AXIS Research, Inc. was contacted during the summer of 2010 regarding an attempt to preserve and study a structure in Mercersburg, PA that was likely owned by Justice William Smith, a colonist involved in the uprising against British rule resulting in successful armed action against English Royal troops. The local fire department had recently acquired the property and proposed its destruction to make way for their expansion, specifically a parking lot. A grassroots effort was mobilized against the destruction of this historic structure [http://savesmithhouse.com/].
Shovel tests on grid around the Smith House.
AXIS Research volunteers conducted 8 days of field testing to determine if intact features or artifact distributions were present and if they could inform us of the property’s colonial occupation. When we arrived, the structure was abandoned and was not on the National Register of Historic Places. The fire company agreed to allow us to map the site and excavate 34 shovel test pits at 5 meter intervals with staggered grid coverage. A surface map was rendered that included the footprints of the main structure and an exterior chimney towards the rear of the property. Three soil columns were augered, mapped, and described. Collected artifacts were washed and cataloged and returned to the grassroots group. Although the majority of the artifacts dated to later than the 1760’s, there was some evidence of period ceramics.
A small gun flint found on the Smith House grounds.
Despite our efforts and public outcry, the fire company moved forward with their project and tore down the Smith House. They did, however, agree to allow the controlled destruction of the structure so that it can be reconstructed nearby. Although this was viewed as a partial victory by the advocates of the Smith House, the archaeological context has been heavily disturbed and any meaningful artifact distributions obliterated. The Smith House is an example of a significant site that “slipped through the cracks” of historic preservation; further obscuring important colonial events, while its study could have illuminated them and Pennsylvania’s rich archaeological record.