STONEWATCH
NEWSLETTER of the GUNGYWAMP SOCIETY
Written & Edited by the Board Members of the Gungywamp Society
Vol. 19, No. 2 ISSN 0892-1741 Summer 2002
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG IN EAST LYME
In May of 2001, Carol Hallas and Jack Rajotte of the Gungywamp Society, and Ken and Bonnie Beatrice, experienced excavators and associates of the Society, conducted an archaeological dig in East Lyme. The dig crew are all veterans of the Salem African Burial dig site and wanted to determine if the site in East Lyme might also have been inhabited by African-Americans.
A number of years ago Hallas had come across a peculiar dugout construction located nearly a half mile from the nearest road or house site, present or past. Neighborhood lore described this construction as a "slave hut." Someone had excavated into a bank just below a large, flat glacial erratic. The 2-½ foot entry is approached by a six-foot ramp. The "front" south-facing side of the dugout has an 18"-thick dry laid stone retaining wall. None of the other three sides show any signs of walling. An old cart path, nearly obscured now, runs past the entry about 40 feet from the dugout. Located across the cart path, another 24 feet to the south, is an opening in a stone wall. Straight ahead of the opening and running parallel to the stone wall is a vigorous stream.
Six 2-foot test pits were excavated. The area around the dugout was scanned with a metal detector to a radius of 30-40 feet. The lack of artifacts was remarkable. Only a few bits of barbed wire, some ribs of an ancient tractor seat and a baby oxen shoe were found outside the dugout.
Within the interior of the dugout, two more pieces of old tractor seat were found. The dig team expected to find some sort of human personal effects - a penny, button, perhaps a piece of pipe or a bit of glass from a broken bottle. None was found. The only thing that that showed up with regularity was pieces of quartz: one large square-foot chunk, pieces, flakes and a stack of quartz rocks. Other than the quartz and iron, only two small pieces of what appeared to be clay pottery and two pieces of hematite were found in the interior of the dugout.
One piece of quartz in particular caught the attention of Hallas. It was a cobble in nearly the center of the dugout. It was larger than a fist and shaped a bit like a small iron. As with all the other rocks found inside the dugout, it was made of white quartz. But this piece showed signs of wear. Its shape fit the hand nicely, with a wide, flat bottom that was blackened and polished smooth from use. It was not until the dig team was nearly finished and ready to close the dig that this stone's possible use was suggested.
As Hallas cleaned out and squared off the last corner to be excavated, she noticed suddenly a seam of gray clay. This suggested that the dugout was actually a clay pit. The iron-shaped, smooth and blackened quartz cobble may have been used to "work" the clay on site, while the large amount of quartz was used for temper. When the clay was exhausted from the site, it is possible the dugout area was then used as a shed or animal pen with some stone walling added.
It might be interesting to re-open the dig at the dugout site to check if any post holes are extant around the exterior of this dugout, or if any signs of work appear around the large, table-like glacial erratic just above the dugout.
The dig team wishes to thank the landowner for allowing access to the dugout so that this unusual site could be documented. Hallas also personally thanks all who lent a hand in this dig.
**************
IN MEMORIAM
By Paulette Buchanan
Carl Vogt, 86, of SE Connecticut, passed away March 23 of this year. Carl Vogt owned a good-sized portion of the Gungywamp complex, and the Vogt family remains dedicated to preserving this land and the archaeological sites found therein.
Carl and the Gungywamp Society's late president, David P. Barron, were longtime friends who shared a great love of the outdoors and of sites of archaeological interest. In the 1950s, after a hurricane came through Connecticut, Carl discovered an intact stone chamber revealed by an uprooted tree that had been blown down in the storm. This small stone chamber, Chamber Site 2, is located and kept preserved on the YMCA property that abuts the Vogt property.
Carl stayed active in his retirement years, preserving his land and sharing the wonders of his land with family and friends. When he was 76, Carl suffered a stroke, and yet, to the best of his ability, he remained keenly interested in Gungywamp Society meetings and our general goings-on in the Gungywamp Complex.
Carl's active support of the Gungywamp Society and his wonderful personality will be sadly missed by those who had the honor to know him. We are most appreciative for the Vogt family's ongoing support of the Gungywamp Society's work of discovery, education and preservation of the sites in the Gungywamp complex.
We dedicate this issue of Stonewatch to Carl Vogt, Sr.
