| Dig
Diaries 2006
Lauren Raby
Archaeology Field School Journal
Day 1-- 5/8/06
Orientation
5/9/06
We got to the site and cleared away all the brush where we believed
the house was located. We measured a 5-foot x 15-foot rectangle
as our first dig unit. Within the rectangle we made three 5-foot
x 5-foot units. We began digging the top layer. I started in EU-1
in the southwest corner. So far, a few pieced of glass and a piece
of rusted metal. Bill Poulton just showed up and we will be getting
a tour of the tow path.
5/10/06
Today, we came to the site and rebuilt the permanent screen. We
set it up right on the edge of the area that we cleared out. I finished
the top layer of SW quad in EU-1. I found a lot of pieces of green
glass and various other pieces. I moved onto the NW quad and found
more pieces of green glass plus a piece of aluminum can. About 2
inches down I hit a fairly hard layer of what seems to be a lot
of rocks and compacted soil. Betty Fisher came up around lunch
time and started digging in what is thought to be a trash pit. She
found large pieces of bottles and pottery.
5/11/06
Today it was overcast, so just in case it would rain, we went to
the lab. We cleaned the artifacts with water. The artifacts were
the ones Betty Fisher had found in the trash pit. We washed a lot
of glass pieces and ceramic looking items. To scrub the artifacts,
we used different size brushes, and more efficient metal tools.
We set the washed items on the drying rack.
5/15/06
Today, we stayed on campus and worked on some indoor labs. We made
a map of a room in the A.C. and also looked at a topographical map.
I missed digging.
5/16/06
Today, the dig site was wet from rain, so we went to the barn and
learned how to sort and categorize artifacts. We went through the
miscellaneous artifacts leftover from last year’s dig from
the well. I mainly logged all the info into Excel spreadsheets.
5/17/06
Kelly, Luis and I carpooled to the site together. I continued digging
and found pieces of glass and coal.
5/18/06
We started a little slow today. We were up late discussing the dig.
We continued to dig and Luis screened. We got new buckets, so we
were all excited. It feels like it will rain soon, so we’re
trying to do as much as we can. We all hope next week is a lot warmer.
So we can have some fun times at the river.
5/22/06
Today it was bitter cold and windy. So we decided to let the dig
site dry out for a day and we left to go work on the homework and
the car lab. The weather is supposed to warm up and be sunny for
the rest of the week. We expect to get a lot of digging done.
5/23/06
We car pooled to the site. We dug and screened straight through
the morning. The high today was supposed to be 68. Hopefully today
or tomorrow morning we will finish level 1. Luis and I have high
hopes that we will dig at least 3 more feet deeper. We are all excited
that it is supposed to warm up a lot, so that we can play in the
river on our lunch break.
5/24/06
Today, we got to the site and started to finish clearing the rest
of level 1. Right before out lunch break, Robin brought out the
map and we re-measured. From doing this, we decided to dig two test
pits closer to the well. The second pit revealed some brick fragments
and cut stone.
5/25/06
The temperature was a little chilly and overcast. So instead of
digging we took measurements and started making a map of the area.
After lunch, we had a group of kids come by the site. Luis and I
were recovering from swimming in 55 degree water last night.
5/30/06
Today was the hottest day that we had so far. We continued to clean
up our walls and level the floor. We worked diligently through the
morning. However, the temperature and humidity slowed down our work
and a lot of water breaks were needed. But as a reward for our hard
work this May Term, we will celebrate with at Charlie Brown’s.
5/31/06
Today we got there and it was already hot and humid. We looked at
the dig site and it was flooded. So we cleaned out the water and
filled in the test pits with dirt. Then because we couldn't do any
digging, we left a little early to go back and work on our quizzes.
We finished them, and it was amazing
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Robin
Van Auken, archaeologist for the project
Meet Robin Van Auken and find out more about the field school she
teaches for Lycoming College
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