Roads, Rails, and Trails - Secretary of the Commonwealth

This view of City Square Park in Charlestown shows a
replica of the Three Cranes Tavern foundation in the
Foreground.
Industrial sites were prominent among those uncovered
in advance of the Big Dig. These included the American Glass
Company, which operated in South Boston from 1847 to 1857,
and small-scale workshops that made pottery, worked metals,
tanned leather, and distilled spirits. Old maps and records
related to these businesses allowed archaeologists to put names
and histories to the artifacts they unearthed, which in turn gave
new life and meaning to flesh out the bare bones of the
documents. Old wharves told their tales of commerce and
shipping, and privies yielded remarkably preserved artifacts of
leather, wood, and even fine lace and silk. Among the
extraordinary finds was what proved to be the oldest bowling
ball in North America!
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Upper left: an 18th-century stoneware jug from the Parker-
Harris Pottery in Charlestown. Upper right: a fashionable
gentleman's riding boot found at the Mill Pond Site near
Dock Square and the North End. Center: brass ornaments
from the John Carnes' 18th-century workshop in the North
End. Bottom: scent bottles from the American Glass
Company in South Boston