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The
public dig on Saturday, August 8, 2006 was aimed at revealing
subsurface evidence of the first distributing post office in
Upper Canada. Prior to the excavation, archival research and discussions
with local amateur and professional historians corroborated
the approximate location and configuration of the post office,
and indicated that at least some of the stones from its walls
had been re-used in the construction of the nearby wall that
presently marks the eastern boundary of the Willowbank estate.
Thanks to
an enthusiastic group of roughly two dozen screeners and
excavators, we were able to excavate a total of 11 one-meter
squares. While we were not lucky enough to expose in situ
underground evidence of the post office on this occasion,
we did accumulate stratigraphic data that will lead us to
a better understanding of the demolition, grading and infilling
events that led to the disappearance of this important heritage
building. Moreover, we were able to recover dozens of temporally
diagnostic artifacts, including a, 1854 half dime and an
1844 six pence piece. All of these artifacts will help us
to date the identified soil layers.
In
short, despite the apparently thorough eradication of the first
distributing post office in Upper Canada, and the complete
lack of any indication of the building on the surface, we remain
confident that the footprint of this building can yet be exposed
archaeologically.
Shaun Austin,
PhD
Archaeological Field Director
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