This unit is located immediately to the south of unit AH10 from 2007. AH10 sampled a very dense 20th-century burned trash midden. Artifacts included carbonized bone, burned glass and slag, coal and charcoal, iron and steel fasteners, and shell, alongside unusual finds such as eyeglasses lenses, a lipstick tube, and part of an electromagnetic engine. AH10 was excavated to a dense concentration of fieldstones embedded in what appeared to be marine clay - not the sterile substratum usual on the site. Because this may represent a structure feature, AH14 will expand on AH10 and, hopefully, better reveal what's going on with the rocks and clay. We have just begun excavation of unit AH13.

AH14
We began this unit near the rear property wall with high hopes of finding some trash accumulated back there, but this is actually one of the least disturbed areas of the yard! Aside from some superficial modern debris, the topsoil levels were uniformly rich, loose, and nearly artifact-free. These qualities suggest little utilization or even foot traffic in this area of the yard. Good information! The subsoil in this unit was a deep orange color that we believe results from heat transformation - site clearing through burning. The subsoil was excavated to over 60 cm below the surface of the ground, but only one iron nail was found in it - and this nail may have fallen in from a later soil layer. We stopped excavation at about 65 cm below ground surface and then took a "core sample": I pushed a metal tube down from about 65 to about 95 cm below the surface of the ground and examined the column of dirt that came out. There were no artifacts and the orange subsoil gradually changed to the gray soil layer left by the last glacier. Judging from the lack of artifacts and undisturbed nature of soils in this unit, it probably saw very little human activity (at least during the historic period). We have stopped excavation here but may return to it if there is time later this season or in a later field season.

AH16
This unit was placed over an arrangement of three dressed granite blocks that were visible on the surface of the site. Oral history identified the location as a privy, and we wanted to "ground truth" this idea through excavation. We have gone through the top level or rich topsoil here. There is evidence of near-modern burning and the discard of some painted wall plaster, which matches the plaster in the front room of the Akin House. The three stones were not part of a lined privy or a well. They were located in a buried topsoil level and may be from an as-yet unidentified structure; they are unlike anything known from the house or 19th-century barn. There were remnants of a large piece of burned wood extending from the stones to the southeast (a dark stain in the photo). The stones may have been the corner support for the post of an outbuilding, and the wood may be the burned sill. We are interested to see what the underlying artifacts and soil changes tell us about the history in this portion of the yard.

AH18
AH18 is located near the northern foundation of the Akin House. The original cellar entrance was located here, and we are hoping to learn when the cellar entrance was changed by dating the artifacts from the dirt used to fill in the entrance. Artifacts from the topsoil levels date from the late 19th and 20th centuries; our most appealing find is the little bisque porcelain elephant shown above (a nice emblem of remembering). The entrance fill is comprised of mixed brown topsoil, orange subsoil, and gray substratum soils; it appears very mottled and is gravelly. There are nearly no artifacts in this fill; the Akin family apparently had lots of "clean" dirt to use. Wherever they got this fill from, it was not an area of earlier trash disposal. We began this unit on Tuesday afternoon. We hope to find an earlier, buried land surface or the edges of the cellar entrance fill soon!

VOLUNTEER INVITATION

2008-07-06T17:04:00.015-04:00

Dear friends,

I and the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust invite you to another season of the Akin House Archaeology Project. Our volunteer needs are greater this year than last. We invite you to join us at the site and help change the future of heritage in Dartmouth!

The Akin House Archaeology Project (akinhouse.blogspot.com) seeks volunteers for an archaeological excavation project running from Sunday 13 July through Tues 12 August. Site times are TBA but will likely include Sunday-Wednesday 9:30-12:30 and 1-4. The Elihu Akin House site, located at 762 Dartmouth Street in South Dartmouth, MA, is owned by the Town of Dartmouth. The house was occupied from the 18th- through 20th-century. The all-volunteer project is clarifying the integrity and extent of subsurface cultural resources in certain yard areas. Training in basic excavation methods and artifact ID will be provided, and there will be opportunities for on-site artifact processing beginning later in the first week of excavation. Come be a part of this project, the first of its kind in Dartmouth! The project is supported by the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust.

Open House and Volunteer Orientation Day: Friday 11 July, 10-4; training sessions 10-11 and 1-2
Elihu Akin House, 762 Dartmouth Street, South Dartmouth, MA

Please contact akinhousearch[at]gmail[dot]com for more information. Hope to see you there!

Akin Archaeology @ UMass Dartmouth

2008-06-14T13:08:00.005-04:00

(click image for larger view)

REGISTER FOR SOC/ANT 180 OR SOC/ANT 407, FOR 3 or 6 credits, HERE.

AHAP2007 slideshow: crew shots by Dr. Hodge

2008-06-01T10:24:00.000-04:00

AHAP2007 slideshow: photos by Chelsea M.

2008-06-01T09:50:00.002-04:00

AHAP2007 cataloguing finished!

2008-05-03T14:07:00.012-04:00

I have finished writing the Summary Report for Akin House Archaeology Project 2007. The final artifact total is 5,926 fragments of ceramic, glass, wood, bone, brick, stone, charcoal, slag, metal, fabric, plastic, and shell from the 18th through 21st centuries. My Research Assistant, Justin, entered detailed information about each piece into an Excel spreadsheet. Justin's work was funded by the Harvard Extension School Faculty Aide Program.Planning for AHAP2008 is well underway. Check out the listing for the archaeological fieldwork courses Soc/Ant 180 (Historical Archaeology of New England) and Soc/Ant 407 (Field Inquiry) in the UMass Dartmouth Summer School course catalogue for more information.

Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust Attains Non-profit Status

2007-12-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

For Immediate Release
From the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Preserving Dartmouth’s
Heritage from the Foundation Up

DHPT Receives IRS Non-Profit Status
For Additional Information
Please Contact Diane M. Gilbert, President, the Dartmouth Heritage
Preservation Trust, (508) 993-1216 or Peggi Medeiros, Clerk, (508) 992-9624
The Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 87026, Dartmouth, MA
02748

THE DARTMOUTH HERITAGE PRESERVATION TRUST
RECEIVES NON-PROFIT STATUS FROM IRS

Diane M. Gilbert, President, the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust,
announced today that the Trust was granted non-profit status by the IRS as a
public charity. According to the IRS “contributions to you are deductible
under section 170 of the Code. You are also qualified to receive
tax-deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts.”
Ms. Gilbert said, “The DHPT, its members and the communities we serve from
Dartmouth to Westport, Acushnet to New Bedford have received an early
holiday present by reaching a critical milestone for the organization. The
IRS ruling means donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law. Equally important it allows us to move into the New Year
fully focused on our mission with this necessary requirement satisfied.”
She went on to say, “This has been an important first year for the DHPT,
putting us on a solid foundation. Our board came together, determined our
mission, filed our organizational papers with the Commonwealth in March, and
in May, held our first press conference on the site of Dartmouth’s historic
Russell Garrison. This summer we partnered with Dr. Christina Hodge,
Visiting Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Senior
Curatorial Assistant at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum, for the first
Elihu Akin House archaeological field session and helped secure the house
from further structural damage. Early in 2008 the Trust will lease the Akin
House from its new owners, the Town of Dartmouth and move forward with
completing the house’s interior and exterior conservation.”
Ms. Gilbert closed by saying, “We hope that with the attainment of our
official non-profit status new members will join the DHPT before the end of
the year and our founding members will consider an additional gift to the
Trust with the assurance that their donation is tax deductible and will be
put to good use in the coming year.”
During 2007 the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust began work on its
mission to “protect and preserve architecturally and historically
significant structures and sites located in the town of Dartmouth,
Massachusetts and surrounding communities, through the acquisition of such
structures and sites, and easement interests therein, through providing
financial and technical assistance in connection with the preservation and
restoration of such structures and sites, and through education and
advocacy.”

DHPT 2007 Achievements:

May 17, 2007 - Introduced the organization to the public at the historic Russell Garrison in Dartmouth
Conducted community outreach during summer 2007
Assisted Dr. Christina Hodge with the first Elihu Akin archaeology field session. During July and August Dr. Hodge, her students from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and a volunteer work crew excavated sites surrounding the house uncovering artifacts ranging from 18th century pottery to glass and metals. This summer’s field session is only the beginning of work at the site and the Trust looks forward to a second field session in 2008. (For an update on the project visit akinhouse.blogspot.com)
In September, Dr. Hodge arranged for volunteers from Brown University and the University of Massachusetts Boston to return to the site. They used a total station to record the location and elevation (height above sea level) of every unit dug during the summer field project. Experts also conducted another remote sensing survey, this one measuring electrical conductivity in a portion of the north and west yards.
In November Dr. Hodge arranged for Josh King of Hager GeoScience Inc. to conduct Ground Penetrating Radar, or GPR. GPR sends radar waves underground from a box-like radar antenna (red in the adjacent photograph) and reads the waves reflected back from underground soils and objects. Mr. King donatedhis services and the results give the clearest documentation yet of the Akin House site.
Worked with the Town of Dartmouth and WHALE for the smooth transition of the Akin House to the Town and the Trust. On October 29, 2007 the Select Board voted formally to accept the Akin House, and in a second vote, to lease it to the DHPT.
Created the Trust’s preservation restriction program. Program guidelines will be introduced in 2008. The Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust will aggressively pursue and hold private preservation restrictions. Private restrictions are the best way for owners to protect historically and architecturally buildings from inappropriate alterations and in the worst-case demolition by future purchasers. Dartmouth and its surrounding communities have all to often lost irreplaceable buildings. The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust and their success in protecting and preserving land is the Trust’s model for protecting historic buildings.
Partnered with Preservation MA in their statewide advocacy and planning work as members of its coalition group and regional advisory council.
Began assisting the Town of Dartmouth and the Russell’s Mills Village stakeholders with plans for an appropriate use of the historic, 1871 Russell’s Mills Library. In early 2008 the DHPT will lead a mini-charrette to explore the best way to protect one of Dartmouth’s most important structures.
Established the Beverly Glennon Memorial Fund. The Trust was honored to receive donations in Mrs. Glennon’s memory. The fund will be used for children’s preservation education.

The Officers of the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc. are:
President Diane M. Gilbert
Vice President Daniel C. Perry, Esq.
Treasurer James R. Pratt, Jr., CPA
Clerk Peggi Medeiros

Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust Board Members are:
Anne W. Baker Brenda R. Dias Michael J. Gagne
Susan Guiducci Hannah Haines Elsie A. Haskell
Suzanne Jacobsen Eileen T. Marland Margaret M. Megowen

Please support the DHPT as we conclude 2007 by taking advantage of our
non-profit status.

Donations and gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust Membership
Levels of Membership:
Contributing: $25
Partner: $50
Sustaining: $100
Sponsors: $250
Benefactors: $500
Patron: $1,000 +
Senior Citizen: $15
Senior Citizen and Student Volunteers receive free membership.

Membership checks can be sent to the:

The Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 87026,
Dartmouth, MA 02748

Akin House in the News

2007-12-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

Town accepts Akin House from WHALE, leases site to new Preservation Trust.

Fall 2007

2007-12-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

The Akin House is buttoned-up for the winter, with new plywood and Plexiglass coverings on its widows and doors. Work on the Akin House Archaeology Project continues even though we have been out of the field since early August.

In September, volunteers from Brown University and the University of Massachusetts Boston returned to the site (see the blog entry of their first visit). We used a total station to record the location and elevation (height above sea level) of every unit we dug in the Akin House yards. We also benefited from another remote sensing survey.

This time, the geophysics expert conducted a conductivity survey of the northern yard. Conductivity measures the rates at which electricity passes through the soil; soils with greater moisture conduct electricity better than those with little or no moisture. He will compare conductivity results to the results of his earlier magnetometer survey of the same area. Our 2007 excavation units did not hit either of two underground anomalies discovered by the magnetometer. We hope the conductivity survey will provide a better understanding of these underground features. Analysis is not yet complete, but I will post an update here when we know what the conductivity results look like. These results will be used to plan any future fieldwork at the house.

