November 1, 2002: Volume 56, Number 8

Across Campus -- Tale of two digs

Union is well represented in local archaeology digs this fall.

At the historic Flint House in Scotia, Andy Wolfe of civil engineering and Steve Jones of anthropology have been searching for the original foundation of the building. Working with teams of students, they hope to find clues as to when the Colonial-era house was built.

And last weekend, Wolfe joined Dennis Foley of the Lewis Henry Morgan Institute and the anthropology department to uncover the 1840 Lock 1 of the expanded Erie Canal in Albany. They also hope to locate the first Albany lock of the original 1825 waterway.

"The more we find, the less we know," said Wolfe of the projects. "We're asking more questions at the end of the day."

While both projects seek to uncover some of the area's rich history, the two digs are vastly different. The Flint House dig requires great care with small implements and brushes and an easy-as-you-go approach; the team seeks to carefully record the layers of history. For the Albany project – with only large stone blocks to be unearthed – they used a backhoe. "If you were looking for fine china, you've got the wrong method," Wolfe said of the Lock 1 dig.

With Wolfe himself at the controls, they found the telltale lock and gates. "It was a good day," said Wolfe. "I got to play with some heavy equipment … and we found what we were looking for."

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