NCPTT NOTES 2000 NUMBER 35 National Center for Preservation Technology and Training UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR • NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
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MARCH NCPTT NOTES 2000 NUMBER 35 National Center for Preservation Technology and Training UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR • NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Preservation 3Training Termite Control Workshop in New Orleans Information 5Management NCPTT Supports AIC’s Electronic Media Group Session Dyea, Alaska 1898. The false Remote Sensing in Alaska front of the small building on the left is still standing and was part of the remote sensing Preservation In collaboration with Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park survey. MssSCUA, University 6Research in Alaska, NCPTT is supporting the development of a field school of Washington Libraries, Hegg New Surveillance for remote sensing techniques. The development and testing of re- 67. Technologies mote sensing techniques have received considerable NCPTT sup- port, and the Dyea project widens NCPTT’s work in remote sens- ing to include training. The project will increase knowledge about The remote sensing survey the Dyea town site and a portion of Skagway and encourage, focused on the old Dyea cem- Materials through training, the use of current technologies in cultural re- etery or Native Cemetery, which 8Research sources preservation. once separated the lower Dyea A Standard town site from the northern or Method for the n 1897, the discovery of gold in Canada’s Yukon brought thou- upper town site, the false-front Analysis of sands of fortune hunters to the towns of Skagway and Dyea, area (roughly 5th and Main Historic IAlaska. The White Pass Trail from Skagway and the Chilkoot Street) of the lower Dyea town Cementitious Trail from Dyea were the most popular overland routes to the gold site, and the Slide Cemetery in Materials fields. By 1903, Skagway was nearly deserted. Dyea reached an north Dyea. A portion of the estimated peak population of 8,000-10,000 then became a ghost town Moore block bordering 5th Av- shortly thereafter. Erosion, visitation and the encroaching forest enue in Skagway was also inves- now threaten this important archeological site. Remote sensing has tigated. Preservation proven to be a cost-effective tool for discovering and interpreting Two types of remote sensors 10Calendar archeological features of both sites. were employed for the surveys: In July 1999 Dr. David Brauner of the Department of Anthro- a White’s Electronics “Spectrum pology, Oregon State University, and James Bell of Pacific Geo- XLT” digital discriminating physical Surveys Inc. conducted a remote sensing survey in the Dyea metal detector and a Model SIR- town site and on a portion of the Moore block in Skagway. Funded 10 Ground Penetrating Radar by NCPTT and administered through the Klondike Gold Rush Na- (GPR) unit. The portable SIR- tional Historical Park, this work was conducted in preparation for a field school scheduled for summer 2000. Continued on Page 2 MARCH 2000 — Number 35 NCPTT NOTES Only a small portion of the MARCH 2000 western edge of the Native NUMBER 35 Cemetery remains, as the Taiya River is relentlessly PTTPublications eroding the upper Dyea town No. 2000-01 site. The radar survey de- tected what are interpreted as three remaining graves along Editor the western margins of the old Frances Gale cemetery and a large anomaly, Copy Editor which is the site of a relocated Sara Burroughs burial. A shallow concentra- Contributors tion of cultural material was James Bell detected just south and east of David Brauner the old cemetery, possibly rep- Mary S. Carroll resenting the location of a Andy Ferrell Caption TK Mark Gilberg structure. This feature will be Elizabeth Goins investigated during the year Elizabeth F. “Penny” Jones mance at Dyea and Skagway, 2000 field season. Paul Messier Two GPR and metal detec- Mary F. Striegel Remote Sensing in a 500-MHz antenna was used. This frequency is considered tor transects were established Newsletter Coordinator Alaska best for the detection of small, in an east/west direction across Sheila Richmond Continued from page 1 buried features at shallow the false front lot, continuing Cover Image depths. The settings for the across Main Street, and across 10 can detect the position and Dr. David Brauner, radar controller were modified a lot occupied by a general GPR scan, Native Cemetery, depth of objects buried in di- for soil conditions at the Dyea mercantile store on the east Dyea, Alaska electric materials; this model site, i.e., a mixture of sand and side of the street. Investigators is manufactured by Geophysi- Contact Information silt soil strata that were well are particularly interested in cal Survey Systems Inc. It can NCPTT drained. Most of the radar what a radar signature on two NSU Box 5682 be adjusted to scan depths to transects conducted at Dyea developed lots and the inter- Natchitoches, LA 71497 80 feet. The GPR is powered vening streetscape will look Voice: 318/357-6464 