Junior Archaeology Camp

     Hello all! Next week begins the Junior Archaeology Camp where we will be excavating behind the west side of the Winn-Yeaton building, otherwise known as the Yeaton house. The camp runs Monday through Friday where participants will do a variety of activities to explore the methods of archaeology and learn about the history of Strawbery Banke.

     This coming week a group of teens will experience the basics of archaeological excavations including dig methods, the tools used, and how we can use archaeology to piece together the past.  They will learn about what happens to the artifacts after an excavation as well. The ethics of archaeology will also be discussed.  At the end of the week, results will be displayed for parents to come and see.

     The house behind which we will be excavating is the Yeaton house, sometimes referred to as "blue" Yeaton.  It was built in 1795 by Thales G. Yeaton, a trader by profession.  The house was built with a shop inside which was most likely used to accommodate his wife's seamstressing business.  They sold the house in 1804 to Andrew Bell.  This property changed hands many times and became apartments at one point until it was sold to the Portsmouth Housing Authority in 1962 for the urban renewal project that started to restore the many properties in this area.

     Looking forward to the final results and will be sure to keep you updated with pictures and information!

In the Lab

Hello all!  It's been a busy couple of weeks for us all with July 4th celebrations and such.  Strawbery Banke had a successful 4th with a moving naturalization ceremony. The kids' parade after decoration their bikes and themselves was a big hit as well! The "Threads" gala and runway show the Saturday before also had a great turnout. 

Just a couple pictures of the progress that is coming on the Chase house artifacts.  These items, fresh from washing, are now ready to be cataloged.

You can see in the pictures, as we wash the items, we also sort them.  We classify these items according to material and what pieces might be part of the same vessel or form.

There are a variety of time periods here ranging from relatively modern plumbing pipes to 18th and 19th century ceramics.