The Akin House continues to attract volunteers with special skills. On November 23rd, Josh King of Hager GeoScience Inc. was on-site to undertake yet another type of remote sensing: Ground Penetrating Radar, or GPR. GPR sends radar waves underground from a box-like radar antenna (red in the adjacent photograph) and reads the waves reflected back from underground soils and objects. The gear is suspended from a baby carriage-like frame, which also houses a computer read-out terminal (blue).

The GPR grids were marked by red flags. This survey covered more yard areas than any others to date. Our excavation units from the summer and buried utility lines were all visible even in the raw field data, and we are looking forward to the processed results. GPR is another powerful survey technique. It will aid planning at the Akin House site.

August 6-9: WEEK 5 Dig Diary

2007-08-12T17:58:00.000-04:00

The final week of AHAP2007 was an intense period of excavation, drawing, backfilling, and celebration. Thanks to the consistent dedication of our students and volunteers, we finished our field season and met our project goals. This summer's work will provide an excellent platform for future research and heritage planning at the Akin House property. Congratulations! Our sincere thanks go out to those who have supported our project these past five weeks—from working on site, to making sure we had chairs, food, and drink for our events, to donating equipment or funds, to just visiting and letting us know you care!

Monday, 6 August

We completed the north and east profiles of AH2 today. Once drawings and photographs are finished, the "backfilling" begins.

As Justin explained last week, after we have completed excavating and recording a unit, we put the dirt back in it. First, we remove the string that marked the edges of the unit. Then we pound down the corner nails flush with the top of the ground (these will eventually be removed, but we need them for some final digital surveying tasks next week). We then put down a layer of sterile sand to mark the extent of our excavation. Then we put back as much dirt as we took out, tamping it down to make it as compact as possible. We leave a "crown" of a couple inches on the backfilled dirt, because it will undoubtedly settle in the months to come. We want the surface of the yard to look fairly close to its original appearance: no holes! Students and volunteers rallied together, backfilling units AH1, AH2, AH4, and AH5.

Excavations in AH6, against the back foundation of the house, were completed last Thursday by volunteers. Justin and Scott spent some of their time on Monday drawing the north profile in AH6. Chelsea and one of our volunteers began doing the same in AH10, in the far back yard

Gabe, Erica, Scott, Justin, and Pat all contributed to excavating AH7 this week. Even though we only opened this unit last week, we hoped to take AH7 down to the sterile substratum of compact grayish silt, or at least close to it, before ending our season. We excavated through the topsoil levels of AH7 last week and spent Monday digging down through the interface of topsoil and subsoil and, then, the nearly sterile subsoil.

Tuesday, 7 August

Our last day of work on site! Lisa came early and, with Shane's help in the afternoon, drew the north and east profiles in AH3. These are some of our deepest, and we have not hit the substratum at over 80 cm below the ground surface. We're still in what is probably redeposited subsoil levels from the excavation of the adjacent cellar. After the profiling was done, we gave students a chance to take "soil cores." A T-shaped metal tube with a slot cut into it - the corer - is pushed into the soil as far as it will go. When it is removed, it brings with it a column of soil. This tool allows archaeologists to see beyond the extent of excavation. Scott, Justin, Gabe, Shane, and Chelsea tried their luck in AH3. We cored in each corner and the center of the unit. The findings suggest that the redeposited orange/brown subsoil continues, undifferentiated, for at 50 to 60 more centimeters in the north half of the unit! That's a long way to go. In the center and southeast, it continues for 30 to 35 centimeters, and in the southwest only 25 centimeters, before lightening to the tannish silt that usually marks the B/C horizon transition. Because we were unable to complete excavation of this unit, we put down a layer of plastic before putting down the sand and backfilled dirt. This will make it easier to re-excavate in the future.

We finished excavations in AH7! The C horizon was 60 cm below the ground surface in this unit, under a B horizon with many rocks and few artifacts (as expected based on results in other units in the front, side, and back yards). All that remains is to draw the north and east profiles and to backfill this unit.

The eastern profiles of AH6 and AH10 were completed by Justin and Scott and Pat and Chelsea. AH6 was backfilled. AH10 was not excavated to the substratum, but to a compact, true clay that is not part of the natural stratigraphy here. The large rocks and clay in AH10 may represent an outbuilding or other feature; they definitely warrant further excavation in the future. So in AH10, we will put down a layer of plastic before backfilling. In the meanwhile, the unit is being left open for our Public Open House tomorrow.

At the beginning of class, we had a celebratory pizza party to thank our field crew, both students and volunteers. Pizza was donated through the generosity of Domino's Pizza and MediumStudio. Cupcakes and cookies and drinks were donated by the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust and some of our most loyal volunteers. It was very enjoyable just to hang out on site, and a delicious, fun time was had by all. WHALE gave Akin House t-shirts to all our field crew, which made for an excellent student crew shot on the steps of the house (see above). Thanks and congratulations!

Wednesday, 8 August

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with our Public Open House plans. It rained in the morning and threatened thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we rescheduled the on-site portion of the event for tomorrow and held the student presentations at UMass Dartmouth in the afternoon. We brought artifacts from the site and had a slide show of field photographs to share with students, volunteers, family, friends, and the interested public. A handout summarized our preliminary findings. We were very glad that so many people made it out to UMass.

Students presented on a range of topics related to the Akin House and the history of Dartmouth. Paper topics were as follows:

Scott reviewed the known and potential archaeology of Dartmouth, focusing on Padanaram Village and the area of the Akin House.
Shane researched the typology and chronology of nails, identifying and dating many of those found at the Akin House itself.
Gabe discussed the hand painted pearlwares from the Akin House and related them to the tastes and financial situation of the Akin family.
Erica discussed the transfer printed pearlwares from the Akin House, dating them using color and pattern. She also related them to the tastes of the Akin family.
Lisa analyzed and attempted to identify and date the few fragments of olive green bottle glass from the Akin House site.
Justin compared and contrasted the Georgian and Federal architecture styles and the two surviving Akin houses: our Elihu Akin House and his brother Ebenezer Akin's grand house, which still survives in nearby Padanaram Village.
Cassie discussed the history and archaeological significance of Mr. Potato Head and his nose.
Pat research slag, its composition, production, and implications at the Akin House site.
Bettie-Anne provided a narrative interpretation of the several baby shoes found in the Akin House in 2003.
Chelsea discussed the historical, demographic, and genealogical potential of cemetery research, focusing on the graves of the Ralph Earl family in Dartmouth.

