For the past five summers, Southern Oregon University archaeologist Chelsea Rose has been digging for the treasures of everyday life in the garbage dumps of a 400-year-old Scottish village.
She's brought back scores of baggies full of broken dishware, tiles, liquor bottles and metal gadgets for her students to clean, analyze and glue back together, all to learn the art of archaeology.
A cross-section of household items is spread out on a lab table while junior Jorden Peery brushes and glues together puzzle-like pieces of broken redware, locally made clay ceramic.
The Scots, Rose explains, were poor in money, but rich in land, labor and resources, so they owned mostly handmade local wares and some fine China from London.
Rose says the redware is very similar to what SOU faculty and students found recently at a dig on the Peter Britt grounds in Jacksonville.
"Britt came from Switzerland and didn't bring anything, so, what we see here in Oregon from the 1850s is almost the same, most of it crafted from locally available resources and some packed in from Crescent City, a shipping port," Rose says.
The oldest Scottish artifact on the table was a slate roofing tile, dating back to about 1600. A well-made but broken ceramic light fixture looked like a charming candlestick but had a tell-tale hole in the bottom for an electric cord.
The dig, led by the University of Maryland, is in the shadow of Amisfield Tower, a private castle built in 1600 near Dumfries in southern Scotland. Archaeologists are also there to research the boyhood home of American Revolutionary sea hero John Paul Jones.
Some of the Scottish artifacts proved mystifying, but elderly local residents were able to identify a curious metal gadget that turned out to be a pull to ring a bell that would summon servants. Other artifacts were apothecary and face cream jars, drawer pulls, stained glass and leading to hold the glass. Found coins of many centuries ago are not valuable, but are helpful to fix exact dates of nearby artifacts, she says.
Students welcome the inflow of artifacts from faraway lands as they represent a break from the familiar items of the Northwest, Rose says.
The Scottish dig was made easier by the use of ground-penetrating radar, which could readily identify anything underground that wasn't dirt and rock. Digging several feet into the ground, Rose mapped, photographed and numbered hundreds of objects, which, when studied in labs, tells the story of what went on in the village and how it changed with varying climate, economy or political situations.
The dig turned up many animal bones, with lamb and rabbit being the favorites, says Rose, noting the fare was similar to the pioneer Jacksonville items being analyzed by Brenden Kelly, an archaeology senior who had just found and cleaned a slate pencil.
"It's mostly glass and nails, bottles, redware, a lot of elk, deer and bird bones," says Kelly. Seeds and pollen in dirt from the Jacksonville site are being analyzed to show what plant foods the pioneer dined on.
At the next table, students are analyzing fish bones from a midden (trash heap) of Coquille Indians at Bandon, which was occupied for at least 3,500 years.
About 80 percent of archaeology happens in the lab, says Rose, with only 20 percent in the field.
2011年10月26日星期三
2011年8月30日星期二
Biceps & Elbow Grease!
"On a beautiful day in May 2004, while volunteering for the first time on a rooftop in Grace Grove, Andy Bowler,
executive director of Indian River Habitat for Humanity approached me with a challenge to begin a Women Build,"says Sue
Croom. "With lots of help from others, two hurricanes and a major surgery, the Women Build was off and running Jan. 5,
2005 under the supervision of Bryant Knapp, Habitat’s construction superintendant at that time.”
Habitat for Humanity International established Women Build to promote the involvement of women in the construction of
Habitat homes.
An excellent attempt to start the local Women Build here actually dates back to 1999, with the first Women Build home
constructed in 2000 under the direction of Jill Jones. Then in 2005, the program got its footing and - literally - grew
to a level where National Habitat awarded Sue Croom and the program a high honor within the organization.
To date, Indian River Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build crew has constructed 11 homes in Indian River County and has
provided funding for seven ohter Habitat homes. Currently there are at least 100 Women Build members working on Habitat’
s Oslo site and 50 working in the Fellsmere site.
Women Build volunteers are skilled in every aspect of Indian River Habitat construction: building walls, laying floors,
installing windows, roofing, siding and finish work.
"The therapeutic nature of rough carpentry appeals to me the most,"says Sue. "Learning how to hold the hammer properly
driving a 16-penny nail into a 2 x 4 is amazing and not as hard as one would think.”
