If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.
— A. Lincoln, 1863Archaeology Phase Two
In this section...
Archaeologist studies stone landing on south side of cottage
Phase Two of the archaeological investigation at the site was led by Lynne Lewis, Senior Archaeologist for the National Trust. Lewis was particularly active during the exterior restoration of President Lincoln's Cottage. Whenever there was a necessary ground disturbance, Lewis was on site collecting, cleaning and cataloging finds.
Between May and October of 2004, Lynne Lewis spent several weeks at the Cottage monitoring the excavation of trenches for new utility lines, for lightening rod grounds, and for exterior lighting. Lewis undertook testing in several areas, the most interesting of which was carried out beneath a very large (10 feet long by 3.5 feet wide) stone that served as the landing for the porch steps on the southern side of the Cottage. Masons had to temporarily move the stone to complete exterior restoration work on the Cottage. Historical documents indicated that the stone had been rotated by 90° when the porch was reconfigured in the 1860s. Potentially, the ground beneath the large stone would reveal information and artifacts from the earlier period of the Cottage’s history.
Lynne Lewis commented on her findings, below.
Berger has continued to assist with ongoing archaeology efforts. Additional updates are available on our Blog.
Drain pipe and shard of
glass uncovered
“Alas, when the stone was ever so carefully lifted by the masons, a jumble of peanut shells, cigarette filters and a pretzel bag were among the most distinguished artifacts. The cigarette filters were from a brand that was not introduced until the 1960s, and it became clear that the stone had been lifted and re-set sometime after that. Other artifacts included nails, both machine cut and wire, and two intact bottles - one for ink and one for whiskey. The bottles, and all the artifacts in general, date from the last third of the 19th century. Virtually no evidence from the Lincoln or earlier periods of occupation has been recovered to date.”
“Further excavation exposed a drain pipe trench cutting across the area, which would also account for some of the disturbance, and its installation may be the reason the stone was lifted. Within the pipe trench two nearly complete medicine bottles were recovered. Artifacts from all the monitoring and Phase II excavations have been washed and are being catalogued. A report on this work is in preparation. The stone will be returned to its original position once the porch restoration is completed.”