Wednesday was our final day of class and the final official day of AHAP2007.

Thursday, 9 August

Today we had our Rain Date for the Public Open House. Several people dropped by, and they were treated to tours, artifacts, open units, the slide show, and archaeological demonstrations; they also received our preliminary findings handout. I drew the north and east profiles of AH7 in the late afternoon, after visits had tapered off. AH7 is now ready for backfilling, along with AH10.

The work on the Akin House 2007 excavation is far from over. I will complete the remnants of excavation (AH9 in the basement) and backfilling (AH7 and AH10) on site. The cataloguing, photographic, identification, analysis, and interpretation of the artifacts and contexts will continue for the next several months. A Final Report on AHAP2007 will be submitted to the Massachusetts Historic Commission within a year. The report will detail our work and our findings from this first, important field season. It will also make recommendations for the future of the Akin House archaeological site. AHAP2007 updates will continue to be posted here on our blog, so check back regularly.

The archaeological potential of the Akin House site is high, and several areas of the yard remain unexplored. We answered some questions, but many were raised and more remain. We look forward to the Akin House and AHAP as long-term parts of the Dartmouth heritage scene! I trust that we will carry the sense of community and purpose established during this first field season into the future.

July 30-August 3: WEEK 4 Dig Diary

2007-08-10T16:26:00.000-04:00

Our Dig Diary postings are behind because the last two weeks of AHAP2007 have been a very productive, very busy time! Students and volunteers worked steadily through Week 4, our final week of excavation. They finished up excavations in several units in the front and one in the back. Our last new unit, AH7, was opened in the middle of the backyard, while new mysteries were uncovered beneath a 20th-century trash pit in the far back unit, AH10. We are in great shape for wrapping up our field season early next week.

AH1: front yard
AH1 was excavated to the sterile substratum this week and beautified for final photographs. As with every completed unit, we took "plan" photographs (bird's eye views of the unit floor) and "profile" photographs (straight-on views of each of the unit's four side walls). Scott notes that, because we finish excavations by digging into soils with no artifacts in them, "we didn't find any exciting artifacts this week because we had gone through the cultural layer." Justin explains how we will "close" units after excavating, drawing, and photographing are complete: "If the plan is to reopen them a plastic sheet and a layer of sand are placed on the bottom of the unit to tell excavators that they have reached the depth of the previous dig. If the unit is not planned to be reopened, then only a layer of sand is dropped on the bottom before fill is placed. The unit is filled... above the ground level to compensate for settling of the fill."
AH2: front yard, edge of the berm
Volunteers continued in AH2 and finished excavations. The levels found in this unit match those in other front yard units: brown topsoil/A horizon levels from the past 200 to 250 years; an orange/brown mottled B horizon that gets lighter and less mottled with depth, containing few artifacts but many large rocks; and the C horizon of compact grayish silt. Pat helped out by giving this unit a final cleaning for drawings and photographs.

AH3: front yard, on the berm & by the front door
AH3 is nearing the depth of safe excavation with no sign of the grayish substratum. We stopped excavations here at around 1 m deep because we're running our of time, but we plan to return in future seasons to complete the job. After finishing up AH5, Pat and Cassie gave Shane and Lisa a break by cleaning up the walls and floor of AH3 for photographs and drawing. Next week, we will use a soil probe to sample to soil below the depth of excavation. We hope we'll find our how much deeper the substratum is! We now know that the berm around the house is almost completely devoid of artifacts, suggesting there was little or no historic occupation of this property before the house was built.

AH4: side yard
Erica and Gabe finished this unit last week and started a new unit, AH7 (see below), this week. Next week we will fill AH4, and the other completed units, with dirt.

AH5: side yard, far corner
Pat can't believe that "we are at the end of Week 4. Time has gone by quickly... This week, Cassie and I finished cleaning up site AH5 and profiled it. No further artifacts found much to our dismay." Cassie's also a bit rueful about the lack of artifacts, "This week Pat and I did our profile. We cleaned up our units so we could see the layers better... This week, just like last week, was pretty uneventful. Unless you count the umbrella that hit me in the head." Not quite what we're going for, but an event nonetheless. Although it's more fun to find artifacts, finding no artifacts means that we are nearing completion of our excavations; exciting in its own way. Pat's got it right when she states that "next week we will be finishing off our sites and putting an end to our work, yet we will have established a beginning for further explorations happening at this property."

AH6: back yard, house foundation
Below the topsoil, the story of AH6 is very similar to that of AH2. This unit has been worked on largely by volunteers as well. We finished up excavations to the depth of the grayish substratum and will draw profiles here next week.

