New Philadelphia Archaeological Project

Figure 1.

On the third week the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana joined the archeology project. Fieldschool students (Megan Volkel, Michael Collart, and LaShara Morris) work on an excavation unit Block 3, Lot 4 in the former town of New Philadelphia.

Figure 2.

On top of Feature 4 in Block 8, Lot 4 archaeologists found many early to mid nineteenth-century artifacts, including this pipe bowl manufactured with ball clay.

Figure 3.

Sandra McWorter, fifth generation descendant of Free Frank McWorter shares a moment with Larry Armistead, who oversees the landholding of the New Philadelphia Land Trust.

Figure 4.

National Science Foundation students Andrea Torvinen and Kimberly Eppler work on uncovering a feature in Block 4, Lot 1. Tax records do not show a building in this lot until the 1880s.

Figure 5.

In week 5 students continue to uncover the feature in Block 4, Lot 1. They include (clockwise from top right) Alison Azzarello, Caitlan Bauchat, Andrea Torvinen , and Jessica Jenkins.

Figure 6.

Two students (Jordon Bush and Emily Helton) look on as Carrie Christman (UM) demonstrates how to detect the outline of a subterranean feature.

Figure 7.

Charles Williams excavates the rubble of a cellar foundation. Squire McWorter constructed the foundations for his house, which he completed in 1854. He died in 1855 and his wife Louisa continued to live in the house until her death in 1883. Recent oral traditions indicate that in the twentieth century the building may have served as a boarding house.

Figure 8.

Emily Helton screens through soils in search of artifacts related to the subterranean feature in Block 8, Lot 4. Very few artifacts and faunal remains came from this feature, indicating that the feature was filled rapidly, rather than being left open and serving as a trash pit after it was no longer used.

Figure 9.

Shanique Gibson works on bisecting Feature 4. There is a large amount of stone rubble found throughout the feature and it may be related to a structure.

Figure 10.

The McWorter family had a three-day family reunion in Springfield, Illinois to celebrate their family’s history. On Saturday, June 24, 2005 about 50 family members came to New Philadelphia to visit the family cemetery and view the archaeology excavations. The New Philadelphia Association hosted a barbeque for the family.

Figure 11.

Sixth- and seventh-generation McWorters view some of the findings from the archeological dig. Leslie Salyers shows some of the recently found artifacts to the McWorter family.

Figure 12.

Professor Gerald McWorter, a fifth-generation descendant of Frank McWorter and head of the Africana Studies program at the University of Toledo, guides the National Science Foundation and the University of Illinois Field School students through the McWorter family cemetery.