1856 map of Waterford, NY showing project area.
[JPG image-21KB]

Backyard archaeology in Waterford, NY.
[JPG image-36KB]

Stratified deposits associated with eight distinct periods of occupation.
[JPG image-35KB]

An example of faunal remains from Waterford.
[JPG image-28KB]

An example of ceramic artifacts from Waterford.
[JPG image-28KB]

An example of Kaolin pipes from Waterford.
[JPG image-10KB]

Archaeology of Waterford, NY

Project Director: Joseph Sopko
Project years: 1998-present
keywords: Waterford, New York archaeology, 19th-century archaeology
Geographic Extent: Waterford, New York

The New York State Museum's excavation at the Weaver-Demarest site (NYSM Site 10588) in the village of Waterford, Saratoga County, New York is a literal example of backyard archaeology. Work at this site is being done in what is now a large backyard, but was once four separate historic lots. All information retrieved from these lots provides a unique opportunity to study the development of the settlement of Waterford.

The data retrieved from these backyard lots reflects the shift of Waterford from a pre-industrial to an industrial village. This transition is accompanied by changes in the structure of the village and appears to be associated with the development of capitalism and the modernization process during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Changes in the structure of the urban area were also accompanied by other cultural changes including the redefinition of the concepts of class, work and home, of private and public space, and the roles of men and women.

The village of Waterford was established in 1784 and incorporated in 1794 at the junction of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The growth of Waterford during the early nineteenth century is closely associated with its key location at the northernmost point where the Hudson River was navigable. Here the various goods shipped by sloop up the Hudson were off-loaded and transported by either bateau or wagon to various northern communities. In 1823 the Champlain Canal was opened from Waterford north to Lake Champlain and the Canadian border, which had a tremendous impact on the village as Waterford became one of the major ports or shipping points on the canal. By 1833, the population of the village consisted of 1,473 individuals.

Archaeologists' initial excavations at the Weaver-Demarest site in the fall of 1997 revealed stratified deposits associated with eight distinct periods of occupation on Lots 142, 161 and 149, dating from the late eighteenth to the late twentieth centuries. A major fire in Waterford in 1841 provided a time marker for excavated soil deposits which was used to divide these deposits into periods of time for archaeological analysis. Samuel Demarest occupied Lots 149 and 161 and operated the Mansion Hotel from 1806 to 1841, but constructed a large house on the periphery of the village in the 1820s and moved from the location of the identified lots. After the 1841 fire, Thomas Morgan purchased Lot 149 and the east portion of Lot 161, and the First Baptist Church was built on the west portion of the lot. By 1848 he constructed the Morgan Hotel in the former location of the Mansion Hotel. Based on these results, the State Historic Preservation Officer determined that the site is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Artifacts at the site indicate the spatial arrangement of the trash disposal areas in the lots and how this disposal pattern changed over time. The domestic artifacts also provide insights on the lifestyle of the residents, and demonstrate the extent to which they participated in the broad social changes that were taking place during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The dominance of decorated over non-decorated refined earthenwares, for example, represents the shift in ceramic preference by the middle class and reflects the height of middle class fashion during the late eighteenth and early to mid nineteenth century.

The types and quantities of the faunal remains associated with each of the occupation periods could indicate changes in the residents' diet, food preferences, and the shift from home butchering to buying individual cuts of meat from the corner butcher store. The continued use of kaolin pipes during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries could be indicative of a working class status. Kaolin pipes during the period from 1860 to 1880 became established as the working man's preferred method of smoking and as a symbol of the working class; the cheaper kaolin pipes were preferred over the more expensive cigars, cigarettes, and the Meerschaum pipes preferred by the middle class.

Return to CRSP Projects