Backyard Archaeology

When we decided to add a screened in porch to our house I'll admit one of my first thoughts was "Cool! Backyard Archaeology!" When the men arrived to dig the holes for the posts, I also thought, "Cool! STPs!" Shovel Test Pits, for my non-archaeologically minded friends.

Here are my seven "STPs":

 

They are each 16 inches wide, and three feet deep. The township has approved them for being filled with concrete.

The men hand digging the holes described the soil as rocky, too rocky to use an auger. To them they were just holes. To me, they were glimpses into life below. In the first hole I saw a piece of metal, and part of the sprinkler system the former owners installed and which we do not use. I hope they did not install it as a "selling point," but rather because they enjoyed having a lush, green lawn. Not wanting to damage the post hole, I begrudgingly left the piece of metal.

I then stuck my trowel in each mound of dirt wishing I had borrowed a screen from Newlin, as well as their Monsell charts. If I had realized the dirt would be around untouched for a week, I would have. I thought once we received the approval on Thursday that they would be filled the next day.

I also wish I had a metal detector. I did find two pieces of metal, which I still need to dry brush, as learned at Montpelier and other places. Mostly I found pretty rocks (a particular talent of mine), which I collected in a jar and will wash off and display in the new room.

The plan is for the screened in porch to be completed in seven weeks, six if you consider one week has already passed. We are still waiting for materials which were to be delivered on Friday or Monday. Don and I still have a lot of decisions to make -- many more than I would have thought for a seemingly simple project. Our biggest hold up has been a half-wall vs. full screen. We found a compromise.

We still need to choose ceiling fans, doors, and flooring before choosing patio furniture and other decorations. We opted to do some of the work ourselves to save money, but we don't have a timeline of when we need to paint the railings. 

Meanwhile, life continues.

Mounds of dirt. Various shades of 10YR and 7.5YR. Some very dark. Patches of redder dirt. Claylike with stones ranging from pebbles to large stones. Similar to what life is like digging at Newlin, but without the artifacts. No nails, which is another one of my super powers. I can find nails moments after someone in the know tells me there are no nails. 

Feels like fill. I know until the mid-80s this area was farmland. It has been a housing development since I moved to the area in 1988. It is where Don's family (Ed and Carol) lived before we found our house in January 2000.

After this project, I'd like to put in some bushes. Maybe I'll have better luck with those holes. I might even have a metal detector by then.

Seward Johnson Statues in New Brunswick

I wouldn't describe myself as very knowledgeable about art, but there are a few artists I can identify their works from across the room, or in this case, across the square. Painters such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Norman Rockwell, and Edgar Degas come to mind.

Then there is J. Seward Johnson of the J&J family fortunes, whose statues of ordinary people appear all around the world. 

Don and I were not overly surprised when we stepped out of our car on a rainy night in New Brunswick to discover this statue in a park, after all Johnson and Johnson has a huge presence in the area. 

When we spotted a second statue of a man taking a picture in front of a camera shop, we started to detect a trend.

Across the street we found a third statue, one we had seen in different iterations of old friends laughing and chatting with each other on a park bench.

I started Googling "Seward Johnson New Brunswick" as we stumbled upon a fourth statue, that of a couple standing, appropriately enough given the weather that night, under an umbrella.

The search brought up a press release stating there are six statues in total, and giving their addresses. As we had already found four, and were heading out for some ice cream after seeing an invited dress rehearsal of Kathryn Grody's The Unexpected 3rd at the George Street Playhouse it was an easy decision to look for the last two.

The weather held and we walked a half-mile for ice cream at Thomas Sweets, a smile ice cream chain that originated in Princeton. We have been to all of their locations over the years, including one that used to be in Florida. Their current locations are three in New Jersey: Princeton, Montgomery, and New Brunswick, and one in Washington, DC.  It is surprising this was our first time to the location near Rutgers.

Other Seward Johnson sitings:

2011 Grounds for Sculpture

2014 Grounds for Sculpture Retrospective

2015 New York City

2019 Spring Lake, NJ

2023 Trenton

2023 Hopewell Township, NJ

2023 Lower Makefield Township, PA

2023 Tour of His Atelier

2026 Bordentown, NJ

I know we have spotted his work in other cities, but my quick blog search did not find them. I also know, we will find them again.

Montpelier Excavation Reflections

I've been home now just over a week. I have written 16 posts about the week between here and at PillsburyTravels.blogspot.com. I have one more post after this. too. I use writing as a way to process my feelings.

Would I go again? is the largest question looming. Up until that Friday, my answer was no because I did not want to go on the tours again. Then I learned they have an alumni program with (presumably) more digging and less tours. I also learned about a three-day metal detecting program with Dennis that is catching my interest. Unfortunately this year it is a day after a planned trip and it is not in the cards for 2026. Too bad since this year they are digging around the former blacksmith shop and will find lots of things.

