We have finally investigated all four of the anomalies that showed up in our GPR survey, and what we have found is a whole lot of clay.

But with these possibilities ruled out, we are free to leave this cul-de-sac and get back on the open road of discovery. And so we continue. Here, a pair of archaeologists are hard at work opening up a small but promising test pit for further investigation.

As they dig deeper, we find one of the holy grails of archaeology: a trash pit. The rumors are true. Archaeologists love trash, and this deposit is overflowing with it. Even as we get started, we are presented with an abundance of leather, glass, and metal artifacts, all of historical value.

Here, we see some historical glass and a metal spring. A bootheel rests just outside the frame. These are just a few of the hundreds of artifacts that have come from this pit so far. We have only begun to scratch the surface of this pit, its size and edges are still unknown, and it should keep us busy for quite a while. Who knows what we will find hidden in the earth?

Meanwhile, excavations on a hearth that was previously discovered continue on. Thanks to the great work of last year’s crew, we are able to continue where they left off. Here, they uncovered the existence of this feature near the end of their dig. Now, we continue on and will soon be able to remove, clean, and catalog this window into the past. At the same time, we extend our area of excavation to include the area surrounding this hearth. This is a great example of how digs evolve from year to year, and we are indebted to the hard work of last year’s field school. We hope that future archaeologists will eventually benefit from our hard work this summer!