Student Profiles

Stan Wakefield graduate high school in 1984 and joined the U.S. Navy the same year. After basic training he served onboard the U.S.S. Estocin FFG-15. He left active duty in 1988 and joined the reserve force. After 911, Stan was recalled to active duty at NAS Fallon NV as military police. After leaving the reserves in 2003, he moved to Gaeta, Italy for three years before moving back to the U.S. where he settled in Pensacola, FL. He finished his Associates Degree at PSC in 2011 and started at UWF in the Fall of 2011 working toward a degree in archaeology. Stan enjoyed every aspect of field work, from excavating to GPR and total station.

Zach Sternand is a junior from Fort Walton Beach, FL who is majoring in Biological Anthropology. He is most interested in paleoanthropology and hopes that learning the proper field and excavation techniques at the Arcadia Mill field school will extend to his future career. What he is best at and has improved the most on is mapping.

Aaryn is originally from Steamboat Springs, CO but now lives in Fort Pierce, FL. She is in her Junior year at UWF majoring in archaeology, with a specific interest in classical archaeology. Aaryn joined the Arcadia Mill field school to gain further knowledge of contemporary field methods, and due to her interest in the site area. Her favorite part of field school was completing plan and profile view maps of units.

Successful Access Archaeology Day!

This last Saturday those of us in the Arcadia Mill Field School held a site visitation day, and we had an excellent turnout! Of the 70 to 80 people who came to Arcadia that day, 34 visited the site and another 60 went to the visitors center and field lab. Pretty good considering that we were only able to give tours at the site for about two hours because noon rains forced the site to pretty much shut down.

If you missed this Saturday, this week will be our last week for excavation, and Friday the 20th is our final volunteer day.

The Arcadia Mill crew is winding down our field season, meticulously mapping, digging, and documenting surface and subterranean features throughout the site. So far, we have completed: forty-two 50cm x 50cm shovel tests; two 1m x 1m test units; and five 1m x 2m blocks. Our primary focus has been finding and exposing as many structural foundations as possible for Structure 1, the hypothesized slave cabin. Both 1m x 2m test units in the area have perfectly captured the southern corner piers of the cabin. 

The southeast corner pier of the slave cabin.

In addition to traditional excavation techniques, the archaeologists at Arcadia Mill have been using geophysical tools like soil resistivity and Ground Penetrating Radar. As archaeology is a destructive scientific process, these tools help to test our hypothesis without breaking ground. Next, we will process the raw data obtained through geophysical tests as we begin to solidify our theories about the Simpson Lot. 

Ramie Gougeon, Campus Survey PI, visited Arcadia
to teach students about soil resistivity

Many people in the 1800s spent little time indoors; hence, it is important to compare inside artifacts and features with those from outside. Men and women could cook, clean, socialize, clean tools, etc in their very own backyard. Test units have been placed inside and outside the cabin structure to compare soils, features, and artifacts. Together, these may help to answer questions about lifeways and foodsways at antebellum Arcadia Mill.

Key hole from the front yard of the slave cabin

Ardi the Archaeology dog, double checking our paperwork and maps.

Access Archaeology Day!

For those who cannot visit Arcadia Mill’s new excavation site during the workweek, the University of West Florida’s Arcadia Field School is going to be on site Saturday, July 14th, from 10:00 to 3:00.

As usual, tours will be offered at the dig site and volunteers will be able to sift the soil that is being excavated. Visitors should come to the Arcadia Visitor’s Center to be escorted to the dig site. Anyone who wishes to work outside must bring pants and close-toed shoes. A hat and sunscreen are also strongly recommended. Water will be provided on-site, but a water bottle is suggested and volunteers should bring their own lunch.

Volunteers also have the opportunity to work with artifacts in the indoor field lab and will be able to clean and sort artifacts recovered from the ongoing excavation. All ages are welcome to both the field school and field lab, but children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Also, be aware that if you cannot come on the 14th, Friday, July 20th will be the last opportunity to volunteer at the site.

The Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site is located at 5709 Mill Pond Ln., Milton, Fla. 32583.

