The observer stands behind glass and watches. The one being watched picks up the object with her bare hands turns it carefully to see every angle, then sets it down to record data into her computer. Then she washes her hands, unwraps another object – and eats it!
Visitors to George Washington’s Ferry Farm can explore more than the museum gallery, or the Washington House replica, or newly constructed Quarter and Cellar outbuildings. They can tap into their people-watching curiosities and observe real archaeologists in a laboratory researching, washing objects, making labels, cataloguing, repairing ceramics – and even eating lunch!
One extraordinary thing about Ferry Farm is that its archaeology lab is viewable and accessible to the public. The mysteries of history lie out in the open, sitting out on tables or in trays ready to be washed and categorized. Like zoo-goers, visitors are mesmerized by the goings-on behind the glass, and likewise, our archaeologists love interacting with the public, glad to answer questions or even pose for a picture.
It may be an interesting coincidence, but as Mary Washington drives the story of Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore was saved by a group of intrepid women, Ferry Farm’s archaeology laboratory is also dominated by women who are passionate about what they do and more than willing to share their findings with guests and professional peers. Who are these interesting women, and what exactly happens in the lab? Its main inhabitants are Lab Supervisor Mara Kaktins and Field Directors Judy Jobrack and Danielle Arens. Also, part of the team (but not in the fishbowl) are Research Archaeologist Emma Schlauder and Director of Archaeology Dave Muraca. Dave, the only man in the department, led the team that discovered the foundation of the Washington House.
There would be no lab work if there was no field work, and every summer for about 11 weeks, a carefully planned dig occurs on the grounds of George Washington’s Boyhood Home. Rich in artifacts, the land has yielded over 800,000 since the 1990’s. Finds date from indigenous, colonial, Civil War, and a sequence of farms throughout the 20th century. As Dave Muraca has said, “I would never recommend having a Civil War battle on your archaeological site. There are five successive farms out there, one on top of each other. In that way, it’s very complicated and hard to take apart.” That said, the fieldwork is not easy, but incredibly, each season, they find thousands of artifacts that will need to be mapped, processed, washed, bagged, catalogued in the database, labeled, stored, and researched.
Typical finds include ceramic sherds, window glass shards, architectural pieces, household items, mortar, sandstone, personal items, pipes, wig curlers, buttons, personal adornment, and indigenous and faunal (animal remains). Objects popular with the public include a Masonic pipe bowl, cufflinks engraved with foxes and “Tally O,” a chamber pot, and even 20th-century items that indicate children used to live on-site, such as Matchbox cars, a toy motorcycle, or a doll’s head. Observers are also surprised to learn that 21st-century trash is catalogued because it was unearthed, and someday that too will be a part of Ferry Farm’s history.
It’s important to note that Ferry Farm doesn’t dig exhaustively. While archaeologists are certainly concerned with the past, they also make concessions for the future, leaving areas untouched for future generations to dig using as-yet not invented technology. Ground penetrating radar has not been used much because of all that has happened on the land since Washingtons’ time. The main emphasis is feature-chasing – looking for structures such as the Washington House, cellar, kitchen, the Quarter, and more. No land feature will be recreated without knowing exactly where it stood.
A unique quality of Ferry Farm’s Archaeology Department is that lab and field duties are not segregated; the same amazing team works both in the lab and field. This creates an intimacy with the artifacts that may not be present elsewhere. One day in the field equals three working days in the lab, processing, interpreting, and analyzing all the data from the artifacts. The first step is turning the field data into a format that’s digestible for record-keeping, end-of-year reports, and future Ferry Farm archaeologists. In the field, a site grid in five-foot increments is established and laid out to track where the finds are. Within that grid, context numbers are assigned to specific soil layers and features. A context is essentially a 5’ x 5’ address that notes the horizontal and vertical location of artifacts, noting spatial distribution where items are concentrated. In the lab, context maps are made from each grid unit, and the maps are put together to create the stratigraphy of a dig site.
Artifacts that come in are brought to the Wet Lab and washed with water in a tub or colander using tools such as toothbrushes, pipe cleaners, or dental picks. One might wonder if there are special precautions for handling artifacts, and interestingly, controversy swirls over whether artifacts should be handled with gloves or not. Rubber gloves are worn during lengthy washings to keep hands from getting too waterlogged. It turns out wearing gloves for analysis proves more damaging since touch sensitivity is reduced and gloves are prone to ripping. Items being examined have been surrounded by the elements for years, so oils from hands are not likely to harm artifacts any further.
Next to the Wet Lab is the Conservation Lab, where acetone might be used to remove glue from previously mended artifacts. It’s equipped with a vent hood for fumes and the archaeologists wear masks for safety. They often create tableware replicas for the Washington House display, which might require the use of spray paint.
Very well-designed and equipped, the lab was created by archaeologists for archaeologists. Their equipment includes a light table, a Dremel, a fine water screen for the field, and a UV light to identify leaded glass. For further testing, the department may contract out to other labs, such as the University of Eastern Michigan, with DART mass spectrometry capable of identifying organic materials.
After artifacts are entered into the database and bagged with tiny labels indicating their project number and context, they are either put in the study collection or housed in cabinets or a storage room. With almost a million artifacts in the collection, the boxes stacked in the storage room resemble a miniature version of the ending scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
While one cannot put a value on tiny sherds of 18th-century ceramics, a rusted hinge, or an old button, Kaktins says, “Everything is priceless because of the information gleaned from it.” Archaeology at Ferry Farm is the driving force behind the stories shared with visitors. It informs where the buildings go, reveals the long-forgotten secrets of inhabitants, and intrigues visitors as they glimpse into the past.
Lori Pikkaart
Marketing & Communications Manager
Lives & Legacies 