That was my biggest disappointment with the dig. For the leaders it was just another week during their seven to eight month excavation season. Approximately every other week they have people like us helping them, and the other weeks they dig faster without us. If this week didn't turn up anything exciting, there is always next week. Since Ed and Janice are repeat customers, and Percy has already signed up for next week, it does not seem to be a concern for everyone else.

I do get it. I feel the same way when I dig at Newlin. Not every week is going to become a Facebook or blog post.

On the other hand, we paid $1,000 to dig, plus hotels and meals. I dig for free closer to home. I form a community with my local diggers.

The people were lovely. I did not exchange contact information with them and will likely never see them again. I'm waiting for the official Flickr photo link before I send them the pictures I took.

The staff took lovely care of us. They gave us swag (a Marshalltown trowel, matching tee shirts, a group photo, and a mug), and took oodles of pictures of us (which I have not yet seen). They made sure we (or was it the dirt) was well shaded. Indoor plumbing was nearby. We were treated to tours and given the code to come in after hours. We were treated as true members of the team and not as annoyances.

They could not have been nicer.

On the other hand, every tour was nearly double the time allotted on the schedule. Did we ask too many questions? Did they not realize how long these tours last? They felt long, even more so as I typed up my notes for the blog. I would have lost focus completely without my notebook.

Even so, after our graduation ceremony where we received our group photo (silly picture on the flip side), I walked across the street to the train station to learn about its history. There is more to learn about their 2,650 acre property.

I don't regret going, but I am not sure I would recommend it to others. Perhaps if I had appreciated just how much time would be spent on tours (it was on the schedule, but again, each tour was nearly twice as long), I would have gone in with a different mindset.

I would also get my own hotel room. Martha and I are friends, but even friends need some space.

TSC/TCNJ Reunion 2026

Reunions at my alma mater hold a special place in my heart because it was at Reunion 1989 when I met Don in (I kid you not) Don C. Bliss Hall. I was a student worker in the alumni office, and he was a young alumnus, a member of the Alumni Board, who took a week off to help with running the reunion.

At the time our school was called Trenton State College. Eight years later it controveriosly changed its name to The College of New Jersey. By then I was an alumna serving on the Alumni Board and my sister (Melissa) was a student.

There school has had many name changes over its 171 year old history, but this is the one that feels the most visceral.

History of names:

1855 New Jersey Normal School

1908 New Jersey State Normal School at Trenton

1929 New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School at Trenton

1937 New Jersey State Teachers College at Trenton

1958 Trenton State College

1996 The College of New Jersey

If you do the math, it was TSC for 38 years, and has been TCNJ for 30 years (and counting). We were promised at the time they would continue to carry TSC merchandise (I think someone realized it was a bad idea to tick off 38 years of alumni in the new-internet era). The pickings are usually slim, both in size and variety of offerings. Typically the bookstore is replenished leading up to the reunion.

We returned in 2022 with my fraternity friends for my thirtieth reunion and had a good time. We all wore our TSC attire. It was fun.

Fast forward four very fast years. We received a notice that we could buy a brick. I erased my email. Don wanted to act on his. After much debating over the words, including visiting the campus to see what others wrote, we agreed on Don '86 &, Jacquie '92, Bliss Hall<3 with the all important TSC logo.

Living locally, we swung by the campus to pick up our mini brick without intending to stay for the events. Instead, we bought some swag (a long-sleeved tee for him, and a baseball cap for me from the much-cheaper pop-up tent). 

Don spent a lot of time at the Ambassadors table. He was a member of the first class of Ambassadors, which gave him the perk of living on campus his senior year at a time when only freshmen and sophomores were guaranteed housing. I applied twice to be an Ambassador. The first time I made it to the second round. The second time I was rejected after the first round. Rejections that still sting, but I did not bring them up while Don was enjoying the glory of being an alumnus ambassador. He answered the "Are you smarter than an Ambassador" question effortlessly and won a sticker that showed the combination of sports jacket he wore in his time, and the blue and white rugby shirt worn by more recent classes.

We met the current president, and had our picture taken with the giant TSC
letters before walking over to the bricks to find ours, and take the above picture. It was great seeing the campus so alive. It helped instead of having separate events, they now combine Homecoming, Reunions, and Parents Weekend. Most everyone was wearing TSC or TCNJ attire, including us who remembered to don ours before heading out (a point Don made after we were there since he felt he was part of a greater club). 

I hope my fraternity friends gather again for a reunion. I don't know if it will happen. The year we went, Marc and Michelle's daughter was an Ambassador. Since then Chris's son has been a student (might still be), and sadly Karen and Darrel's son, Frank, was a student. Frank only attended a semester before cancer took his life this summer. A scholarship is named after him.

The Snow Queen at Goodspeed Theater

A year ago Don and I trekked up to Chester, CT to see "The Great Emu War," a musical about a true event that took place in Australia when post-WWI ANZAC fighters were tasked with getting rid of the emus. I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive about making a long drive for a puppet show. We went and loved the production. I have not laughed so hard in ages. 