For more information, please contact:
850-626-3084

http://historicpensacola.org/arcadia.cf
http://arcadiamillvillage.blogspot.com/

Fun with Aaryn and Anna in Block 7!

It has been quite an exciting few weeks at the site for power team Aaryn and Anna.  After the discovery of brick foundations for structures 1 and 2 there was quite a lot of mapping to be done.  Detailed maps are kept of every unit opened and all the features we uncover.  This is important for the general documentation of the site, as well as future research once we have left the field.  Many of the structures at Arcadia were built on top of brick piers, and they are often some of the best preserved remnants of their buildings.  Aaryn and Anna worked hard to map some of the 8 piers found at structure 2 (the base of the old water tower/windmill), and several of the piers and fireplace left at structure 1 (probably one of the slave cabins).  These maps will be an integral part of our efforts to interpret and better understand the site.  As they will tell you, digging is definitely not the only aspect of archaeology.  Maps, paperwork, and taking geographic readings with our many instruments take up much of our time and energy.  The synthesis between all of these elements is what will teach us the most about the history of the residents of Arcadia Mill.

That being said, we opened and excavated two units over the last two weeks that have proved both interesting and challenging.  These units made up Block 7, and were located just to the north of our proposed slave cabin.  There were a total of four features within this 1mx2m block. Not too far below the surface Aaryn discovered a clay cap, which was bright orange and terribly compact.  This type of deposit might have been laid down to provide a stable surface for a structure, or to provide a sturdy cover over something under the ground.  Then, Anna recognized a dark stain surrounding the clay which had a large concentration of charred wood throughout it.  This was designated a midden, which was related to some kind of burning incident.  It became clearer as we excavated that the burning was structural, as most of an intact plank was discovered directly beneath it, with large iron nails and fasteners still evident throughout the burnt wood.  Beneath the plank was another midden, this one full of some interesting artifacts, including a chamber pot and a cow’s tooth.  To the girl’s chagrin, this deposit became extremely dark and quite smelly, which indicates that it was at one time a pit for the disposal of organic waste.  With the remains of a structure and a chamber pot located directly above it, one of our best guesses for this collection of features is that at one time this area was most likely used as a privy and pit for the disposal of trash and animal waste.  Finding out that they had been sitting in a toilet for two weeks was probably not the best news Aaryn and Anna ever received… but our knowledge of the site and its inhabitants has still been enhanced by these excavations and the wealth of information to come out of Block 7. 

Puzzling Brick Feature

Field school students Kyle Feriend and Matt Slycord excavated a linear brick feature very close to the 8-pier water tower structure that we discovered three weeks ago. 

The 1x2 meter excavation of this feature provided many questions as to its use, with few clear answers.  As Kyle and Matt excavated, they noted that the bricks formed what appeared to be a flat linear direction that descended downward west from one unit into the next.  With both units open and their bricks fully exposed, the observer can easily see that the bricks slope downwards into a depression and then rise again.

Several viable interpretive options have been put forward, including the simplest explanation, that it was either a floor, path, or road.  If this was its function, why is it interrupted by a depression? One hypothesis is that there is an underlying septic system that the feature collapsed into.  Another hypothesis is that the depression is not of natural causes; rather the curved brick feature was itself part of a drainage or gutter system of some sort. The latter explanation assumes that the depression was an intentional component of this feature, which is consistent with the acknowledgement that the bricks are not extremely displaced and the depressions curvature is fairly undisturbed. 

Only preliminary interpretations are possible before more extensive excavations proceed in this section of the site, which is reserved for a future field season.  The hanging mystery of features such as this is common and serves as a good reminder to the students of the prioritizing and time constraints that archaeologists are often forced to work under.

Arcadia Update and Volunteer Opportunities

On Friday, July 6^th this week, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, we are having our third public volunteer day and things have really progressed since the last public day in June.  We have moved from small shovel tests to much larger test units which provide us with a bigger picture and has already been able to answer several questions.

Near the structure that is believed to have been a water tower (see June 17) was a suspicious depression in the soil.  Two 1 meter by 1 meter test units provide us with a very clear picture of the brick floor that Eric Swanson, Rylan Thomas, Matt Slycord and Kyle Feriend uncovered.

