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Public Archaeology at Orwell Corner
About the Site
Sometime in the 1870s, a house was constructed on this ½ acre parcel of land. Although nothing structural has been uncovered to date, archival research has determined that it was a 2-storey wooden structure with six rooms. Over a period of sixty years, it was home to a number of families with surnames common to the area: McPherson, Ross, and McDonald, as well as Smith and McPhee. The individuals who lived here were not politicians, or lawyers, or doctors; rather, they were employed in such areas as cabinetmaking, carriage-making, painting, teaching, cooking, and farming. These professions would have made them quite useful in a rural community on Prince Edward Island.
Last field season, thousands of artefacts were excavated from this site. They range in nature from structural (window glass, floor/ceiling planks and various pieces of hardware) to personal (buttons, footwear, jewellery, pipe fragments and so on) to everyday household items (bottles, utensils, china, and ceramic vessels), and run the gamut from the late 1860s through to the 1930s; and while the kitchen sink has yet to be found, the remnants of a coal stove have been unearthed! All of the artefacts are typical in that they are what we would expect to find in a site of this vintage. As you walk through the Clark House/General Store in the heart of the village, you can get a better feel for these kinds of artefacts, and how they might have been arranged in a domestic setting.
About the Public Archaeology Program
Archaeological excavations at Orwell Corner, which commenced in 2012, are led by Provincial Archaeologist Dr. Helen Kristmanson, and field crew. The primary objective is to increase public awareness and understanding about archaeology in PEI through a volunteer-based program that allows for people to gain a greater appreciation of their human heritage.
Follow us on Twitter (@ArchaeologyPEI) and read more about our work here at Orwell, and throughout the province, at www.archaeointern.wordpress.com and www.gov.pe.ca/aboriginalaffairs/archaeology. If you think you’d like to try your hand at archaeology, visit us on site or contact Tracy Power (tlpower@gov.pe.ca) to volunteer!
