A Frontier River Town: Preliminary Results from Newport Site (36IN188)

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Newport village was founded circa 1787 to facilitate movement of people and goods from Pennsylvania’s early road system to its riverine highways. The town was largely abandoned by 1840, but contained several taverns, residences, and blacksmith shops, as well as infrastructure for loading boats on, and crossing over, the adjacent Conemaugh River. At its height, approximately 30 families lived in the village and were served by a store and post office. As an early settlement in western Pennsylvania, linked directly to the development of transportation and trade in the region, this site contains important information about the frontier period of the Midwest. Recent excavations at the site have begun to determine the site boundaries, identify the street layout, and investigate the village store to better understand local trade.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology