Archaeological dig begins at Rogers Island
FORT EDWARD, N.Y. » Three women who were complete strangers until a few days ago are now close friends, working together in the search for 1750s military history.
Mary Lane of Detroit, Laurie Clothier of Corinth and Vickie Odell of Cambridge are among the 20 people taking part in the 2017 SUNY Adirondack Archaelogical Field School at Rogers Island in Fort Edward.
During the French and Indian War, more than 15,000 British soldiers were stationed at Fort Edward, on the east bank of the Hudson River. However, the fort only held a few hundred men, so many lived in barracks and tents on Rogers Island, where this summer’s research is taking place.
This is the first archaeological project on Rogers Island since 1998. More recent field schools have focused on other sites in Fort Edward and Lake George, which are closely linked in French and Indian War history.
Fort Edward was a major base of operations, which supported Fort William Henry in Lake George, the site of mul-
tiple battles in the struggle between Great Britain and France for control of North America.
“Last summer I found an officer’s button and the minute I saw that and held it in my hand I wanted to cry because I thought, ‘These are real people that were here,’” Lane said. “It just struck me and brought it home, that these were people just like me.”
This is her third year taking part in the program. She got involved after visiting Lake George to research a family ancestor’s role in the war.
Field school participants include college students earning credit, continuing education students and local volunteers.
“It’s very hands-on, plus you get lectures,” Clothier said. “If you love learning it’s a great experience. I’ve always thought, ‘When I retire I’m going to give this a try.’ Now I’m really getting into it.”
“I just enjoy finding the different things that tell us about what was going on at the time soldiers were here,” Odell said. “I told myself, ‘It’s here. It’s close by. I’m going to do it.’ It’s pretty exciting to get in touch with what was going on here.”
About a century ago, the state dredged the river to deepen the channel for navigational purposes. Large amounts of sediment, with piles 20 feet high, were placed on the middle part of the island, which protected sensitive archaeological sites.
Over the course of several decades, previous land owners removed this material. So the area researchers are working on has never been touched for archaeological purposes.
“We’re looking at areas we could never get access to before,” said field school Director David Starbuck, a professor at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.
The field school’s main goal is identifying the location of barracks and tent sites, so visitors may envision what the site looked like more than 250 years ago. Charcoal, burned bones and pieces of broken glass and pottery provide tell-tale evidence about tent sites.
Rogers Island is now owned by the town and village of Fort Edward, which purchased it in 2014.
On Monday, officials put up signs prohibiting the use of metal detectors, after someone was seen this weekend trying to find artifacts for personal gain, apart from the field school. Police have been notified, Starbuck said.
“We’ve got to be more restrictive to protect the site,” he said. “The town and village have got to enforce restrictions or they will lose their resource.”