ELIZABETH CITY — What began as a routine plan to remove an old magnolia tree from the grounds of Elizabeth City’s oldest church may result in an extensive and important archeological dig.
The handmade bricks unearthed on Christ Episcopal Church’s property by an excavator weeks ago may have been part of a 19th century underground water storage tank dug for a house that first occupied the property before the church.
In addition, the pieces of broken glass, pottery and animal bones found among the bricks may have been discarded there when the property was used as a community refuse site.
Those are some of the working theories about how the bricks and artifacts came to be located beneath the ground on the south side of the church property.
A backhoe operator was pulling up the stump of a recently removed magnolia tree on the church property June 20 when he hit what appeared to be a line of bricks beneath the stump’s rootball. Fearing the bricks were part of an underground burial crypt, the church stopped the excavation and sought assistance from church parishioners knowledgable about local history as well as staff at Museum of the Albemarle.
Ian Lowry and Robyn Nix, two Christ Episcopal Church members, were among the church volunteers who investigated the site and found, besides the homemade bricks, pieces of broken glass and pottery and unidentified animal bones. One item was thought to be a French wine bottle.
After museum officials contacted the N.C. Office of State Archaeology, the top official in the office called Father Daniel Cenci, Christ Episcopal’s rector. Cenci said the chief archaeologist told him the state office had examined photos of the site they’d been sent and decided to advise church officials to “stop digging” at the site.
Sherry Boyette, an archaeological lab technician with the NC Office of State Archaeology, visited the pit created by the excavator on June 25. She said it may take some time to determine exactly what the site was used for as well as the origin of the items that have been discovered.
“We had to determine what we are looking at, get measurements, photos of the ditch dug by (the) excavator,” she said. “It is possible we are on top of a cistern but (we’re) not sure at this moment.” Cisterns are underwater storage tanks.
Boyette said artifacts found at the site suggest there also could have been a basement of some sort on the property.
“We found some artifacts, apparently where we are (there) was a coal chute, a coal burner, possibly a basement,” she said. “We are finding a lot of coal, petrified wood, wood that has been burned but has not made it to state of coal, hasn’t heated up to the degree that wood turns to ashes.
“We’ve taken photos, measurements and drawings we can use if we can come out in future,” she said.
Meanwhile, volunteers like Lowry and Nix are continuing to find artifacts at the site. A June 30 thunderstorm loosened the soil around the pit, making the recovery of additional items easier.
Last week, volunteers found another piece of what is believed to be Mochaware, a type of pottery produced in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Some of the glass and pottery pieces found at the site almost certainly were there before the church was built. According to Cenci, Christ Episcopal’s main worship sanctuary was built in 1856, replacing a smaller building that preceded it. The church has been located on the corner of McMorrine and Church streets since 1825, making it the “oldest house of worship in the city,” he said.
While the investigation continues into what many of the artifacts are, Lowry and Nix are also looking into how the artifacts got where they were found.
They’ve spent several days combing through Christ Episcopal record books as well as deed books at the Pasquotank Register of Deeds office. Lowry said those records show that a house once occupied a portion of the site that is now the church property. The site changed hands multiple times before being sold by the courts in 1813 to a man named George Davis. The records, along with the 1810 Census and 1820 Census, identify Davis as a “free man of color,” Lowry said.
“He retained the property until his death in 1822,” he said. “At some point Mr. Davis also acquired Lot 16, meaning that he eventually owned the entire city block on which Christ Episcopal now stands.”
After Davis’ death in 1822, his three heirs inherited the property, Lowry said.
“But in early 1823 it was ordered to be sold by the Pasquotank County Court in order to pay off outstanding debts to a Mr. William T. Muse, a clerk of court, prominent citizen, and creditor to Mr. Davis,” he said.
Will Nassif, assistant state archaeologist with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the NC Office of State Archaeology, said because the artifacts were found on church property, Christ Episcopal can continue digging at the site for additional artifacts.
“They are welcome to hire an archaeological consultant to perform further work on their property and donate their current findings to the state,” Nassif wrote in an email.
Determining the origin of items is a rigorous process, he said. The efforts Christ Episcopal’s volunteers are making to determine the characteristics of the glass and pottery pieces being found are consistent with archaeologists’ methods.
“Archaeologists look at certain diagnostic features of bottles and ceramics to identify when they were likely made,” he said. “For instance, to identify glass bottles, archaeologists will reference the color, finishes and closures (the lip of the glass), bases and whether or not they have a kick-up, and maker’s marks.
“It is important to remember that Elizabeth City was a vital port city for northeastern NC and the material culture found in an archaeological context will be reflective of its mercantile history,” Nassif said.
Most Popular
Comments / 0