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US Route 301 Archaeology Update

Written on: March 7th, 2013 in Archaeology Updates US301

The Route 301 archaeological project is abuzz with excitement this week as numerous archaeologists, including Michael Gall and Ilene Grossman-Bailey of Richard Grubb & Associates, prepare presentations for this week’s Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Michael and Ilene’s presentation will focus on archaeological excavations at the Rumsey/Polk Tenant/Prehistoric Site an 18^th-century settlement along the Sandy Branch in St. Georges Hundred.  We’re all expecting a great turnout for a fantastic set of presentations on Delaware archaeology.  More news will be reported on the event in April’s blog.

As a result of the archaeological excavations at the Rumsey/Polk Tenant/Prehistoric Site, Richard Grubb & Associates recovered over 25,000 artifacts!  It’s an amazing collection indeed.  The collection contains broken dishes, bottle glass, clothing items, utensils, and LOTS of animal bones from food the former residents ate.  Artifacts range from very big to tiny.  Some of the artifacts are so small that excavated soil has to be water screened in order to collect fish bones, fish scales, egg shell, charcoal, and plant seeds, after which time the tiny artifacts are collected.  Such artifacts provide a wealth of information about the types of foods eaten by residents in 18^th-century Delaware.  Once all of the artifacts are cleaned in the coming months, we expect to learn a lot more about the site’s former occupants. 

More Lab Work