AH7: middle back yard
Gabe and Erica opening up our last unit, AH7, in the middle of the back yard. This unit is the last in a string of six units radiating out from the house and into the front and back yards. These units will give us a good idea of how soil layers are different as you get farther away from the house in the front and back of the property. The artifacts from the topsoil in AH7 are different than those in the front yard (see the Week 4 "Artifacts of the Week" posting). The artifacts date from later periods overall and the fragments are of a larger size. These facts suggest: 1) that trash was disposed of in different yard areas in different periods; and 2) that trash in the back yard was less broken up (by gardening, landscaping, walking, sweeping, and similar activities) than trash in the front. This 19th-century "TD" pipe is one of our favorite finds from AH7. Gabe writes, "We started a new context, AH7. It turns out that we found some great artifacts. I really liked the bowl from the pipe. it was in great condition and very identifiable. I also liked the glass jar, almost a whole jar; we did find the missing piece but it was still chipped. The unit was full of big pieces of ceramics. I don't think they were very old but they were definitely identifiable as cups and plates so it was still very interesting. It was a great week." Erica lists more of the finds: "Slag; hinges; wood; whiteware (with green edges); paper; screw; beer bottle fragment (modern); chestnut; unidentified alloy pipe fragment; shells; nails; brown glass; clear glass; metal ribbed fragment; red cloth; painted red rock?; jar (probably cosmetic); plastic wheels for toy?; bowl to a pipe (logo on it); large pieces of ceramics (plate? cup?)." She writes that "this unit has numerous artifacts, which contribute to exciting excavation! Our discoveries make excavating on ninety-degree weather days worth it!!! We will continue working on this unit next week, probably for two days, and then close the unit. Looking forward to new discoveries!"
AH10: far back yard
AH10 was our most prolific unit without a doubt, and informs us that the far areas of the Akin House yard will be different, and more complicated, than the front and side yards. Several students worked in AH10 these past couple weeks, including Scott, Justin, and Chelsea, but Lisa and Shane spent the most time here. Lisa does a great job summarizing our latest findings: "While we did not uncover many artifacts after we reached the yellowish soil, we did unearth many large rocks and one huge boulder that could possible be part of an architectural feature. This possibility was reinforced upon our uncovering of a tightly packed layer of greenish/gray clay. This type of clay apparently does not occur naturally in the earth and it was also not found in any of the other units. Unfortunately, we will not be able to dig into the clay layer because we have already concluded the excavation stage of the dig for this season. But the unit will be left in such a way that it can be easily seen where we stopped digging so it can be continued next time. We made a detailed drawing of the placement of each of the rocks and took elevations (some times more than one) for each of them. It was extremely hot this week and we were working right in the sun, but the uncovering of such an interesting find in unit 10 made it all worth it."
Shane's experiences in AH10 were similar: "The last week of class was uneventful as far as artifact finding goes. We have seemed to hit a lot of rocks and we are having trouble digging around them. Instead of digging, we are becoming more and more involved with the mapping of the bottom of and side walls of the site. We are using the same grid method as before, and we are taking elevations and locations of the rocks using a plumb bob. The mapping of the sidewalls is very similar to mapping the bottom because you have to be precise... Our particular site, AH10 had a lot of features that had to be mapped out." You can see why from these photographs of AH10.

Bettie-Anne and several of our most dedicated volunteers have been busy washing and re-bagging artifacts (photograph by Chelsea Mackler). They have almost caught up with our excavations, which is great news! It means that there will be little or no time spent washing artifacts after our season is over, and efforts can be put immediately into cataloguing and analyzing our finds. Excavation is just one step in the archaeological process.

Wed August 8: Open House RAIN CHANGES

2007-08-08T00:18:00.000-04:00

DUE to RAIN TODAY, WEDNESDAY:

We will meet @ UMass Dartmouth, Dion Science & Engineering building, Room 105 between 1 and 4 PM. Students will give their presentations and we will have some artifacts from the site to show.
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME!

We will ALSO have a RAIN DATE on SITE:
THURSDAY August 9th, 10AM-12PM and 1-4PM. The students will not be part of this event, but artifacts will be on view.

Wednesday August 8th: PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

2007-08-03T00:53:00.000-04:00

You are invited to attend Public Open House at the Akin House on Wednesday, August 8th, from 10AM-12PM and 1-4PM.

SEE artifacts from around the site!

LISTEN to student presentations in the afternoon!

SPEAK your mind at our "What Is It?" table!

The Akin House is located at 762 Dartmouth Street, South Dartmouth, MA 02748. We look forward to sharing the results of our field season!

July 30-August 3: WEEK 4 Artifacts of the Week

2007-08-02T17:20:00.001-04:00

These artifacts were recovered from AH7 topsoil levels. AH7 is our newest unit in the middle of the back yard. In it, we are finding a fascinating mix of periods and objects (clockwise form upper left): a Fiestaware cup, likely late 1930s-mid 1940s; two burned fragments of Rhenish (German) blue and gray stoneware beer mugs, probably made before the Revolutionary War; a fragment of a writing slate, dating from the 18th or 19th century; and fragments of a clay smoking pipe marked "[BAN]NERMAN/GLA[SGOW]" with a "TD" cartouche, made during the mid or late 19th century.

An early to mid-20th-century trash feature (AH10) has yielded many utilitarian items, along with the lipstick and sunglasses lens we saw last week. This week, in the same context, we found this metal (brass?) bracelet engraved with daffodils and other flowers.

July 23-25: WEEK 3 Dig Diary

2007-07-31T11:10:00.000-04:00

Students and volunteers have made a lot of progress during our third week of excavation. We have our first completed unit! It is excavated around 60 cm below the surface of the yard, through subsoil to the "substratum." In this area of Dartmouth, where we have "Paxton" type soils, the substratum is a grayish, firm sandy loam. We will finish at least two more units next week. Through hard work and careful observation, we have gained a clear idea of the depth and characteristics of soil levels at the Akin house site. When we dig a unit and the soil does not meet these expectations, as in AH3 by the front door or AH10 in the rear yard, we know we're looking at the remnants of distinctive events.

AH1: front yard
Justin and Scott started Week 3 in a very interesting new unit in the far rear yard, AH10 (see below). They are now nearly done with AH1. Scott describes how they "brought the unit down another 10-15 cmbs [cm below surface] to dig at least 20 cm through subsoil and hit the substratum. We were still in the process of that by the end of the week. No cultural artifacts were found."

AH2: front yard, edge of the berm
Volunteers continued their work in AH2, taking down the mottled deep orange redeposited subsoil that makes up the foundation berm. Artifacts are rare in this context, but small fragments of brick and ceramics are still appearing in our soil screens. This unit is a transitional space between the undisturbed front yard and the berm from the construction of the Akin House. We expect to come upon undisturbed subsoil soon.

AH3: front yard, on the berm & by the front door
Lisa and Shane are soldiering on, digging through redeposited subsoil in the berm adjacent to the house foundation. AH3 is the deepest unit by far. They are around 80 cm below surface and have not yet hit undisturbed soil levels! Lisa relates that "a coring was done in unit three and it showed that there were at least six inches of soil to dig out before we reached sterile sub-soil... The hole is so deep now that both of us cannot dig at the same time. I was thinking that we might not reach sterile sub-soil until the hole is level with the floor of the basement, which is still a ways away. There haven’t been any artifacts in this unit for a long time. I hope we will be able to finish this unit by the end of next week."

