Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project

Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project
Name	Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project
Location	Plymouth, Massachusetts
Established	1990s

Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project

The Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project is a multidisciplinary archaeological initiative focused on systematic investigation of colonial and pre-colonial sites in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The project brings together researchers from institutions such as Harvard University, Boston University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Yale University, Brown University and University of Pennsylvania to study material culture linked to the Plymouth Colony, Wampanoag communities, and maritime networks. Funders and partners include the National Park Service, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Peabody Essex Museum, Pilgrim Society, and local municipal agencies.

Background and purpose

The project was conceived to reconcile documentary sources like the Mayflower Compact, Mourt's Relation, and William Bradford's journal with archaeological evidence recovered from sites across Plimoth Plantation environs, Elder Brewster House contexts, and coastal features near Cape Cod. It aims to illuminate interactions among English colonists, Wampanoag Confederacy groups, and transatlantic actors such as Royal Charter of 1620 signatories, while addressing debates tied to King Philip's War, Pequot War, and colonial demography. By integrating perspectives from Native American leaders, historic preservationists at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and curators at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, the project seeks to inform stewardship of archaeological landscapes and heritage management policies under the National Historic Preservation Act.

History of the project

Origins trace to salvage excavations begun after infrastructure work near Cole's Hill and the Mayflower Compact Monument in the 1990s, drawing specialists from the Smithsonian Institution and the American Antiquarian Society. Early seasons responded to development-triggered assessments regulated by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and coordinated with tribal consultations involving the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). Subsequent phases received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and collaborative grants with the Mellon Foundation, enabling expanded field seasons, laboratory analysis at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for maritime contexts, and archival research at the Library of Congress and New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Methods and fieldwork

Fieldwork combines stratigraphic excavation methods established by practitioners at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, geophysical survey using equipment from Geonics, and paleoenvironmental sampling akin to programs at the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Teams employ shovel test pits modeled on protocols from the Society for American Archaeology and artifact processing pipelines developed at the American Museum of Natural History. Laboratory analyses include radiocarbon dating with facilities at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, dendrochronology linked to researchers at the University of Arizona, and stable isotope studies coordinated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Maritime investigations deploy side-scan sonar and remotely operated vehicles inspired by work at the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Key discoveries and artifacts

Excavations produced assemblages including European ceramics comparable to imports recorded in London inventories, trade beads aligning with material from the Dutch East India Company networks, and metalwork consistent with tools listed in William Bradford's accounts. Notable finds encompass faunal remains analyzed against comparative collections housed at the American Museum of Natural History, botanical macrofossils used to reconstruct diets in parallel to studies at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and structural post molds that clarified house plans resembling documented layouts in New England colonial surveys. Maritime contexts yielded ballast stones and ship fittings evocative of transatlantic voyages registered in Port of London logs. Additionally, lithic artifacts link to regional exchange routes explored in studies by the Smithsonian Institution and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Interpretation and scholarly impact

Interpretations situate material evidence within frameworks developed by scholars affiliated with Harvard University and Yale University regarding colonial lifeways, Indigenous resilience, and intercultural exchange. The project has informed reassessments of population estimates found in William Bradford and challenged models promulgated in regional syntheses by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Its stratigraphic data and radiocarbon series have been cited in comparative studies alongside finds from Jamestown, St. Augustine, Florida, and New Amsterdam, influencing scholarship published through presses such as Cambridge University Press and University of Pennsylvania Press. The project has stimulated debate on heritage narratives promoted by organizations like the Pilgrim Society and museums such as the Peabody Essex Museum.

Public outreach and education

Public programming includes cooperative exhibits with the Pilgrim Hall Museum, educational modules developed with Plimoth Plantation staff, and lecture series hosted at venues like Plymouth Public Library and University of Massachusetts Boston. The project has produced curricular materials aligned with state standards administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and training workshops for volunteers coordinated with the Society for Historical Archaeology. Outreach extends to descendant communities including the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and collaborations with national institutions such as the National Park Service to integrate findings into interpretive plans for sites associated with Plymouth Colony history.

Category:Archaeological projects in Massachusetts Category:Plymouth, Massachusetts