Marblehead Museum hosts Archaeologists in the Lee Mansion Garden, May 30-June 30

Marblehead Museum, a private non-profit, is excited for the return of archaeologists from the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at UMass Boston for a second summer of exploration and excavation. After an extremely successful 2-week dig in 2022 that uncovered over 10,000 artifacts, a large team of faculty and students have returned to the site from a 5-week field school, from May 30th to June 30th.

The team is searching for artifacts from the entire history of the site, but especially from the tenancy of Colonial merchant Jeremiah Lee and his family, as well as the enslaved individuals who lived and worked on the site.

The team uses ground-penetrating radar and a geophysical survey to identify possible locations of old outbuildings, such as privies and barns, as well as kitchen trash pits. Once such features are identified, the team will dig trenches to discover artifacts.

After the 5-week dig, the artifacts will be brought back to the lab at UMass Boston to be cleaned, identified, and studied.

The public is welcome to observe the work Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm, weather permitting, but we kindly ask that people leave plenty of room around the archaeologists and keep away from any open pits and uneven ground. The public can follow the work on social media by following the Marblehead Museum and Fiske Center for Archaeological Research on Facebook and/or Instagram. 

The project is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Grand Bank, the Lynch Foundation, and individual donors. To donate, please visit https://marbleheadmuseum.org/kitchen-slave-quarters/.