- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Location
- Gettysburg area
Archaeology students from Gettysburg College and volunteers from the Adams County Historical Society are completing an initial dig at an historic home site across Buford Avenue from the Mary Thompson House (Lee's Headquarters), according to a report in today's Gettysburg Times newspaper.
At the time of the battle, the site was the location of the house where wounded citizen soldier John Burns collapsed at the cellar door after making his way back from the battlefield. The house, owned by Casper Dustman, was rented by the family of Alexander Riggs but was unoccupied at the time, since the Riggses had left in advance of the fighting. The article says that according to Tim Smith of the Historical Society, Dustman reportedly found Burns at the property on July 2.
The house was demolished in the 1950s, and its location was verified after the Civil War Trust acquired the property in 2015 and conducted a radar scan. Since the dig began in August, the team members have uncovered the foundation of the house and a brick patio. They've found pieces of pottery, including some dated to 1800-1820, a Victorian-era woman's comb, and buttons. The artifacts will be kept by the Civil War Trust, and some may be exhibited at the College or at Lee's headquarters.
The Adams County Historical Society held a public tour on Wednesday (which I sadly missed). The Facebook page notes that although the site is being closed this week at the end of the current dig, "there may be future excavations!"
At the time of the battle, the site was the location of the house where wounded citizen soldier John Burns collapsed at the cellar door after making his way back from the battlefield. The house, owned by Casper Dustman, was rented by the family of Alexander Riggs but was unoccupied at the time, since the Riggses had left in advance of the fighting. The article says that according to Tim Smith of the Historical Society, Dustman reportedly found Burns at the property on July 2.
The house was demolished in the 1950s, and its location was verified after the Civil War Trust acquired the property in 2015 and conducted a radar scan. Since the dig began in August, the team members have uncovered the foundation of the house and a brick patio. They've found pieces of pottery, including some dated to 1800-1820, a Victorian-era woman's comb, and buttons. The artifacts will be kept by the Civil War Trust, and some may be exhibited at the College or at Lee's headquarters.
The Adams County Historical Society held a public tour on Wednesday (which I sadly missed). The Facebook page notes that although the site is being closed this week at the end of the current dig, "there may be future excavations!"