Along the Eastern boundary of the property Tristan Harrenstein, Zach Sternand and Stan Wakefield were able to answer some questions about unusually dark soil that was found in the shovel tests.  Their units showed that the staining was actually due to a sheet midden (a trash deposit spread over the historic ground surface).

Lastly, Jenny McNiven, Anna Consoliver-Zack and Aaryn Moloney have investigated an unusual feature found with a shovel test which has turned out to probably be an outhouse.  Before they got to that point, however, they found what appears to be two more middens and a wood plank with with a door hinge attached.

This week we will finally begin investigation on what is thought to have been a slave cabin, so come on by and see how things are progressing!

For those who wish to volunteer, this Friday visitors will be able to sift the soil that is being excavated, volunteers should come to the Arcadia Visitor’s Center to recieve directions to the dig site. Anyone who wishes to work outside must bring pants and close-toed shoes, a hat and sunscreen are also strongly recommended.  Water will be provided on-site, but a water bottle is suggested and volunteers should bring their own lunch.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to work with artifacts in the indoor field lab and will be able to clean and sort artifacts recovered from the ongoing excavation. All ages are welcome to both the field school and field lab, but children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please note, the Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site provides tours of the excavations Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 2:00, but will NOT be working July 4^th.

This week, Eric Swanson’s crew consisted of Matt Slycord and Kyle Feriend. The primary objectives through the week were focused on preparing for test unit excavations by the end of the week, and for the rest of the summer. The first order of business for this task is to clear the dense foliage surrounding important cultural remains previously scouted and marked with pin flags. This process takes a significant amount of time, unless you’re a part of Arcadia Mill’s 2012 field school!

Before

After

As always, the local population was ready and waiting for photographic opportunities, as can be seen here.

Lunch time!

This lone spider came out on Tuesday (note the smiley face on its abdomen), to be relocated out of harm’s way. Though, on Wednesday afternoon, a similar spider became prey to this wasp.

Matt using his trowel to clear stubborn roots
from the brick feature.

By Friday, Matt, Kyle, and Eric set in the first test unit of 2012! Unit 105 and 106 (located immediately adjacent to one another) were placed to investigate what was initially probed and believed to be a brick floor. After several grueling hours of carefully (honest) exposing the bricks located in Unit 106, Matt discovered a linear pattern running North-South across the center.

Kyle screening fill from the first test unit
of the season!

Kyle took strategic care during the final hours of cleaning the unit, excited to be the first person to see and explore cultural materials that haven’t been visible for possibly 150 years! For the remainder of the week, the team will continue to expose the brick structure, and preserve its integrity for later analysis and interpretation.

It’s been a great five weeks everyone, thank you so much for all you shared with me. I’ve enjoyed every moment out there on the Simpson Lot with you. I look forward to seeing you all again!

Terrestrial/Maritime supervisor
Eric Swanson taking meticulous notes.

The Arcadia crew completed our first phase of excavations this summer, digging 44 shovel tests in an exploratory shovel testing program. Over 20% of the 50cm x 50 cm tests contain structural features! The torrential downpour last weekend was good and bad: most of our shovel tests flooded (often because of ridiculously high ground water levels); on the other hand, many surface features revealed themselves.

Matt and Anna contemplate
excavating a unit of mud.

A semi-articulated brick pier surprised us in a final shovel test. To test if there were any more structural features hiding on the surface, a brave crew of Zach, Kyle, and Jenny began a walking survey through some treacherous secondary brush.

John Phillips directs the crew's clearing
efforts around Structure 2.

 After an hour of crawling through thorny underbrush, they announced the discovery of 8 articulated brick piers! The next few days were spent mapping, photographing, and featuring the structure.

Intense mapping underway around Structure 2.
These could be the foundations of a water tower
or a windmill. More evidence necessary, as always.

Next week we will begin to open a series of 1m x 2m test units, placed to allow us to define the age and function the features and structures in question.  We'll decide which of the features are most likely to answer or at least lend evidence to our primary research questions about the communities at Arcadia Mill.