It is about a three and a half hour drive for us, so we said we'd keep an eye out on their season and next time make it an overnight trip. It might not surprise anyone who knows us, that we did not heed our own advice.

We bought tickets to see the world premier of The Snow Goose, a new musical based on the novel by Paul Gallico.  We did not book a hotel room, instead we planned to drive up for the matinee and back home in the same day. Fortunately, the weather was wonderful. We've been alternating between stunningly gorgeous fall days, and torrential rainstorms with little in-between.

Also fortunate was that Don read the email that said this play was in the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT and not in the Terris Theater. East Haddam is about 30 minutes further away, and not near the charming cafe where we had lunch. The Goodspeed Opera House's claim to fame is that Annie debuted there fifty years ago. We hope The Great Emu War and The Snow Goose have similar successes.

All was well. We had lunch at a restaurant in town, and parked across the street from the 150-year old theater. We wished we had done a little more research and eaten at Two Wrasslin' Cats cafe across the street instead. Where we ate (which I am not naming) was okay, but the Wrasslin's Cats had a vibe that crossed the street. I'm making a note in case we go back.

As with The Great Emu War, The Snow Goose features puppetry. The play was fun. The puppetry was amazing. Three people worked together to animate the goose. A highlight for me was the moment I realized Harper, the lead's cousin, was played by Ally Bonino, who originated the role of Lucy in Suffs on Broadway, including the filmed version. Many of the other members of the cast also have Broadway credits, but in shows we did not see. 

The lead puppeteer, Leah Hofmann, is a former Rockette, a fact that is evident in the way she holds herself as she maneuvered Princess, the goose.

Casting Eric Graise as Philip, the reclusive artist shunned by the community, makes it hard to ever see anyone else in that role. He is a force to be reckoned with, but is ultimately melted by Frith (played by the charming Ashlyn Maddox). It has been a long time since I've seen a show this well cast, of course as they hired equity actors, they have a higher budget than most shows I see.

  

We drove home through Tarrytown. Stopped for dinner at Sweet Grass, and had ice cream across the street. It is a nice halfway spot. 

Once again we said if we go next year, it would be nice to turn the adventures into an overnight trip. Eight hours of driving to see a two and a half hour show is a lot, even for us.

Museum at Newlin Grist Mill

After digging on Wednesday at Newlin Grist Mill, I stopped by the newly renovated visitor's center with the intention of signing in as a volunteer. The historic former train station was recently, painstakingly, raised with the hopes that it will never flood again. They moved in just prior to their fall festival.

While at the fall festival Jillian mentioned she and Courtney were putting together an exhibit of some of our archaeological finds. I didn't realize the exhibit was open until I popped in.

I cannot express just how cool it is to see my finds on display. There are the few intact (and mostly intact) bottles, and some pieces of metal. It is a small exhibit, but made me smile remembering the days we discovered the items.

Knowing how Keith labels the units, I could picture where the items were found. Many were before my time, but I remember finding that green bottle. It was a day when students were visiting and we had a lesson on washing artifacts. While I did not take the bottle out of the earth, I did wash it and photograph it.

I remember when Paul dug out the intact clear bottle. Feeling the weight of the world on him if he broke it, he was so careful that day.

I also remember the two pieces of the Wawa milk bottle. Wawa, Pennsylvania is located a few miles away, up Route 1 North, which is an east-west road in this area. From a different day.

There it is behind glass!

It feels like a full circle moment seeing our finds on display. There are also two drawers below the case. The top one has iron works. The bottom one is still empty. I'll have to go back and see if they found something to put inside it.

Montpelier Finds

The biggest question I am asked as an avocational archaeologist, and one I admit to asking other archaeologists, is what was your biggest find.

I will start off by saying it was not the red Carnelian ring. That was found at least a year ago on an earlier expedition. It was perhaps the coolest artifact I had the pleasure of touching.

Martha and I convinced Mary Margaret and the team to let us dig someplace other than in our assigned unit. We had an hour of pure joy as we discovered nails and other pieces of metal.

We had hoped to return to the same until on Friday, but we once again returned to what I think of as the oven.

With Mary Margaret and Martha

On Friday during the last hour of the dig I unearthed the handle of a mug in the pattern that feels like an orange peel, and a rectangular piece of unidentified metal.

Other than that, we found a lot of slag. By a lot of slag, I mean we weighed 11 bags of slag equaling 370 POUNDS! They save every piece of slag that does not fit through the 1/4 inch screen. Slag is something we are used to tossing at other sites. They also save river smoothed rocks. Again, something we do not normally save. It is always an adjustment figuring out what is kept and what is tossed. When I was at Lac Phillippe in Gatineau, Canada, they saved quartz, again something I normally toss.

(To be fair, we only filled two of the 11 bags, the other nine were excavated the week before.)

Letters identifying layers for consistency
in reporting