Underwater Imaging of a 17th-Century Mill Pond: Innovative Canoe Surveys Utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. (AHS) conducted an underwater Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of Barnstable Pond, in Marston Mills, Massachusetts. The pond was impounded in the late 17th century in support of local industries and has remained continually impounded. The GPR survey allowed AHS to image the pond floor, as well as reveal the soil stratigraphy beneath the pond bottom. We employed a SIR 4000 with a 400 MHz antenna and Onboard Juniper Geode GPS Geophysical Survey Systems Inc. (GSSI) system to calibrate the data collection. Transects of the pond were collected from a hand-powered canoe, in approximately 2 meter wide spacing, as well as perpendicular transects. High resolution GPR profiles indicate an archaeologically sensitive river terrace is preserved in situ, beneath the pond’s surface, directly adjacent to the former course of the Marston Mills River. This terrace is sensitive for both pre-colonial and early historical period archaeological sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2022 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology