![[Trowel]](images/trowel1.gif)
Go to the Parterre Excavations PageExcavations--Test Trench
In the western portion of the Read House property, about 80 feet west of the house, we have decided to excavate every other 5-foot section of a 2.5-foot wide trench that will ultimately extend from the edge of the parterre all the way to the back wall of the property. Excavation of this trench will allow the team to identify and assess the archaeological potential of the entire site by providing information on the depth of the archaeological deposits, the complexity of the stratigraphy, and the nature of the artifacts and features distributed across the property. Specifically, data from the trench excavations will tell us about the history and nature of Couper (1846-1920) and Laird-era (1920-1975) landscaping activities and about the ways the property’s residents used the land in the centuries before 1846.
Work on the test trench commenced in the 1996 season with the excavation of three units. Beginning at the southern end of the trench, these three units were South 2 West 80.5, North 11 West 80.5, and North 21 West 80.5. We will continue our work on the test trench in the 1997 field season.