BrewsterConnections(PDF) - Brewster Academy

Local Archaeology: Digging up the Past
When day students Rebecca Marisseau (Tuftonboro, New
Hampshire) and Keke Roberts (Wolfeboro) complete their
senior project, they hope to have added a chapter to the local
history books.
Through an archeology dig, the girls’ project should teach them about the
past, including how people lived in the 1800s, while helping to preserve
that way of life through their findings.
The dig will take place when the New Hampshire ground thaws on the
Marisseau’s Tuftonboro property where an old foundation share’s space
with the Marisseau’s relatively new home.
“Our property is located in what is historically the center of Tuftonboro
so the foundation could have been just a house. Remnants of a center
chimney have led us to believe someone might have lived there at one
point,” Rebecca explained. “The foundation looks relatively small but it
fits into the category of buildings for the 1800s.” According to Rebecca,
houses built in the 1800s placed their chimneys in the center of the
structure.
“Ultimately, we want to
present a museum exhibit
to our peers, but we have
learned that it has to be
interesting for them,”
Rebecca explained.
As veteran project
researchers and presenters,
both girls have learned how
important it is to make their
project relevant to peers.
“I’ve learned to tailor what
I’m presenting to what
people are interested in.
Just because I’m interested
in something or Keke is
interested, it isn’t necessarily
what others are interested
in,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca Marisseau
“We know that the general store located nearby was a tourist destination
at one point. We know that there are postcards of the area and that the
area was pretty much cleared of trees,” she shared. The girls are hoping
that old postcards will show what might have been on the property.
As part of their research, they plan to visit a local antiques store and
interview a local historian.
Rebecca explained that the actual process of going about uncovering
artifacts is tedious and includes marking off a small designated area
and scraping away dirt little by little. Within the approximately 20 x 13
perimeter of the foundation, Rebecca already has discovered a stove, a
pepper shaker, pots and pans, and medicine bottles, one imprinted with
the words Burdock Blood Bitters.
Both girls say they have
honed their research
skills with the help of the
librarians and AP classes,
which have taught them the
importance of finding the
primary source.
Keke Roberts
At the time of the interview,
Rebecca and Keke were still
narrowing the scope of the project but they knew that what they wanted
to share with their classmates was an exhibit that will identify what the
building was and reveal something about local life in the 1800s.
“Right now given our time constraints the process of the dig is quite
minimal,” Rebecca explained. “The time constraints she is referring to is
the two-week period at the end of the trimester when students can fully
devote themselves to their projects rather than preparing for and taking
exams. Because both girls take AP courses, however, they also will have
exams during this time.
“I like the projects more than the finals because it’s different and it’s
something we were really interested in and it just made it more fun for
us,” Keke said, referring to previous years.
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