A GIS overlay of Structure 2. The points used to make this map
were gathered using a Total Station and data collector. 

Another productive week at Arcadia Mill! The whole team pitched in to clear transect lines covered by heavy vegetation in order to lay out and excavate the remaining shovel tests of the survey, which concluded phase I of our investigation. Supervisor Rylan Thomas and student Aaryn Maloney practiced total station skills and shot in the final datums for these remaining shovel tests.

A surface survey of the northwest corner of the lot revealed an eight-pier structure that is believed to be a water tower, based on oral reports. One Jose Noriega brick was positively identified in the southwest pier, which dates to Arcadia Mill’s years of operation.

The crew worked hard to clear the vegetation covering the brick features. Once cleared, mapping began on individual piers. It is unclear at this time if these structural remains will be excavated this summer. However, mapping the surface remnants is the best way to record them for future purposes of excavation and analysis.

Week 4 with Eric's Crew

This week, we switched our teams around to explore the site with varying experience and research goals.  Supervisor Eric Swanson had his team begin the week after a record-setting weekend of rain.  The environment surrounding the site and our shovel tests clearly showed it.  It wasn’t until Anna Consoliver-Zack and Matt Slycord began excavating a new shovel test that the true gravity of what the rain had done to the soils became clear.  After digging 39 cm into the shovel test, ground water began flooding the floor, and the shovel test was covered for later excavation.

The following day took the team towards the edge of the brick-lined well.  The brick-lined well shovel test allowed Matt and Anna to dry off in the sun, and was relatively easy, despite the test’s proximity to such a large cultural object.

Eric, Anna, and Matt returned the next day to test the densely wooded area along the western property boundary.  While keeping a keen eye out for cultural features along the surface, the local wildlife played an essential role in providing the team with company.

Discovering a small variety of historic ceramics, glass, and iron artifacts throughout the day, the team located a large brick conglomeration on their last shovel test.  The heavy concentration of brick, mortar, and sandstone in this shovel test indicates the possible location of a pier that would have supported a structure of some type.  While Matt and Anna meticulously cleaned, profiled, and mapped the shovel test, they provided essential data that will aid in the interpretation of this dynamic site.

 

              

Arcadia Mill and Historical Research

Archaeology is a great way of finding out what the actual remains of a site can tell us about the people who lived there, and is used alongside the historical record to bring new insights to what was previously written about the events and people associated with a site. At Arcadia, we use primary documentary research as one tool in our toolkit to help us understand what happened there and what people thought about it during the time that the actual events were taking place.

Many documents from 19^th century Escambia and Santa Rosa counties can help fill in gaps that exist in the archaeological record with regards to the lives of those living and working at Arcadia. The process of building the mills and structures that made up the Arcadia complex, and expanding the business from when Joseph Forsyth bought the property from Juan de la Rua in 1828 to the end of production at the Arcadia site in 1855, has left a lengthy documentary record in the form of deeds of sale, records of lumber shipments from shipping manifests, business ledgers, and newspaper articles chronicling the growth of the site and the controversy over using skilled slave labor in the mills and cotton factory. Information on the lives of the owners, employees, and stock holders at Arcadia can be gleaned from government records such as marriage and death records, census records, lawsuits and proclamations regarding land sales and the incorporation of the Arcadia Manufacturing Company. Some original documents from Forsyth and Simpson’s personal papers and records also provide interesting insight into their lives and business dealings.

As discussed in an earlier post, one area where the documents are often silent is on the lives and identities of the slave community that lived and worked at Arcadia for over 25 years. For this reason a particular focus of the UWF field school over the last few years and continuing in the 2012 season is to identify and study the archaeological remains of the dwellings and areas inhabited by the Arcadia slaves. Archaeology is able to illuminate what we know from the documents to create a fuller understanding of the people behind Arcadia Mill. 

1860 Census: E.E. Simpson and household, including two young daughters of the recently deceased Joseph Forsyth.

Stay tuned for exciting highlights on this summers ongoing excavations, current historical research, and opportunities for public involvement! 

