{"id":59382,"date":"2019-07-26T13:27:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T17:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=59382"},"modified":"2019-07-26T15:08:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T19:08:50","slug":"public-tours-to-be-held-at-excavation-site-of-historic-shickluna-shipyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2019\/07\/public-tours-to-be-held-at-excavation-site-of-historic-shickluna-shipyard\/","title":{"rendered":"Public tours to be held at excavation site of historic Shickluna Shipyard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through thick, heavy mud and clay, the search began last week for remnants of lost local maritime history.<\/span><\/p>\n

Excavation of the 19th century<\/span> Shickluna Shipyard<\/span><\/a> got underway Thursday, July 18, with Brock University students getting a taste of life on a dig site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Archaeologist Kimberly Monk, Adjunct Professor with the Department of History, is leading an archaeological field school at the site in downtown St. Catharines for both Brock students and community members.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had an exciting first week,\u201d Monk said. \u201cStudents have had a week of training in archaeological methods, both in the classroom and the lab, where they\u2019ve learned about the process of archaeology, about historical materials and why they\u2019re important, and how to process and identify artifacts in the lab.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The wet, heavy clay conditions make for labour intensive work, as the site is excavated by students one shovelful at a time. The soil is manually worked through a screen to catch any small artifact fragments.<\/p><\/div>\n

Students began excavation in an area believed to have been the site of houses used by the shipyard\u2019s labourers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe think this big six-by-three-metre space is likely overlapping on some structural components of a small workers\u2019 village that was up here on the slope and closely associated with the Shickluna Shipyard, likely for its own labourers and skilled workers,\u201d said research assistant Michael Obie, who oversees the excavation crew.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team will be looking for evidence of structures and the livelihoods of the inhabitants, as well as possible evidence of maritime culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s really mucky up there with clay and mud, that heightens the chances of us finding some interesting things that would otherwise be decomposed, like leather, basketry, textiles and wooden components of structures,\u201d Obie said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Waterlogged conditions can prevent or delay the decomposition of some organic materials that would otherwise break down quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The excavation process is slow and muddy. Students excavate the area one thin layer of earth at a time. Each shovelful of soil is then manually worked through a screen to sieve out any possible artifact fragments. These are then bagged with an identification number that connects the artifact to a specific location, allowing the team to reconstruct the site and how it was used when they analyze the objects back in the lab.<\/span><\/p>\n

Health and safety is taken very seriously on site, with crew members wearing long pants to prevent tick bites and steel-toed safety footwear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty messy up there, which is a hassle for excavation, but we have a good crew,\u201d Obie said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team is made up of 10 students taking HIST 3M60 Field School in Local Historical Archaeology as well as several community volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A \u2018first shovel\u2019 ceremony was held at the Shickluna shipyard site Thursday, July 25 with volunteers, students, local dignitaries and representatives from the Indigenous and Maltese communities present. The team began excavating operation area one, thought to be the site of a worker\u2019s dwelling, on July 18.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen I go to school, when I study, I\u2019m always interested in what I\u2019m learning and how it applies to what I want to do,\u201d said student Colin Mackenzie, who is working on his undergraduate degree in History at Brock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think archaeology is one of those opportunities to better yourself as a student and learn about the process. But in this particular case, it\u2019s a way to give back to the community and help uncover a bit of our past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The public is encouraged to follow the excavations on<\/span> Instagram<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> Facebook<\/span><\/a> for regular updates and behind-the-scenes photos of the archaeological work. For safety reasons, people are advised to avoid the area while excavation is underway.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t have a chance to catch a glimpse of the project in action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are eager to reach the community with our work,\u201d Monk said. \u201cWe look forward to inviting the public on site to see first-hand the archaeological work we are doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Brock staff, faculty and students will be able to visit the site Wednesday, Aug. 14, followed by public tours Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18.\u00a0<\/span>Further details will be provided on the project\u2019s social media channels.<\/p>\n

The project is<\/span> supported<\/span><\/a> by Brock, McMaster and Trent universities and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It has also received in-kind support from community sponsors Telephone Clinic, Rankin Construction, Andritz Hydro, Modern Corporation, Niagara Storage on Site, Calhoun, and Wood PLC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n