Last Day of Field School

Today was very rainy and we were stuck inside as we expected. We continued cleaning artifacts as we had started yesterday. Unfortunately, we were not able to clean all the artifacts we had dug out during our field school but we were able to clean a good deal of them. We also handed in all our paper work regarding our dig. And now we are free.

Last Day of Glunk Dig

Due to weather concerns we only dug in the morning today. At the site it was cloudy and there was a slight drizzle for a while. Our goal was to bring all the pits level and take down the walls between our pits. To this end I continued to excavate the South East Quad down to 39 inches, which took almost no time to as the sand matrix was much lighter by this point and easier to dig through. Then Elizabeth dug out the North West Quad while I simultaneously dug out the South East Quad. We chunked right through both quads in almost no time as we were finding no artifacts or features and the soil was much easier to dig through. Once we brought our pit level with the others and the wall between EU18 and EU17 had been taken down, we started to bring down the corner baulks which we had left to hold the stakes in. Unfortunately we were only able to bring these down to the end of the first level just about, as we were leaving semi-early.

Back at the college, we cleaned artifacts for the rest of the day.

Day 9 of Glunk Dig

Today was a nice, cool, sunny day so we were able to go out and dig all day. The pits were nice and dry which allowed us to pick up from where we left off. Our goal was to finish digging out the North East and South East Quads to 24-5 inches, clean-up our walls, and start excavating down to 39 inches. I dug out the South East Quad to 25 inches with Elizabeth doing the same in the North East Quad. I then started to dig out the North East Quad to 39 inches which I was able to finish, allowing Elizabeth to start on the South East Quad. For once we managed to meet all our goals in digging.

Rain Day/ Day 8 of Glunk Dig

This morning was very rainy so we once again tried flint knapping, this time with proper tools provided by Dr. Knauth. We had a bit more success today, but the material we were working with, local chert, was not very good for what we were doing. After lunch we headed out to the site to try and get more digging done as this is our last week at the site.

The site was once more a bit muddy, but the pits were nice and dry. In EU 17, we continued excavating out to level 4 in the North West Quad. This was unfortunately all we managed to do today, but it was only half a day of digging.

Day 7 of Glunk Dig

This morning was not very nice so we decided to do some experimental archeology. We planned to do so flint snapping and to try and make atlatls. We only got to try flint snapping but we did not have the appropriate tools so it was not a very successful venture. Around 11:00 we went out to the site with Dr. Knauth tagging along to see what we were doing.

At the site it ended up being rather nice so we got to work. I continued to bring the pit down to the 24 inches that would bring us level with our neighbor as he started going down to the next level which was supposed to be 36 inches down (it ended up being a little bit deeper at 39+ inches). Today we found nothing in our pit (EU17) but we were not going down very far either.

Rain Day

Because of rain today we were not able to go out to the Glunk site. Instead, we spent the day cataloging all the artifacts we found at New Berlin. We also compiled all our paper work from our work at New Berlin and Emily began to input the cataloged sheets into the computer. We successfully completed all our work regarding the New Berlin dig today which was our primary goal. We also did some work on our field journals to bring them up to date.

Day 6 at the Glunk Site

Today was also nice and we picked up where we had left off from yesterday. Elizabeth started in on the North East Quad to bring it down level with the other quads. Unfortunately she could not continue digging and I ended up finishing off the North East Quad. I then excavated out the South East Quad to the same level (roughly 21 inches). I finished off the day by starting to bring my pit level with EU16, Dru's pit, at 24 inches deep. Unfortunately, we did not find anything exciting today, I don't think we found too much at all today in our pit, EU17.

Day 5 of Glunk Dig

Today was another nice day so we once more got to dig. Once again we set to work from where we had left off with Elizabeth continuing to excavate the North East Quad through Level 3. about half way through Level 3, Elizabeth found a large pottery sherd at the edge of the North East Quad and the North West Quad.

After she carefully uncovered that large sherd we had no other significant finds in the North East Quad's level 3 which we ended up calling at 21 inches. I then dug out the South East Quad to the same level but unfortunately did not find much as I did so. That was about all we were able to do today unfortunately.

Day 4 of Digging at Glunk Site

Today was nice and sunny although it was a bit chilly, so we once more got to dig. For once no one was sick. We continued from where we had left off in our pits on Friday. I continued excavating the North West Quad to the bottom of Level 2 and found a brown glass bottle bottom in the process. Elizabeth then took the North East Quad down to the same level and I took down the South East Quad. We finished off our pit with a wall clean-up in the North East Quad and starting to excavate Level 3. We seem to have fallen considerably behind the rest of the group but it doesn't really matter so much.

Muncy Trip

Today, instead of digging we went to visit the Muncy Historical Society and Heritage Park. The Historical Society operated a house museum which we visited first. The house was packed with artifacts from local digs and donations from people and associations in the area. A good deal of their exhibits focused on the canal as it was very important to the area. a lot of what they do deals wight the canal and the locks down at the Heritage Park.

The Heritage Park itself was home to several archeology digs which located the lock master's house, garden, and garbage dump. There is also a well in the park which was associated with the lock master's house which was also excavated. The park itself runs along and includes a part of the old canal and even has a bridge running over the canal itself.

