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Clift Farm offers up plenty of Civil War-era artifacts UNEARTHING HISTORY >> Officials dig at future school site
April 15, 2008 12:15 am
BY JEFF BRANSCOME
Archaeologists recently uncovered a Civil War-era whiskey bottle on the 173-acre Clift Farm in southern Stafford County.
Drinking was technically a no-no during the war, but Union soldiers who camped in the area in the winter of 1862 boozed anyway.
"The guys that were in the Battle of Fredericksburg emptied that before they went to Chancellorsville," said Taft Kiser of Cultural Resources Inc., which has an office in Fredericksburg.
Let's hope the future inhabitants of the land don't develop the same habits. It's scheduled to become Stafford's sixth high school in 2015.
For two weeks, government employees--including the state archaeologist--a historic preservation firm and volunteers from various groups have unearthed portions of the farm.
The workers, several from New York and Minnesota, seemed to think of the project as more than just a government requirement. Some stayed on the farm in tents they called "hobo city."
"These camps are disappearing," said Mike Klein, a principal investigator with Cultural Resources Inc. "The time to sample them is now."
The archaeologists removed about a foot of topsoil on several 100- by 100-foot squares. They would dig areas where the earth was a blackish color to identify huts and refuse pits.
They found cow bones, bullets, buttons with pieces of cloth attached to them and the tip of a bayonet scabbard, as well as charred clay from chimneys that once jutted from underground huts.
Some soldiers put cloth over the huts. Others were almost like small cottages with walls of logs, according to a handout from Cultural Resources Inc.
But last week, the living quarters looked like nothing more than 3-foot deep burial plots. In some cases, three or four soldiers shared one hut.
Amateur archaeologist John Mayes, a volunteer with the U.S. Forestry Service's Passport in Time program, found a cow's shoulder blade last week.
Archaeology "was my major in college, but I never finished, so this is about the only way I get to do it," he said.
Last Monday, Stafford High School students took a trip to Clift Farm, which Kiser said is one-of-a-kind.
"The scale of this camp is just stunning," he said. "In terms of the amount excavated, it's probably the biggest in this county."
Unfortunately, some said, relic hunters took many items--including state buttons--that enable archaeologists to identify units.
"The relic hunters want artifacts, period," said Michael Barber, state archaeologist for the Department of Historic Resources. "Our goal as archaeologists is to reconstruct the past."
Before the high school is built, he said, the area will be a good educational opportunity. All of the items found belong to Stafford schools.
"All history and all archaeology is local," Barber said. "People don't realize that something like this is in their back yard."
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
Online at: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...4152008/371409
April 15, 2008 12:15 am
BY JEFF BRANSCOME
Archaeologists recently uncovered a Civil War-era whiskey bottle on the 173-acre Clift Farm in southern Stafford County.
Drinking was technically a no-no during the war, but Union soldiers who camped in the area in the winter of 1862 boozed anyway.
"The guys that were in the Battle of Fredericksburg emptied that before they went to Chancellorsville," said Taft Kiser of Cultural Resources Inc., which has an office in Fredericksburg.
Let's hope the future inhabitants of the land don't develop the same habits. It's scheduled to become Stafford's sixth high school in 2015.
For two weeks, government employees--including the state archaeologist--a historic preservation firm and volunteers from various groups have unearthed portions of the farm.
The workers, several from New York and Minnesota, seemed to think of the project as more than just a government requirement. Some stayed on the farm in tents they called "hobo city."
"These camps are disappearing," said Mike Klein, a principal investigator with Cultural Resources Inc. "The time to sample them is now."
The archaeologists removed about a foot of topsoil on several 100- by 100-foot squares. They would dig areas where the earth was a blackish color to identify huts and refuse pits.
They found cow bones, bullets, buttons with pieces of cloth attached to them and the tip of a bayonet scabbard, as well as charred clay from chimneys that once jutted from underground huts.
Some soldiers put cloth over the huts. Others were almost like small cottages with walls of logs, according to a handout from Cultural Resources Inc.
But last week, the living quarters looked like nothing more than 3-foot deep burial plots. In some cases, three or four soldiers shared one hut.
Amateur archaeologist John Mayes, a volunteer with the U.S. Forestry Service's Passport in Time program, found a cow's shoulder blade last week.
Archaeology "was my major in college, but I never finished, so this is about the only way I get to do it," he said.
Last Monday, Stafford High School students took a trip to Clift Farm, which Kiser said is one-of-a-kind.
"The scale of this camp is just stunning," he said. "In terms of the amount excavated, it's probably the biggest in this county."
Unfortunately, some said, relic hunters took many items--including state buttons--that enable archaeologists to identify units.
"The relic hunters want artifacts, period," said Michael Barber, state archaeologist for the Department of Historic Resources. "Our goal as archaeologists is to reconstruct the past."
Before the high school is built, he said, the area will be a good educational opportunity. All of the items found belong to Stafford schools.
"All history and all archaeology is local," Barber said. "People don't realize that something like this is in their back yard."
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
Online at: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...4152008/371409
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