Archaeological Investigation of the Pyrrhus Concer Homesite
ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PYRRHUS CONCER HOMELOT Village of Southampton, Town of Southampton Suffolk County, New York Principle Archaeologist: Allison Manfra McGovern, Ph.D. Contributions by: Mark S. Tweedie, M.A., R.P.A. Field Crew: Jenna Wallace Coplin, M.A., M.Phil., R.P.A. Cara Frissell, doctoral student, CUNY Graduate Center Meg Gorsline, M.Phil. Mark S. Tweedie, M.A., R.P.A. March 2, 2017 ABSTRACT This report presents the results of archaeological investigation of the Pyrrhus Concer Homelot located at 51 Pond Lane in the Village and Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, New York. This fieldwork was carried out in June 2016. The purpose of the archaeological investigation is to (1) investigate the integrity and significance of buried archaeological deposits on the property, (2) inform the interpretation of the Concer homelot, and (3) outline a record of buried archaeological resources on the property to assist in future maintenance, restoration, and management of the site. No standing structures will be evaluated as part of this survey. A total of 34 shovel tests and 2 one-meter-square units was excavated on the property. Overall, the archaeological survey serves to document the twentieth and twenty-first century disturbance of the site, but it also sheds light on the nineteenth century lived experiences of Concer, his family, and his grandparents before him. The artifacts that were recovered provide visual clues to those interested in Concer’s life, and local and national histories. And significantly, the historical archaeological investigation of this site has determined that 51 Pond Lane is notable as a site of early free black land ownership, as early as the nineteenth century, during the era of Gradual Emancipation in New York State.
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