Hyacinth Brown, a member of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club, says, "I would say siding is one of my favorite tasks.”
Members of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club answered the call to be ‘food angels.’ Every Saturday for nearly six
months, Hyacinth and other members took sandwiches and snacks to volunteers on the Habitat job sites.
"Seeing the work these strong women did with smiles on their faces inspired me to join Women Build on Feb. 9, 2005,"says
Hyacinth.
Lanie Frame started around the same time. "I love hammering, framing, blocking, sheeting and siding,"she says. "It’s a
terrific feeling to work, learn and laugh with these wonderful women of varied backgrounds who combine individual skills
and endless enthusiasm to help Habitat homeowners achieve their dreams.”
Leslie Balcerak started with Women Build four years ago. "I like almost every task that goes into building these
homes,"she says. "We use China ceramic tile on the counter tops and vinyl tiles on the floor. I like the challenge of figuring
out the perfect layout that will result in a near perfect execution.”
"Roofing."That is what petite Cynthia Hazlewood prefers most. She was one of the first to join the group in 2005. "When
Sue Croom was recruiting people to volunteer to build a home sponsored by Women Build, I thought it would be fun, because
I love using tools and building things."
Darlene Redfoot says, "I like the variety. The rewards have been many: meeting and working with so many wonderful people
and the friendships that have developed; the feeling of having a purpose; the pleasure of learning new skills; the
increased competence I feel to handle chores at home; the satisfaction of having a job to do and doing it to the best of
my ability; and last but not least, the people here make me feel appreciated. "
executive director of Indian River Habitat for Humanity approached me with a challenge to begin a Women Build,"says Sue
Croom. "With lots of help from others, two hurricanes and a major surgery, the Women Build was off and running Jan. 5,
2005 under the supervision of Bryant Knapp, Habitat’s construction superintendant at that time.”
Habitat for Humanity International established Women Build to promote the involvement of women in the construction of
Habitat homes.
An excellent attempt to start the local Women Build here actually dates back to 1999, with the first Women Build home
constructed in 2000 under the direction of Jill Jones. Then in 2005, the program got its footing and - literally - grew
to a level where National Habitat awarded Sue Croom and the program a high honor within the organization.
To date, Indian River Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build crew has constructed 11 homes in Indian River County and has
provided funding for seven ohter Habitat homes. Currently there are at least 100 Women Build members working on Habitat’
s Oslo site and 50 working in the Fellsmere site.
Women Build volunteers are skilled in every aspect of Indian River Habitat construction: building walls, laying floors,
installing windows, roofing, siding and finish work.
"The therapeutic nature of rough carpentry appeals to me the most,"says Sue. "Learning how to hold the hammer properly
driving a 16-penny nail into a 2 x 4 is amazing and not as hard as one would think.”
Hyacinth Brown, a member of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club, says, "I would say siding is one of my favorite tasks.”
Members of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club answered the call to be ‘food angels.’ Every Saturday for nearly six
months, Hyacinth and other members took sandwiches and snacks to volunteers on the Habitat job sites.
"Seeing the work these strong women did with smiles on their faces inspired me to join Women Build on Feb. 9, 2005,"says
Hyacinth.
Lanie Frame started around the same time. "I love hammering, framing, blocking, sheeting and siding,"she says. "It’s a
terrific feeling to work, learn and laugh with these wonderful women of varied backgrounds who combine individual skills
and endless enthusiasm to help Habitat homeowners achieve their dreams.”
Leslie Balcerak started with Women Build four years ago. "I like almost every task that goes into building these
homes,"she says. "We use China ceramic tile on the counter tops and vinyl tiles on the floor. I like the challenge of figuring
out the perfect layout that will result in a near perfect execution.”
"Roofing."That is what petite Cynthia Hazlewood prefers most. She was one of the first to join the group in 2005. "When
Sue Croom was recruiting people to volunteer to build a home sponsored by Women Build, I thought it would be fun, because
I love using tools and building things."
Darlene Redfoot says, "I like the variety. The rewards have been many: meeting and working with so many wonderful people
and the friendships that have developed; the feeling of having a purpose; the pleasure of learning new skills; the
increased competence I feel to handle chores at home; the satisfaction of having a job to do and doing it to the best of
my ability; and last but not least, the people here make me feel appreciated. "
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