Leaky basement is a trove of artifacts (Yorktown)
YORKTOWN The oldest customhouse in America has unearthed new history in its own backyard.
Over the last three weeks local archaeologists have uncovered handfuls of artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries as part of a routine pre-construction archaeological dig at the Old Custom House.
Wine bottles and pottery have been found by the James River Institute for Archaeology. Crews found a bayonet from a British Brown Bess Musket believed to have been used during the Revolutionary War.
The dig was not meant to turn up artifacts. The basement of the 1720s building was in dire need of waterproofing. To fix persistent leaks, the Daughters of the American Revolution, which owns the building, hired a company to bury piping and dig a dry well in the backyard.
The backyard was chosen to avoid disturbing the foundation of the nearby Ambler House, which burned in 1862.
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Over the last three weeks local archaeologists have uncovered handfuls of artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries as part of a routine pre-construction archaeological dig at the Old Custom House.
Wine bottles and pottery have been found by the James River Institute for Archaeology. Crews found a bayonet from a British Brown Bess Musket believed to have been used during the Revolutionary War.
The dig was not meant to turn up artifacts. The basement of the 1720s building was in dire need of waterproofing. To fix persistent leaks, the Daughters of the American Revolution, which owns the building, hired a company to bury piping and dig a dry well in the backyard.
The backyard was chosen to avoid disturbing the foundation of the nearby Ambler House, which burned in 1862.