Archaeology in New Jersey

While at the Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair a couple of weeks ago I stopped by the booth for the booth for the Archaeology Society of New Jersey (ASNJ) and learned two weeks later they were hosting an archaeological dig open to the public.

Cool!

The dig was at the Jonathan Dunham House in Woodbridge, NJ on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, from 8 am-4 pm. The days were divided into two four-hour shifts with slots for up to eight volunteers.

The "tool box" of finds.

Both professional and volunteer archaeologists were encouraged to participate. Experience ranged from a professional archaeologist from Pennsylvania to someone who was walking by and got swept up by the fun -- it was something she always wanted to do. I fell someplace in-between having gone on small local digs and a month in Israel.

It was fun.

This reminded me of the pictures they took at Tel Keisan.

Unlike my experience in Israel, I felt more than qualified and strong enough to do the work. It did help that the shift was four hours instead of four weeks, and that I could sleep in my own bed instead of in a dorm on the other side of the globe.
But it was more than that.

It was also the type of work done. The squares were 5 foot by 5 foot, instead of 10 meter by 10 meter, plus everything was sifted -- my favorite part.

As we sifted off the loose dirt, we have a treasure hunt looking for finds. Children were visiting the site and helping us look through the dirt for treasures. Their parents were also totally engaged. 

We used small tools -- not the giant tureens and pick axes, but trowels and smaller shovels. I brought my own trowel and put it to work. There were plenty of strong bodies to lift buckets of dirt, and much appreciation for our efforts. 

Also a lot of education about a time period I understand.

Jonathan Dunham, the original owner of the house, was President Barack Obama's 8th great-grandfather. It was built in 1717 (which is more relatable than 7th-9th century BCE in my head).

As for what we found, some bones (which I did recognize from Israel), lots of brick, mortar, nails, oyster shells, and charcoal, some sherds of pottery (different from Israel), and a thimble.

Pig foot on the right

I met someone who is a student at my alma mater, Trenton State College/The College of New Jersey. TSC is where I took my first archaeology class, which was my favorite class. They are still digging around the William Green Farm House. I met a woman who runs galas at her school in North Jersey. It was a neat assortment of people.


This is an annual event. Now that I know about it, I hope to hear about more digs. Have trowel ... will dig.

Shutting down for the day