While the rest of the world slowed down this spring, our team has been keeping busy excavating test units around the manor house at Fairfield! Our current focus is on clearing the areas that will be impacted by post holes for our new protective structure, which is scheduled for construction later this summer. We started with the south addition to the manor house and have since worked our way around the house to the west wing, which is a part of the manor that we’ve barely touched. Historic records indicate that the west wing of the house was dismantled sometime in the 1830s, though they do not explain why. We are eager to learn more about this mysterious part of the building and have been titillated by what we’ve found so far!
While we haven’t uncovered the west wall yet, we have found a lot of very cool artifacts that relate both to the early years of the house and to the early years of the Fairfield Foundation’s excavations. One of the first test units Dave and Thane ever dug at Fairfield was in this area, so we’ve recovered old pin flags, the core of a golf ball that one of the neighbor’s dogs chewed on (we miss you, Bear!), and a plastic army man, all relating to the 2001 excavation.
Artifacts relating to the early 18th century have included ceramics, parts of a lock, bottle fragments, ceramic floor tiles, and more!
While the crew has enjoyed spending extra time at Fairfield during quarantine, we miss the company of our volunteers and interns. We are closely monitoring the situation with COVID-19 and hope to have a plan in place to safely welcome you all back to dig with us soon! Stay tuned!
I remember the army men!
We have missed you all too. So glad you have been able to keep progress going at Fairfield.