The crew at Arcadia had another great week, albeit a wet one. Despite one rain day and an afternoon closed early, the team is 80% done with our Phase I exploratory shovel testing. Almost all of our 50 shovel tests have been shot in using a Total Station or an optical transit.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood:
Kyle's clearing for the next total station shot allowed us to have a moment of
literary appreciation

The UWF Arcadia crew finished up our fence post survey in only 2 days; the information gathered from these extra shovel tests has helped us delineate high and medium probability areas.

Rylan and Matt finishing the last
shovel test of the fence post survey along the
 southern and eastern property boundaries

Next up, we'll be opening up larger units in areas that have been very productive thus far. So far, we have loosely bounded four general occupation areas: a barn or warehouse area, a agricultural zone, high status white owner's occupation, and the area of unidentified ethnicity, presumably low-status residents.

Otis the Owl, one of our more feral site visitors, who likes to survey students'
digging in one of our two very high probability areas on site.

We've also been preparing for the second phase of the field season: geophysical research. Shown is a georefrenced map depicting one of a series of GPR results just south of the hypothesized slave cabin remains and west of the 4 meter deep well.

As always, any anomalies found through geophysical research need to be ground-truthed. To do this, a series of larger units will be opened; this allows a larger glimpse into the ground to identify patterns of refuse disposal. Hopefully, the Arcadia crew will begin this type of excavations next week.

PI John Phillips with his take-home message

Last week was the first of four of our volunteer days, this Friday the 15^th will be our second running from 10 to 3 so come on out to visit the site and work with the artifacts!

Why is Archaeology Necessary at Arcadia?

Historical documents such as census records, deed records, and newspaper reports reveal that slaves were the predominant source of labor at Arcadia.  Such records also show that the primary owners of Arcadia Mill, Joseph Forsyth and Ezekiel Simpson, increased the number of slaves they owned for over three decades.  This increase in slave property directly corresponds with the company’s expansion.  As the mill grew and the owners purchased more slaves, the associated community grew in size and social complexity.

Such records establish the presence of a large slave community at Arcadia.  However, historical documents providing specific descriptions of the community do not exist.  This lack of documentation prevents researchers from understanding many of the community’s hidden intricacies, which is where archaeology comes in.

The current archaeological investigation at Arcadia aims to answer a wide range of questions about the mill community, from ethnicity, status, and identity to spatial organization and architectural patterns.

Shovel Test Update: Kyle Feriend and Eric Swanson

A successful week of testing at Arcadia Mill’s Simpson Lot has brought many interesting details to the site. Working carefully through the sedimentary layers, the team composed of Kyle Feriend and supervisor Eric Swanson excavated in three separate areas of the lot. In a shovel test in the southwestern quarter of the lot, an indeterminate feature appeared in the bottom 20 cm of the sandy loam sediment. Some significantly sized pieces of burned wood indicated that a burning event took place in the area during the historical period of Arcadia’s occupation. In this same test, some porcelain, a copper tool, and various iron objects were found throughout the historic layer associated with this burned feature. The team moved to the southern property boundary soon after preserving the burned feature for future excavation.

The purpose of digging the following two shovel tests was to bring a greater understanding of the overall context of the site, and to protect cultural remains that would be affected by the building of a fence in the area. These tests, like many that take place across the state, find and protect cultural resources from destruction when building projects take place. In this shovel test, very little cultural material was recovered, so Kyle and Eric moved eastward to test another area.

Along the eastern property boundary, Kyle and Eric excavated another shovel test placed strategically along the proposed fence-line. The high concentration of trees and other flora in the area created a challenge, as well as gave important clues as to the context of the site. The presence of magnolia trees in the area gives a hint as to the quality of the soils, and whether the area would have been an ideal place to live. As the team excavated in 20 cm levels, it became apparent that this area had significantly more cultural material than the previous shovel test. These two factors give the research team reason to believe that this was an area of domestic occupation. Among the artifacts recovered were ceramic water pipe, an iron utensil handle, several nails, glass, and kitchen ceramics.

The Arcadia Mill field school is open to public visitation!

Visitors to the Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site are welcome to visit the ongoing field school at its new location just up the road from the Arcadia Mill Visitor Center.  We will be working on site and providing tours Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (weather permitting). Please stop by the Visitors Center for directions to the site. 

