UNCG archaeology students uncover local history in old Salem

Gates Emmert’s hands were stained orange as she pulled a bandana from her pocket to wipe sweat from her brow. She beamed as she explained what her classmates were looking for in the red clay of an empty lot among preserved historic buildings in Old Salem.

“It’s not every day you get to do archaeology in your own backyard!” said Emmert. She and her classmates were clearly in their element as they pushed aside dirt and dust to uncover a brick foundation about six inches below the grass.

The group of UNC Greensboro students was tasked with finding evidence of a pottery kiln dating back over 200 years as part of their Field Methods of Archaeology and Archaeological Data Analysis courses led by Dr. Geoffrey Hughes. Hughes speculated that this masonry could be part of the kiln or an associated structure.

Dr. Hughes helps students identify insights.

Review evidence from the past

A man wearing a hat talks to another person using his hands outdoors. — Dr. Geoffrey Hughes explains what the class wants to find out in the field school.

Hughes has been researching Moravian settlements since the 1990s: “What makes the Moravian settlement in Wachovia so fascinating to me is the fact that this is a planned religious community in the hinterland of North Carolina that is closely connected to an evolving world system.”

From 2016 to 2018, Hughes led excavations at Old Salem that found evidence that an experimental pottery kiln was built in 1793 and used until 1805. If excavators could dig deeper and find examples of pottery made here, archaeologists could see advances in the potters’ tools and craftsmanship that kept their community relevant in the early 19th century.^th Century. It was the perfect field school project for Hughes’ UNCG students.

“The most important thing to learn from this excavation was the amount of information we can find out about people in the past., “I can’t wait to come back and look at the little artifacts,” says Katherine Rock, a fourth-year student who hopes to become an archaeological technician after she graduates. “The emotional connection is extremely important. It’s pretty fascinating to be able to walk in the same place as someone did 200 years ago.”

Looking for professional experience

The five-week dig was a partnership between UNCG and Old Salem Museums and Gardens. As part of the partnership, Old Salem provided space for an archaeology lab in its visitor center. At the end of each day, students brought the artifacts they found to the lab for cleaning and preparation.

“There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom,” Hughes admitted. “Field schools are essential for any future archaeologist. What we’re doing here is giving our students job-ready skills so they can work as entry-level archaeologists right after they graduate.”

Not only did the students learn how to conduct field excavations and catalog the artifacts, they were also able to talk to visitors about their finds and what they told them about the early Moravian settlers.

As a fourth-year student who hopes to work in a natural history museum or the Library of Congress after graduation, Emmert finds it particularly interesting to draw conclusions from the characteristics of the artifacts they discover: “We found a wide variety of glazes and colors and can see that the potters’ techniques have changed over time.”

A young woman pours sand from a bucket into a wheelbarrow while behind her students dig up a piece of earth under a tent.

A partnership of historic proportions

A man and a woman browse artifacts in boxes on a table at the Old Salem Visitor Center. — Hughes and Brown examine catalogued artifacts in the lab.

Although the work was slow and arduous at times, Hughes was pleased with the results of the field school. “Old Salem will be able to use our artifacts to educate the public about the importance of Moravian history here,” he said. “We are finding evidence of how technologically advanced the Moravians really were.”

Johanna Brown, chief curator and director of collections at Old Salem, wholeheartedly agreed. “We can learn so much from the material culture we excavate. Having UNCG students here to do this work allows us to continue our research even when Old Salem doesn’t have a full-time archaeologist,” she said. “It’s critical to our understanding of Moravian history and ceramic traditions in the Americas as a whole.”

The archaeology students found it extremely rewarding to uncover North Carolina’s history and participate in the efforts to preserve Old Salem.

“Participating in this field school has really helped me focus on what I want to do,” said Rock. “This is my dream job!”

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos and videos by Sean Norona, Grant Gilliard and David Lee Row, University Communications.