AH4: side yard
Congratulations to Erica and Gabe! They are the first to close out their unit. Gabe was happy with this achievement, writing that "this week in unit 4 was exciting not only because we are finished with it, but also because we learned what needs to be done when you finish a unit. It requires some time to take exact measurements and draw each layer by graphing it... I didn't think archaeologists worked as hard as we have been." He and Erica are looking forward to opening our last new unit in the middle of the back yard, unit AH7. We'll see what it holds next week!

AH5: side yard, far corner
Pat and Cassie are feeling a little discouraged by the lack of artifacts in AH5 as they complete its excavation, and by the fact that we never found the suspected post hole feature. "Pat and I had wished for less slag," Cassie writes, "and that's exactly what we got, no slag. But unfortunately, we really didn't find anything this week, which made it a very uneventful week. Be careful what you wish for, aye?" On the positive side, when there are consistently no artifacts, we know we've finished our job. Pat recognizes the importance of recording soil stratigraphy: "As we dig and go further below the surface, I can see how the actual soil levels have changed in our unit as we clean up the walls." They ended the week by exposing the grayish substratum, and they will finish up their unit next week by cleaning it off for photographs and making measured profile drawings of the unit's sidewalls.

AH6: back yard, house foundation
Volunteers have been working consistently in AH6, by the rear foundation and cellar door. The topsoil levels had a plethora of 19th- and 20th-century artifacts, but, as in the front and side yards, once we were through the topsoil levels the artifact frequency dropped off. The orange mottled layer had several large angular rocks in it, probably strewn about the site when (or soon after) the cellar hole was dug. We'll continue taking this unit down until we hit consistently sterile levels.

AH10: far rear yard
Justin and Scott opened up a new unit in the far rear yard of the Akin property. They cleared out some overgrowth and then measured in the four corners of the 1 m square unit ("this was a little more difficult then I expected," Justin admits). "The top level in this unit was filled with shells, ferrous metal, glass, charcoal, and we found a hand forged artifact that is believed to be an edger. That artifact is our artifact of the week." Chelsea, Lisa, and Shane also worked in this unit during Week 3 (we want everyone to experience the joys of the back yard!). Lisa was glad of the change: "It was nice to get a break from digging out the seemingly endless amount of yellowish soil in unit three and get to find artifacts in unit ten. The unit was full of slag – large bits and small bits. We also found many metal fragments and larger metal pieces that we were not quite sure what they were. It seems that unit ten must have been a dumping site for metalworking. While there were some fragments of ceramics and clear glass, the vast majority of artifacts were metal." Shane's interpretation is that "AH10 is in an area of 20th-century trash disposal and burning." Justin agrees, and adds that "the slag and many pieces of iron and metal debris found could indicate that there was a forge on site at one time or another." The slag in upper levels of AH10 suggests they are related to upper levels of AH5, in the side yard.

July 23-27: WEEK 3 Artifacts of the Week

2007-07-26T17:04:00.000-04:00

We found so many interesting things this week, who can choose just one? Here are some of our favorites:Left to right: lens fragment from green glass sunglasses; lipstick tube; iron alloy scraper or edging spade. These objects were found in the rear yard and probably date from the middle decades of the 20th century.

Below is a selection of ceramics recovered from an old topsoil level in unit AH2, in the front yard. These ceramics were used for cooking, eating, construction, and leisure. They were made in the late 17th/early 18th century (tin glazed earthenware), 1720s-1760s (white salt glazed stoneware), 1760s-1780s (creamware), 1780s-1840s (pearlware), and 1830s-present (whiteware).

July 16-20: WEEK 2 Artifact of the Week

2007-07-23T18:54:00.000-04:00

Slag!

Not the prettiest thing we've found, but one of the most interesting.

Slag is the byproduct of metalworking: smelting, smithing, casting, and the like. This slag probably derives from impurities in iron-based metal that was heated by a coal-fueled fire. Samples may be sent for chemical analysis in the future, in order to determine exactly what it is made of.

Students discussed their slag finds at the end of class today. Hundreds of fragments of the stuff were recovered from topsoil layers in AH5, a unit in the side yard far away from the house. Our new unit in the far back yard, AH10, is also turning up many slag fragments. Only a few pieces were found in AH4, AH1, and AH2; the frequency drops off as you approach the house. No slag was recovered from the unit near the front door, AH3.

Those familiar with the Akin House site have long believed that an unknown early 20th-century occupant practiced metalworking, perhaps to repair boars, cars, and households items. The slag we have excavated suggests that someone was working metal in the not too distant past. There was a large barn near unit AH5 until at least 1922. Perhaps a small bloomery or portable forge was used there.

July 16-20: WEEK 2 Dig Diary

2007-07-23T18:19:00.000-04:00

Students and volunteers made much progress during our second week - first full week - of excavation. Work continued in units AH1-5 and we opened our first unit in the rear yard, AH6 and one in the basement, AH9. We're through the brownish topsoil accumulations of the past 200-250 years or so; these constitute the "A horizon" in archaeological parlance. We're now getting deep into the "B horizon" underneath: older levels of soil whose chemical composition has changed through weathering, water leaching, and biological factors. The final level we will excavate is the the subsoil. This soil predates human occupation and is, in this area of New England, a uniform brownish-orange color. We'll dig at least 20 cm into "sterile" subsoil - subsoil with no signs of cultural disturbances like hearths, pits, or artifacts - before officially closing a unit. Most of our units will extend at least 60 cm below ground surface. Not quite as deep as Cassie's evocative photo of Justin in AH3 implies, but we're getting there.

We know much more about the cultural materials preserved below the surface in different yard areas, and we are starting to understand how different areas relate to each other. Now that we're in the B horizon in several units, there are fewer artifacts. This is less exciting for students. But their dedication shows as they work to reveal the history of soil deposition on our site.

