This week's Fieldwork in Focus comes from Neill De Paoli, director of the 9th season of the ongoing excavations at the home of 17th century merchant Robert Givens, in Pemaquid Falls, Maine.
Overview
The scenic mid-coast community of Bristol is home to one of Maine's earliest European settlements. In the late 1620s, a year-round English plantation emerged on the Pemaquid peninsula (Bristol) and its offshore islands. Over the next six decades, Pemaquid gained prominence as one of northern New England's leading fishing, trading, and military centers.
Cellar excavations at Pemaquid Falls. Photo © 2009 Neill de Paoli
What better way to spend three weeks of your summer than digging into Pemaquid's historic past. Come join Dr. Neill De Paoli as he directs excavations at Pemaquid Falls. This area was a popular locale for indigenous peoples for 3,500 years while its historic story began in the mid-1600s when English settlers established a farming hamlet around the falls. For the last nine years, Dr. De Paoli has been excavating the site of the late 18th century farmstead of prominent Pemaquid merchant Robert Given. This season participants will excavate the cellarless portion of the Given dwelling. Students will also delve into the area's early industrial past as they excavate a blacksmith shop that serviced the needs of the several farms, a saw & grist mill, and shipyard scattered around Pemaquid Falls during the late 18th or early 19th century. In addition, students will expand the search for the elusive 17th century "Great Falls" hamlet.
This experience is a great hands-on opportunity for upper level high school and undergraduate and graduate students seeking course credit and experience in historical archaeology, teachers in need of recertification credits, or history buffs interested in exploring an area with a rich colonial history.
Program
Man's silver cufflinks
Photo © 2007 Neill de Paoli
Field school participants will learn basic excavation and recording techniques, laboratory procedures, and the identification of 18th and 19th century European material culture. The program will be highlighted by field trips to the heart of the English fishing and trading settlement of Pemaquid and an archaeology conservation laboratory along with weekly films and discussions. Southern Maine Community College is offering the archaeological field school as a three-credit history course (HTY-205-01). Participants sign up for a single three week session that runs from July 26 to August 13. The program will run Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Tuition and Registration
Field school tuition is $318.90 for Maine residents and $570.90 for out-of state residents. Course registration closes on July 23, 2010. Payment can be made by cash, check, debit card, or credit card. To register log on to the Southern Maine Community College website (www.smccme.edu) or write or call Enrollment Services, Southern Maine Community College, 2 Fort Road, South Portland, ME 04106, 207-741-5800 or 1-877-282-2182 (toll-free number for in-state calls). Otherwise contact: Dr. Neill De Paoli, 76 Northwest Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone: 603-766-0561, e-mail: ndppquid@yahoo.com. For those seeking information on area accommodations contact Dr. De Paoli.
Director
Pemaquid Falls Field School 2009
Photo © 2009 Neill de Paoli
Dr. Neill De Paoli has over thirty years of experience as a historical archaeologist, having directed archaeological projects in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Dr. De Paoli is adjunct professor at Southern Maine Community College.
- Friends of Pemaquid Falls
- 2009 excavations at the Robert Givens House, Pemaquid Falls (FIF 2009)
- 2008 excavations at the Robert Givens House (FIF 2008)
- 2007 excavations at the Robert Givens House (FIF 2007)
- Southern Maine Community College
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