Fieldwork in Haddam

On May 11^th and 13^th, FOSA volunteers assisted CT State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman with a dig in Haddam, CT. They worked around the buried foundation of what is believed to be an 18th-century meeting house, in order to assess its construction and condition and collect a sample of artifacts. The foundation location was identified last year during a GPR survey of the cemetery.

The site was at the Old Burial Yard of “30 Mile Island”. According to the Haddam Historical Society:

There are two schools of thought on how “Thirty Mile(s) Island got its name. Early historians write that the earliest settlers thought the island was thirty miles from the mouth of the “Grate River” at Long Island Sound (it is only 17 miles from the mouth of river). It is also plausible that the Island got its name because it is 30 miles downriver from Hartford and the town was settled by men from the Hartford area.

The dig uncovered several features and artifacts, which will be processed and analyzed. We also attracted numerous neighbors (some with their dogs) who were curious about our activities and who shared their stories about the history of the surrounding area.