AH1: front yard
As Justin and Scott finished the topsoil levels, they found more "red earthenware and pearlware, glass, charcoal, and a rusted nail... We believe the nail could have been one from the roof that one of the roofers may have thrown." As they excavated the B horizon, however, fewer and fewer artifacts were found. They finally reached what seems to be sterile subsoil. They are at 50 cm below surface, very close to the 60 cm minimum excavation depth. Next week, we will dig the next 10 cm and then use a soil probe to core the soil (like coring an apple). We want to be sure the subsoil continues unchanged and with no historic or prehistoric artifacts. Both Justin and Scott were happy to near completion of their first unit. We were going to get them started on a new unit in the back yard, AH6, but class was rained out on Wednesday. Our dedicated volunteers began that unit on Thursday (see below).

AH2: front yard, edge of the berm
Volunteers worked steadily on AH2 during Week 2 and got through the A horizon, exposing the mottled brown and orange B horizon roughly 20-30 cm below the surface. By the end of the week, a blackish area mottled with light gray ash was revealed in the center area of the unit. It matches what we believe is a burned context found in two other units near the house, AH3 and AH6. Surrounding areas were not black, but were orange and brown mottled together. The deep orange color of some of these areas may result from the soil's heat transformation during the burning episode.

AH3: front yard, on the berm & by the front door
Volunteers and students worked to take down what will be our deepest unit, AH3. Lisa and Shane finished the topsoil levels and got deep into an orange and brown mottled level. The berm is made up of this soil, and it is very thick. They found a blackish organic layer at 50 cm down. This dark level was also found in AH2 (see above) and AH6 (see below). We think it represents an early burning episode on site, perhaps associated with clearing the yard for house construction. There was more mottled brown/orange below the burned level, and no end (subsoil) in sight! Lisa thanks the volunteers for pitching in on this unit: "because our unit was going to be one of the deepest and a few extra sets of hands would make the work go quicker." Lisa notes that the only artifacts in the berm fill were a few fragments of hand blown olive green glass, probably from an early wine bottle. Shane adds, "This week has become uneventful as far as finding new artifacts... The main focus of out efforts has been isolating and classifying the different types of soil in our pit. The structure of the soil is mottled heavily and we have to classify which type of soil cuts which. The professor showed us the methods we will be using to classify and draw out the cuts. It involves a grid type system with two rulers. The shapes will me marked at different points and a 'connect the dot' method will be used to map out the location of the shapes."

AH4: side yard
Erica and Gabe also got through the topsoil and into the underlying orange/brown mottled layer. Erica explains that, in the final topsoil levels, "We found many artifacts, such as more porcelain pieces, rusty old square nail pieces, red earthenware, white earthenware (probably a flower pot), and green glass (probably used to store liquor). Our artifacts found in this layer of soil were exciting and with each trowel movement, we found more and more artifacts... The second context that we opened and closed (26 cmbs) was also full of artifacts... Closing out this gravely layer, we realized it was the last of the topsoil." The next context had "no artifacts whatsoever... We are curious as to what year this layer of soil may be from but the lack of artifacts makes that difficult. We are looking forward to what lies beneath this layer with hopes of finding the trench-like" feature. Gabe reassures us that they're still "having a great time when we're out there." He's not as sure he'd give the 1922 movie Down to the Sea in Ships, in which the Akin House appears, a thumbs up.

AH5: side yard, far corner
Pat, Cassie, and Chelsea have seen AH5 undergo a transformation this week. In our second week, on site, Cassie was "hoping to find something exciting, and not slag. To our surprise, that was exactly what happened. As the slag layer departed, the more exciting stuff arose." Pat explains that "Monday's excavating revealed more slag... We also found a 1978 penny, part of a foil pie pan, pieces of clear glass, bottle cap, torso of an army figure and a washer... Tuesday we continued digging down to 36 cm" where the soil is "starting to show some mottling of a lighter color." This new context had only a few slag pieces and several ceramic fragments from the 19th century. Cassie also had a mixed response to Down to the Sea in Ships: "although the movie was hard to follow, it showed a great deal of what life was like back in the early 1900s."

AH6: back yard, house foundation
Volunteers worked to remove the loamy and silty top levels of our new unit, AH6. Artifacts were plentiful, mixed, and different than those recovered from other units: from a 1943 dime to .22 caliber shell casings; sponge-painted ceramics to sea urchin spines. Underneath the topsoil, however, the site is more uniform. In AH6, as in the front yard, the soil became more mottled with orange/brown and more gravelly around 18-20 cm below the surface.

AH9: basement stone feature
There is a large L-shaped stone feature that occupies roughly a quarter of the space in the Akin House basement. It is a platform of local granite fieldstones covered, and perhaps filled, with a material that resembles wood shavings and loose rocks. Its purpose is unknown; theories include root cellar and storage for fresh shellfish. We hope further excavation will provide some clues as to the feature's date and function.

AH0: surface finds
Bettie-Anne spent this week cataloging several years worth of "surface finds" from our site. She describes the process: "The process was to make a record, in pencil, on printed sheets provided, of artifacts placed in plastic bags, often with a card containing some identification of what the object is or was used for. The identification process and record for each object required: name of object; material (metal, plastic, ceramic, etc.); type of material (what metal, kind of plastic, which ceramic); name of object part; name complete object (of which it is a part); number of fragments." Finds include "four pairs of children's shoes: 1 pair of infant's satin christening shoes in a box; one pair of white leather shoes for a 2-3 year old child and contained in an unlidded box; two pairs of larger white leather shoes for a 4-6 year old, one pair in a box with a lid. Most of the objects were parts of things such as a chandelier, car leaf springs, engine parts, and other hardware."

July 9-13: WEEK 1 Artifact of the Week

2007-07-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

Every week, Soc/Ant 180 students decide as a group what artifact they'd like to share with the public here on our blog. This week's favorite was found in the topsoil level of AH3, by the front door:
It is an original style Mr. Potato Head nose - designed to be stuck into a real potato! The toy company Hasbro manufactured small plastic features like this one from 1952 through the 1960s. The style of Potato Head toys changed in 1973, when the toys were made larger to meet new child safety guidelines.

Several artifacts found during landscaping and site maintenance at the Akin House are children's toys. Children are not prominent in the documentary record of the property, but generations of kids made a notable contribution to the archaeological record.

