A button lost hundreds of years ago. A fragment of a ceramic dish. A piece of glass left behind near a kitchen door. Individually, these objects may seem small, but together, they offer clues about the people who lived, worked and gathered at a place over generations.
In August, Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment’s Casco History Lab hired archaeologists from the Northeast Archaeology Research Center to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey at the historic Saltbox House on our Freeport campus. The survey was an important step in preparing the house for preservation and learning more about its history.
Looking Beneath the Surface
Before preservation work can begin, archaeologists need to understand what might lie beneath the ground where that work will take place. The team excavated 15 shovel test pits around the Saltbox House, each measuring half a meter square, in areas where future work could disturb the soil.
Each test pit offered a small window into the past. One team member carefully dug and passed soil to Dr. Arthur R. Clausnitzer Jr., who sifted it through a screen to look for artifacts. As the excavation progressed, the team documented changes in the soil, collected artifacts and labeled each item for further examination in the lab.
The process is methodical by design. The location of an object, the soil in which it is found and its relationship to other materials can all help archaeologists understand how a site was used over time.
737 Clues to the Past
The survey recovered 737 artifacts. Fortunately, they all fit in a shoebox-sized container.
The findings were consistent with what archaeologists expected: small, scattered objects reflecting the Saltbox House’s long history, rather than concentrated deposits of archaeological material.
The survey also helped answer a specific question about the house’s earliest days. Before Greenfield Pote’s family moved the house by water from Falmouth to Freeport in 1787, could another structure have stood on the site? The team found no evidence of an earlier building.
Most of the artifacts date from the late 18th century through the 20th century, with the majority dating to approximately 1780 to 1840. The collection includes 342 ceramic fragments, such as pearlware and redware, 205 metal objects, including nails and buttons, 133 pieces of window, vessel and lighting glass, and 53 faunal remains, including mammal, bird and fish bones and shellfish.
Among the animal remains were two teeth and a tusk, likely from larger domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, pigs or cows. These fragments offer a small glimpse into the animals that may have been part of daily life around the house.
The location of the finds also tells a story. Most artifacts came from areas within tossing distance of the side door near the kitchen. The relative scarcity of material elsewhere suggests that residents were generally tidy and did not routinely dispose of refuse around the house.
Small Objects, Personal Histories
Some of the most intriguing discoveries are the ones that connect us to the people who lived at the Saltbox House.
The team recovered three buttons and a single earring. The buttons have historic loop shanks, while the modern silver earring, set with an agate stone pendant, may have been lost by a much more recent visitor.
These objects remind us that the history of a place is made up of everyday moments as much as major events. Someone fastened a button before heading out for the day. Someone else lost an earring, perhaps without realizing it was gone. The artifacts cannot tell us exactly who these people were, but they offer tangible connections to lives once lived here.
Making Room for the Next Chapter
The survey found no evidence of substantial or significant archaeological deposits that would be affected by planned preservation work. That is welcome news as we move forward with plans for the Saltbox House.
Once preserved, the house will become the headquarters of the Casco History Lab, where staff and partners will explore place-based histories across Wolfe’s Neck Center’s 626 acres.
The archaeological survey is one part of that larger effort. By documenting what lies beneath the surface today, the team has helped prepare the house for a future dedicated to understanding the people, landscapes and stories that have shaped this place.
The objects recovered during the excavation may be small enough to fit in a shoebox, but the questions they help us ask reach far beyond it. Each fragment offers another way to explore the history of the Saltbox House and the generations who called it home.
