Finding Foundations: Exploring an Early Stockade Residence in Schenectady, New York

Summary

Schenectady County Community College Community Archaeology Program researchers have been excavating in the Stockade Historic District, an area dating back to the Dutch colonization period. Sites located on the current property of the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, located within the district, include a house razed in 1938, but which appears according to existing deed records, to have originally been built in the late 1700s. Two primary finds have come from the excavation, including the presence of two different strata with significant amounts of burnt debris that is believed to represent the most significant fires on the property (1861/1948). In addition, a large kitchen midden has been located. The research presented will illustrate the importance of the two burn layers in interpreting the property, and will also delve into the importance of ceramics and zooarchaeology for further explanations of the lifestyle and occupation habits of the site’s previous residents.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Submission 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

Keywords

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 461