ABOYNE – An archaeological excavation team is digging up the site of an old farmhouse on the grounds of Wellington Place near the new Groves Hospital.
Archaeological Research Associates (ARA) is conducting this dig on behalf of the county after a 2009 assessment determined further research is necessary.
The fieldwork is taking place on a piece of land that would have been part of the McLeister farmhouse.
“The site was originally built in about 1850 and then it was occupied pretty consistently for about a century,” said Mike McCready, project manager. “At least until the 1930s when it was sold to the county and then the property burnt down in 1959.”
McCready and team had already found some 19th-century artifacts like medicine bottles and enamel jugs that are culturally significant but can’t be assigned a monetary value. Most significantly, the foundation of an old farmhouse is being unearthed.
Archaeological excavations can reveal a lot about early inhabitants of the area. McCready said because they’re not finding a lot of wood fragments or bricks, that likely means whoever built the farmhouse was successful.
“We know that the farmhouse was most likely stone which is interesting for the 19th century,” McCready said. “It’s a little more expensive to build a wall out of fieldstone.”
At these sites, they can reconstruct how early inhabitants would live day-to-day based on the location of features, which are walls, pits and other non-moveable elements at an archaeological site.
The team is also working in a spot that could be the garbage area which is where McCready said they’ll often find the most interesting artifacts.
Overall, this site is somewhat unusual than similar ones because of its condition.
“It’s a pretty well-preserved farmstead and it’s less often to get the full fieldstone houses,” McCready said. “It’s nice that it hasn’t really been impacted by any sort of road development.”
McCready explained that archaeological assessments are required by the province before any development.
“This property will likely be developed into something else,” McCready said. “We want to make sure any sort of culturally significant material is recovered before that happens.”
The artifacts found will be part of a future exhibit at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
