If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.
— A. Lincoln, 1863Archaeology Phase Three
Phase three archaeology at the site included monitoring of all ground-disturbing activities related to final work on the Cottage, rehabilitation of the Visitor Education Center, and all landscaping and trenching work.
The most recent archaeological work took place in the fall of 2007 during restoration of the elliptical drive north of the Cottage and rehabilitation of the landscape immediately north of the front entrance to the Cottage.
Restoration of the ellipse included removal of the asphalt covering the elliptical driveway and the concrete curb north of President Lincoln’s Cottage. During the removal process, three architectural features were uncovered: a brick drain to the south of the ellipse and a brick walkway and a cobblestone gutter on the east side of the driveway.
The cobblestone gutter extending north from the shallow brick gutter on the eastern side of the elliptical driveway extended 4.1 feet. The cobbles were small, hen’s-egg size, and laid on end. No artifacts were recovered during the excavation, making it difficult to determine the date of construction for the cobble gutter; however, it appears that it predates the adjoining brick gutter installed late 19th or very early 20th century. Several months prior to the start of monitoring, a section of a similar cobblestone gutter was identified on the south side of the elliptical driveway, north of the Cottage. Based on these two finds, it is likely that the cobble gutter once encircled the entire ellipse. Over time the majority of the drain was destroyed as a result of later landscaping and construction projects.
Ceramic fragments found north of the Cottage
In addition to the three architectural features, a historic ground surface was exposed following the removal of the asphalt on the south side of the elliptical driveway. The historic ground surface appeared to underlie several layers of fill containing a mix of brick rubble, cobble, and gravel paving measuring approximately 1.8 feet thick. Workers recovered 233 artifacts in a 2-foot wide trench created during the removal of the existing concrete curb that exposed a section of cobble drain. A complete list of artifacts recovered in that trench follows.
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Artifacts recovered from President Lincoln's Cottage |
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| Artifact Type / Subtype | Count | Artifact Type / Subtype | Count |
| Ceramics | Architecture | ||
| Creamware, plain (ca. 1762-1820) | 50 | Machine-cut nail/wrought head (ca. 1790-1840) | 30 |
| Creamware, transfer print (ca. 1780-1820) | 6 | Window Glass | 8 |
| Creamware, embossed rim (ca. 1762-1820) | 2 | Roofing Slate | 5 |
| Pearlware, plain (ca. 1775-1840) | 158 | Brick | 1 |
| Pearlware, dipped (ca. 1790-1840) | 31 | Faunal remains | |
| Pearlware, shell edge (ca. 1800-1840) | 6 | Cow bone | 8 |
| Pearlware, transfer print (ca. 1800-1840) | 277 | Large Mammal | 19 |
| Chinese Porcelain (ca. 1660-1860) | 23 | Oyster/Clam | 5 |
| Porcelain, hard paste | 13 | Other | 1 |
| Yellowware, dipped (ca. 1827-1940) | 1 | Iron (Laundry) | 1 |
| Redware | 90 | Pipe Bowl | 1 |
| Albany-slip Stoneware (ca. 1800-1940) | 72 | Pipe Stem | 1 |
| Glass | |||
| Wine/Liquor Bottle | 20 | ||
| Unidentified Bottle | 11 | ||
| Stemware | 1 | ||
| Tumbler | 1 | ||
| Total | 841 | ||
Berger assisted with ongoing archaeological reporting through the first quarter of 2008. Additional updates are available on our Blog.