Dirt under Queen's Marque site 'a giant puzzle' for archeologists
Colleen Jones | CBC News | Posted: May 16, 2017 11:20 PM | Last Updated: May 16, 2017
Archeologists have found pottery, pipes, and foundations dating back more than 200 years
Excavation at the Queen's Marque development site on Halifax's waterfront has uncovered a historical treasure trove that's whetted the appetite of local experts.
The site has been on the radar of archeologist Bruce Stewart and his company, Cultural Resource Management Group, who used old maps and photos to research the area long before any bulldozer moved in.
"By 1874, the Royal Engineers had made a drawing showing the limits of the property that now are Queen's Marque," Stewart explained.
"This says 1874, the guard house was placed in that position 100 years earlier than that."
The Queen's Marque is set to be the future home of a new waterfront district, complete with a boutique hotel, luxury rentals, commercial and public space.
A variety of finds
Having all that as reference material gives both archeological and construction teams a good idea of what they might undercover. They've already unearthed two granite stones with the initials W.D. etched in them, along with a soldier's boot and more.
A Saint Benedict's medal — a Christian symbol of protection — was one piece they just unearthed that had everyone excited.
"It's the trinkets, they offer an insight into the past," said Blaise Morrison of the Armour Group, the developer that's building the Queen's Marque.
"We'll never know who that medal belonged to, but it was the soldier, the sailor, the merchant; those people who were on site."
Bruce Stewart's daughter Kathryn is the onsite archeologist and she's never happier than when she's digging in the dirt.
"It's an amazing job to have," she said. "Lots of ceramics coming up and pipe stems which are always cool to see."
Cataloguing history 'vitally important'
This parcel of Halifax waterfront land is where British settlers first arrived and began building in 1749.
"We hired the archeologists over a year ago and they did a very detailed background report which showed where they thought most of the old structures would be located," said Morrison.
All of the pieces are taken back to Stewart's north-end office where they enter a so-called wet lab. A team scrubs, cleans and documents each piece.
"On this particular [waterfront] property, we are able to go right back to the origins of Halifax," said Stewart.
"It's just a giant puzzle but we don't have all the pieces, so it's interpretation. That's why the historical documentation is so vitally important to what it is we are seeing in the ground."
Stewart's office has trays of broken pottery, bottles and other artifacts that will eventually all be handed over to the province.