We received a tour from a member of the Muncy Historical Society who talked us through all the exhibits in the house and the Heritage Park.

Afterwards we went to Eder's which is an old ice cream parlor in the area.

Day 3 of Digging at the Glunk Site

Today was once again nice out and thankfully not very muddy (we had been slipping a lot yesterday). It was, however, cloudy and a bit colder out. Once again I was on my own but Professor Van Auken sifted for myself and Dru Keyser which allowed us to dig more than we had yesterday. Both our digging partners were sick today. I was able to finish up the South East Quad today, bringing it down level with the other quads. Form there I proceeded to dig the South West Quad down to the bottom of level 2. Level 2 was determined by a soil change, namely a change from the darker clay of the historic layer to a lighter sandy matrix of the prehistoric layer. In my pit this change occurred around 11-12 inches in depth meaning that level 2 was only a couple of inches down. I was also able to start excavating the North West Quad down through Level 2, but I was forced to stop early as we packed up due to a possibility of rain.

Day 2 of Digging at the Glunk Site

Today we were finally able to get back in the field and do some more digging. Unfortunately, the site was a bit muddy but the pits were dry. I was once again digging in EU17 although, Elizabeth was absent today as she was sick. My pit was down to the bottom of level 1 (10 inches) in all but the South East Quad. Because I was on my own and had to both dig and sift, I was only able to bring the South East Quad down to the bottom of level 1 today. This was also due to the nature of the soil as it was a sort of clay matrix. Once again, because it was only the first level, I found historic artifacts like pieces of brick, glass, nails, and rocks.

Another Rain Day But No Museums

Today was once again rainy but unlike yesterday we had no museums to visit or any other interesting plans. Instead we spent the day washing the artifacts that we had dug up on Monday. To do so we simply filled bins or containers with water and put the artifacts in the water. We then scrubbed the artifacts with toothbrushes to thoroughly clean the artifacts so that they could then be processed later on.

Rain Day and Museum Trips

We had lots of rain today which prevented us from digging. Instead, we visited the Little League Museum in the morning and the Williamsport Historical Society and the Taber Museum afterwards.

The Little League Museum was a brand new facility with many interactive exhibits as well as an audio guide to the museum. The exhibits were thoroughly explained and well presented to the visitors. 

The Taber Museum and the Williamsport Historical Society was not as interactive or new, but it still was very informative and interesting. The museum covered the area's prehistory and history with many artifacts from every time period in the area. The Taber Museum also housed the Genealogy Society which we visited and learned about what they did and how they worked.

We ended the day by visiting the archeology lab in the basement of the Taber Museum where we got to see the finished products of other local archeology digs.

First Day at Glunk Site

Today was our first day of digging at the Glunk Site, 36LY0345, an American Indian site. It was cool and sunny today and we were able to start three new excavation units: EU16, EU17, and EU18. I dug in EU 17 with Elizabeth Jensen. Today's goal was to try and dig through our first level which we called at ten inches down. This first ten inches was a historic level that was composed of a clay matrix that was difficult to dig through and sift. We started off using a shovel to clear out this level but we also employed trowels (it was easier with the shovels though). In screening the dirt from the South West Quad I found mainly historic artifacts like brick pieces, glass, nails, and lots of stones.

By the time we had closed we had managed to excavate three quads in EU18 to the bottom of our first level,  three quads in EU17 to the bottom of our first level, and all four quads in EU16 to the bottom of the first level (10 inches). In EU17 (my pit) we have found no real significant artifacts, while we found a pitted hammer stone at the bottom of EU16.

Second Day at New Berlin

Today we are once again at New Berlin and plan to continue with some new test pits. We put in two new test pits right away, test pits 5 and 6. Test Pit 5 revealed what may be part of the footer and a fence post hole that would have been part of the fence which surrounded the property. Test Pit 6 revealed part of a flagstone pathway, which may have been in front of the fence. My main job today was to find and map the locations of all the fence post holes. In order to do so I dug in 6 to 7 foot intervals along the edge of the property following a line from the visible fence post bases and holes. I would measure off the distance with a tape measure and then poke around with a screw driver to find the concrete base which I would then uncover using a shovel. In total we put in five more test pits today with the final three uncovering nothing. We have dug a total of nine test pits at the site and recommend that ground penetrating radar be used to find the footer.

First Day at New Berlin

Today we started our project at the site of the first Evangelical Methodist Church in New Berlin, PA. We started off by mapping the site which sloped down towards Penn's Creek at the one end of the property. We then started two shovel test pits near the Water Street edge of the property with the hope of finding the footer of the original church from 1816.

Down by the creek we found a plaque dedicated to a goose named Lucy that had been rescued by local townspeople. Also, on the way to the restroom we saw a large helicopter outside the American Legion Post 957.

During the digging of the two test pits we found a large quantity of rocks in the second pit and a possible footer in both pits at .5 m down. In the second pit the possible footer started at 9 in. and went down to the bottom of the pit (.5 m) jutting out from the side of the test pit closest to the street.

We then put in two more test pits after encountering a sterile clay level. These two pits also revealed large stones that may have been part of the footer as well.