Also, this Friday, June 8^th opportunities will be available for visitors to work with artifacts in Arcadia Mill’s Visitor Center and join the archaeologists outside.  Indoors, volunteers will be rough-sorting artifacts recovered from this year’s excavation.  Tours will be offered at the site and volunteers will be able to help the archaeologists screen for artifacts.

All ages are welcome, but an accompanying adult is required for children under 18.  Anyone who wishes to work outside must bring pants and close-toed shoes; a hat, sunscreen and bug spray are strongly recommended.  Water will be provided on-site, but a water bottle is suggested.  Visitors should bring their own lunch if they plan to stay through noon.

For more information contact Arcadia Mill by phone at (850) 626-3084 or email ArcadiaMill@uwf.edu.

Our crew continues to make great progress as the week comes to a close.  We've already finished over half of the first phase of this summer; 18 shovel tests have been completed on the Simpson Lot! Students have been working very hard to learn digging, mapping, and documentation techniques.

Aaryn Maloney documents the Munsell
designation of the soils in a shovel test.

Three structural features have been identified thus far, including both a round and rectangular post. The last two weeks have raised many questions concerning the arrangement of structures on the site. Our 18 shovel tests have already answered quite a few of them. The hypothesized farm and agricultural areas of the site are marked by large artifacts like iron spikes and hooks. Also noteworthy are the numerous botanical materials that have been recovered, mostly peach pits and soft shelled pecans.

L: a cuprious cog
R: an iron button with the makers mark: "WISDOM"

We have a tentative hypothesis concerning the area of lower status individuals: the east third of the Simpson lot contains diagnostic artifacts such as window glass, whiteware, and iron buttons. Together, this assemblage tells us that there was likely a low-status domicile nearby. The artifacts from this eastern area of the site are less expensive and probably easier to procure than those found around the remains of Ezekial Simpson's Big House.

Finally, the area around Ezekiel Simpson's house, one of Arcadia Mill's owners, is littered with more expensive materials like porcelain buttons, imported porcelain dinner plates (found only in small fragments, of course), and delicate metal artifacts. Unfortunately this area is covered with a thick layer of modern trash including beer bottles, sewer pipes,  and the like.

Zach and Eric enjoying their day in the field (note Eric's Elvis leg).

Welcome Back!

The first week of fieldwork at Arcadia Mill is complete! As some may know, we are focusing our attention on a newly acquired 3-acre tract of land that was donated by a descendant of the original mill owner.  This property once included Ezekiel Simpson's three-story Louisiana mansion-style residence, a series of slave domiciles, and other structures and features from the 19^th and early 20^th century such as a well, cistern, and a variety of outhouses, barns, and tool sheds.  

Pictured above is one of the potentially high-status slave cabins that UWF
archaeologists will be looking for this 2012 season.
(note the well (!) in the left background)

In addition to identifying where these structures were located, this summer’s fieldwork focuses more broadly on understanding community organization at Arcadia and the different groups of people who lived and interacted within this mill community.

Arcadia Mill's First Inaugural Shovel Test on the Simpson Lot Property!

Our goals for the summer are threefold: (1) compete a systematic survey of 50cm x 50 cm square shovel tests at a 20 meter interval across the three acre tract; (2) ground-truth results from a series of geophysical tests such as GPR, magnetometry, and soil resistivity; and (3) excavate larger blocks in areas of high artifact concentrations and areas with high potential to answering questions about the slave cabins on the Simpson Lot.

Kyle Feriend, Matt Slycord, Zach Sternand, and Tristan Harrenstein screening

Very little archaeological testing has been conducted on this 3-acre plot.  Thus, this past week was spent properly training the field crew, establishing a grid, and beginning phase one of our field season with the square shovel test survey. 

Supervisors Jenny McNiven and Eric Swanson teach undergraduate students
Zach, Aaryn, and Stanley the basics of digging and surveying techniques.

Stay tuned for more information about this summer’s exciting excavations at Arcadia Mill and upcoming volunteer opportunities!!!