Update - 25 July 2013

We just about wrapped up the shovel test pits (STPs) in the back portion of the lots of 124 and 126 Elfreth’s Alley last week. Excavating STPs has allowed us to quickly and efficiently assess the integrity and type of the deposits in the back area. While the STPs in the south portion of the lots were largely filled with brick rubble and modern fill, one STP to the north, closer to the houses, had intact historic deposits. Based on the results of the STPs, we will open a 5 feet x 5 feet exaction unit to further explore the historic layers.
 
The heat was brutal last week! To get a little relief from digging in the excessive temperatures and humidity, we set up artifact cleaning in the shaded patio behind the museum. 

Artifact cleaning in progress

Artifact cleaning in progress

Artifact cleaning in progress

The site has gotten a lot of great press this summer! From radio to print, it has been fun to see how all the stories come together. A few of the stories have also been picked up by other news outlets like HiddenCity and Curbed which is very exciting! Last Thursday we had another press visit, this time from Hadas Kuznits of KWY news radio. Kuznits stopped by around lunchtime to visit site. Check out the audio from her interview about the dig here.

The Philadelphia Inquirer News Story

Yesterday staff writer Summer Ballentine and staff photographer Michael Bryant from the The Philadelphia Inquirer visited the site to check out the dig.  It was a lot of fun talking to everyone and sharing what we have been finding!  Check out the story and great pictures here.

Update - 16 July 2013

We finally have a brief reprieve from all the rain this summer, but now we have a heat wave! Despite the tough Philly weather, all the volunteers have been very dedicated.

Volunteer Philippe gets a little artistic with the photo board

Over the past week, we have excavated up a few more shovel test pits (STPs) in the back of 124 and 126 Elfreth’s Alley. We have encountered a number of finds in the STPs including:

A large state stone and metal wire obstructing excavation of one STP. 

Potential remnants of a brick wall in another STP. 

Photo Credit: Jill Saull

 And a whole bunch of small historic artifacts. 

Photo Credit: Jill Saull

One neat historic artifact recovered is this stamped brick:

Today we potentially found the oldest artifacts uncovered at Elfreth’s Alley; we recovered a chert cobble and flake that could be Native American artifacts (SEE NEW UPDATED BELOW). Cobbles and flake are indicators of stone tool production. The items were unearthed in a historic soil layer preliminary dated to the mid-nineteenth century. While the artifact was not recovered from intact Native American deposits, the item does tell us about land use on the properties. The geographic location of Elfreth’s Alley on a terrace close to the Delaware River would have been an ideal location for Native Americans. 

UPDATE: After consulting with colleagues, the large stone artifact is more likely a piece of historic British flint that has been worked. This type of cryptocrystalline rock material was commonly used as ship ballast to provide stabilization in the hulls of vessels making the voyage from Great Britain to America. Elfreth’s Alleys location adjacent to the Delaware River makes it a prime location for artifacts associated with Philadelphia’s status as a port city. As indicated in the earlier post, this artifact was recovered from a historic stratigraphic layer. This context along with the evidence of the material type being of English origin, make indicate that this artifact is indeed a piece of worked English flint rather than an Native American artifact.

Chert cobble & flake

WHYY Radio Story

Peter Crimmins from WHYY-FM visited the site on Friday, and the station aired a short story about the dig this evening! Listen out the audio from the full show here. The story about Elfreth’s Alley archaeology is towards the end of the program (about ¾ of the way through the audio clip). A short write-up of the interview is also available on their website.

Update - 4 July 2013

Elfreth's Alley, 2012

Happy Independence Day! Elfreth’s Alley’s history actually extends back to a time before the birth of the nation. The small street was formed early in the 1700s, and it was a witness to the American Revolution over 70 years later. Today the Alley is a poignant symbol of American history.

 

We are a few weeks into our summer excavation and things have been slow but steady! The Philly weather has been very rainy so we had to cancel a few dig days, which has set us back a bit, but we have still been making progress. Thanks to all the awesome volunteers how helped out in Temple University’s Anthropology Laboratory when the rain thwarted our digging plans. With the help of volunteers we relabled several bags of artifacts from the 2012 excavation season with the site number and appropriate catalog numbers.

Volunteers working in the Anthropology Lab

Despite the soggy conditions, we did manage to get in a few days of digging. At the end of June we focused on continuing excavation of Unit 13.

Volunteers working in Unit 13

 This past week we switched gears a little bit and started excavating shovel test pits in the back portion of the lot behind 124 and 126 Elfreth’s Alley.

Back portion of the property

Today the Elfreth’s Alley Association owns the property that extends to the south of the small garden wall; however, based on historic maps, the current property did not always extend that far back. Instead that back area comprised a separate lot and had an independent land deed. (This portion of the property was not associated with the current property on maps until after 1922.) The back area is not directly accessible from the street and does not appear to have been accessible in historic times either. It is still unclear how this land was utilized in the past and historical research on this area is ongoing. A late nineteenth century maps show a wooden structure on the property, but no indication is made of the function of the structure.

Volunteer working on STP

This past Monday and Tuesday we extended our excavation grid into this back area and started excavation of shovel test pits (STPs). The first STP (30S, 5E) we explored had very clear delineations between the soil levels. The ground surface was covered with reddish and gray gravel fill overlaying black plastic sheeting. This gravel appears to have been laid down in the 1980s for landscaping purposes. The gravel is followed by three other stats that are very sandy and loose with a lot of cultural material in them. Historic artifacts recovered include bottle glass, shell, redware, window glass, brick fragments, and nails. Digging was obstructed at a depth of approximately 1.4 feet below the ground surface due to the number of brick inclusions and a metal object in the north portion of the STP. Much of the material recovered was architectural in nature including a large quantity of brick indicating that perhaps there was also a brick structure on this property at one point.

STP (30S, 5E)

Over the next few weeks we will continue exploration of the STPs in the back area. Stay tuned for more updates!

First Week of Excavation!

Foundation Walls present in top and right of picture

The 2013 field season at Elfreth's Alley started this week!  Over the weekend we dismantled a portion of the brick patio in the courtyard behind the Museum of Elfreth's Alley; no small feat given the concrete mortar holding the bricks together.  After pulling up the bricks, we prepped the area for excavation.  So far we have opened up one new unit, unit 13, behind 126 Elfreth's Alley.  We have already located several foundation walls in the unit associated with the former structures that stood in this location.  A quick review of the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) map of Elfreth's Alley from 1931 shows the footprint of the structures.  Unit 13 is placed with in the interior of the last structure depicted behind 126 Elfreth's Alley.  Excavation will help illuminate the function of this structure.

Volunteer excavating Unit 13

We got rained out today, but will be back out digging next week!  

Fete Day in Review

The annual Fete Day celebration at Elfreth's Alley was last Saturday.  The day was replete with colonial artisans and colonial eats!  

Artisan Spinner working the the Alley

Michele Schutte, Museum Curator, also gave a demonstration on traditional colonial garb.  

Michele explaining how to wear colonial attire

We also had a small archaeology display and spoke with visitors about the ongoing excavations throughout the day.  

Archaeology Display

Overall, it was a great event and a beautiful day for a stroll down the Alley!