July 9-13: WEEK 1 Dig Diary

2007-07-15T19:09:00.000-04:00

Students set up their archaeological equipment for the first time on Tuesday (photo © Diane Gilbert 2007). We have begun our excavations with five 1 x 1 m square "units" (a.k.a. "holes") in the front and side yards of the Akin property. Each unit has a unique designation: AH1, AH2, AH3, AH4, and AH5.

AH1: front yard
Justin and Scott have, so far, excavated deeper than any other team (about 20 cm). Justin writes: "we have found several artifacts, including a square iron nail, red earthenware fragments, and pearlware pieces... Learning how to dig carefully and what to look for while I dig is really interesting. I feel very excited to be a part of my local history." "Pearlware" is a type of earthenware that was introduced as a cheaper alternative to porcelain. It was made in England between about 1785 and 1840.

AH2: front yard, edge of the berm
AH2 is located 8 m east of AH1, where the flat front yard transitions to a sloping bank of dirt, or "berm," piled around the house foundation. Bettie-Anne and Chelsea are removing topsoil levels in this unit. They haven't found many artifacts yet, but there are plenty of old chestnuts from a tree nearby. Bettie-Anne describes why this tree is special: "These are American chestnuts (edible, and prized by early settlers as well as later residents for more than two hundred years)... These trees were killed by a blight and died out in the early part of the 1900’s." The Akin chestnut tree may be the only survivor of the 1907 blight that killed other trees in town.

AH3: front yard, on the berm & by the front door
Lisa and Shane are excavating next to the front door of the Akin House, 3 m east of AH2 and on top of the berm. As expected, they are finding many artifacts associated with the house itself. The dozens of iron nails they found were probably made in the 18th century, when the Akin house was built. The nails made their way into the ground only recently, as original shingles were repaired and replaced. Lisa is excited to "glimpse into the lives of the various people that had lived in the house over the years and how they chose to modify the home to make it their own... We have uncovered many house related items, since the unit is right next to the steps leading to the front door. These items include paint chips, lots of nails, electrical components, a shutter latch, pieces of glass, pottery, pieces from plastic plants, shell fragments, and a small plastic nose from a child’s toy. I am extremely interested to see what we will uncover as we dig deeper." Shane appreciated the tour of the Akin house provided by the project's architectural historian, who described features of construction and the repairs that had been made. He noted that objects found in AH3 relate to the house construction and repair, including an old door latch and the many nails.

AH4: side yard
Our fourth excavation unit is located in the side yard. We hope it will reveal any different histories of land use in the front and side yards. Geophysical prospection found a circular trench feature in this portion of the yard, and we hope AH4 will give us a better idea of that feature's use. In the meanwhile, Erica reports that she and Gabe have "found small rocks, roots, root decay, paper substance, wrapper substance and material waste called slag once used for cooking. Also found were two small pieces of a porcelain decorative object with green and brown designs [painted] on them. We assume at this point that the two pieces belonged to the same vessel and hope to find more pieces of this object so we may identify it accurately."

AH5: side yard, far corner
Pat and Cassie are working in the far corner of the side yard, 25 m north of most of their classmates. According to Pat, their "finds thus far are a lot of slag... a lot of rock (small), a wound ball which we watched unravel [the core of a golf ball], some shell pieces... and a partially crushed golf ball. Each find makes you want to continue excavating, to see what your next treasure will be." Slag is a byproduct from smelting or working metal. There is more slag in AH5 than expected, or in any other unit. Future chemical analysis may tell us what sort of metalwork Akin House residents were doing in the recent past. Geophysical prospection found four probable post holes and foundation trenches in this area of the side yard, but they are not from any known outbuilding. As students excavate further in AH5, they should hit one of these postholes, informing us about the age of the former structure and its use.

July 13: Volunteer Training Day/Open House

2007-07-15T17:43:00.000-04:00

We held a Training Day/Open House at the Akin House this past Friday. About 30 potential volunteers attended the event and were introduced to the basics of site history and archaeological field methods (photo © Diane Gilbert 2007). Volunteers are scheduled to work at the site during during non-class hours over the next three weeks. They will supplement our student crew. Some volunteers will excavate, others will process artifacts. All will learn about local history, the discipline of archaeology, and artifact identification. We are grateful to our volunteers and are glad they will play an active role in developing the Akin House as a community resource and learning center.

July 11

2007-07-11T20:45:00.000-04:00

The Soc/Ant 180 students finished their first week of digging today. After a mere four hours of work, we've already recovered bits and pieces of ceramics, nails, and assorted trash that date from the 18th through 21st centuries. Check back early next week to hear more about our finds and experiences during this first week of work and to see our "Artifact of the Week." One of the most exciting finds so far: the ice cream truck.

July 5: Site Survey and Geophysical Prospection

2007-07-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

Archaeologists from the Anthropology Department at Brown University and at the University of Massachusetts Boston came to the Akin site to assist in preparations for our dig. We used a digital surveying device - a Total Station - to plot a grid system over the site. This grid will allow us to track the X and Y coordinates of our excavation units. Fortunately, there is a USGS "benchmark" just across the street from the Akin House. The benchmark is a small brass disc permanently fixed to a rock. It has a known latitude, longitude, and elevation. By tying our grid to the USGS benchmark, we know where we are working in real space.

We were also fortunate to have an expert in geophysical prospection from Brown University visit the site. He used an electromagnetic induction unit to measure the magnetic and conductive properties of underground deposits. This and other types of geophysical prospection help archaeologists identify potential cultural features and better plan our excavations. He is working to process the data. Raw results from the field suggest some linear features in the rear yard (stone paths?) and a semi-circular feature in the side yard (purpose unknown!).

Introduction

2007-05-30T18:52:00.000-04:00

This blog is a public diary for an archaeological excavation at the historic Elihu Akin House in South Dartmouth, MA. Our dig will take place in July and early August. The field crew will consist of UMass Dartmouth students and local volunteers, all trained in excavation techniques and archaeological field recording. These individuals will contribute to reports posted here, so check back regularly when our field season begins. We look forward to sharing our work!