Brook Farm is unique among historical sites in New England in possessing several different occupations which are linked together by the theme of social reform.
~ The Archaeology of Social Reform: Report on the 1990 and 1991 Field Seasons of the Brook Farm Hive Archaeology Project
”The Dig
Former City Archaeologist, Steven Pendery, conducted the first archaeological research at Brook Farm as part of the Boston City Archaeology Program in the early 1990s. Over the course of multiple excavations, teams of archaeologists dug “test pits” too see what was hidden below the surface. After establishing likely locations, the archaeologists uncovered building foundations, landscape features, and thousands of artifacts. In this manner, they were able to identify ten historically significant sites of human occupation and “unambiguous evidence” of original structure locations. The project brought to light many communities that occupied the land during different historical periods.
Image courtesy of American Society of Landscape Architects
Archaeologists ask questions such as:
What are the artifacts made of?
What would they have been used for?
Where were they created?
What does their location, related to other artifacts, structures, or natural features, tell us?
Can you think of any other questions?
Image courtesy of the Boston City Archaeology Lab