Union is
well represented in local archaeology digs this fall.
At the historic Flint
House in Scotia, Andy Wolfe of civil engineering and
Steve Jones of anthropology have been searching for the original foundation of
the building. Working with teams of students, they hope to find clues as to
when the Colonial-era house was built.
And last weekend, Wolfe joined Dennis
Foley of the Lewis Henry Morgan Institute and the anthropology department to
uncover the 1840 Lock 1 of the expanded Erie Canal in Albany.
They also hope to locate the first Albany
lock of the original 1825 waterway.
“The more we find, the less we
know,” said Wolfe of the projects. “We're asking more questions at the end of
the day.”
While both projects seek to
uncover some of the area's rich history, the two digs are vastly different. The
Flint House dig requires great care with small implements and brushes and an
easy-as-you-go approach; the team seeks to carefully record the layers of
history. For the Albany project –
with only large stone blocks to be unearthed – they used a backhoe. “If you
were looking for fine china, you've got the wrong method,” Wolfe said of the
Lock 1 dig.
With Wolfe himself at the
controls, they found the telltale lock and gates. “It was a good day,” said
Wolfe. “I got to play with some heavy equipment … and we found what we were
looking for.”