were with time interval settings by a standard car battery of 12 like and how material culture Facsimile: 318/357-6421 of 50 nanoseconds, with some volts and has an instantaneous Email: [email protected] transects repeated at slightly is dispersed across these readout on a liquid-crystal WWW: www.ncptt.nps.gov higher and lower settings. The transects. Defining an elec- color monitor. The remote soil types were determined tronic and radar based street sensors are designed to map from previous excavations and signature will assist future in- NCPTT Notes is published by subsurface cultural features the National Park Service’s Na- modern shovel probes. vestigators in relocating the tional Center for Preservation such as foundations, road- Numerous subsurface poorly understood street net- Technology and Training. The beds, privies, basements, buri- mail list for NCPTT Notes is sub- anomalies were detected by the work in Dyea. Anomalies that ject to request under the Free- als and near-surface concen- dom of Information Act. Persons radar in the Native Cemetery could be interpreted as cellars, or organizations not wanting to trations of cultural debris. and false front portions of the privies, foundation features, have mail list information dis- The principle behind sub- closed should unsubscribe. Dyea site. At the Slide Cem- sidewalk features and refuse surface radar surveys is that Send comments on NCPTT Notes etery, the GPR was not able to disposal areas will be “ground or submit articles or notices for lower-frequency microwaves detect subsurface features or truthed” through subsurface consideration to NCPTT Publica- (radar) are able to penetrate tions Manager. anomalies, probably because testing during the year 2000 most soil types. The GPR units of the high content of boulders field season. direct their beams downward and cobbles in the soils. These In this project, NPS re- into the ground, and subsur- rocks were large enough to sources serve as laboratories face features and/or objects back scatter radar to the an- for advanced work in preser- then reflect that radar beam tenna, blocking soil penetra- vation research, training and back to the surface. The radar tion below them. No radar information distribution — provides a profile view of what anomalies were noted adjacent work that can benefit cultural is under the antennae. to 5th Avenue on the Moore resources throughout the For optimum perfor- block in Skagway. country. — David Brauner NCPTT NOTES — National Center For Preservation Technology and Training 2 James Bell Termite Control Workshop in New Orleans A joint effort of the Research and Training components of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) resulted in a workshop examining termite damage at historic sites. This workshop represents a first effort to pro- vide training on termite control techniques developed through collaborative research initiatives begun in 1995 as a PTTGrant to University of Florida. he National Center for representatives came from Preservation Training Brazil. Tand Technology The New Orleans French (NCPTT) partnered with the Quarter is currently being New Orleans Mosquito and used as the test site for a new Termite Control Board national campaign against the (NOMTCB) to host a work- Formosan subterranean ter- shop in New Orleans in Sep- mite, a voracious species that tember to examine new tech- now infests several states, in- nologies for controlling subter- cluding Texas, Louisiana, Mis- ranean and drywood termite sissippi, Alabama, Tennessee, infestations in history building Georgia, Florida, South Caro- Termite damage at Perseverance Hall, New Orleans and landscapes. NCPTT has lina, North Carolina, Virginia been working with NOMTCB and California. since 1995 and has funded a NCPTT’s partner are found in a station, the tional chemical treatments, number of new research initia- NOMTCB is working in col- monitoring device is replaced they limit exposure of people tives. TRAINING PRESERVATION laboration with the Depart- with a tube containing a toxic and pets to chemicals. As the For three days, workshop ment of Agriculture’s Agricul- substance, such as an insect monitoring stations are placed participants learned about the tural Research Service and the growth regulator that prevents outside of buildings, there is nature and extent of the ter- Louisiana State University termites from molting. Ter- very little risk to their historic mite problem, recent and Agricultural Center in Opera- mites eat or move through the integrity. emerging technologies for con- tion Full Stop. Operation Full bait and they transfer the NOMTCB led workshop trolling termites, and the fu- Stop is a multi-agency program growth regulator to the rest of participants on walking tours ture of termite control. Par- that aims to reduce the popu- the colony. Entire colonies can of the French Quarter and ticular emphasis was given to lation of Formosan termites be eliminated in a matter of Louis Armstrong Park to dem- new baiting techniques and and dramatically lower the months. Monitoring is contin- onstrate the bait system and their effectiveness in control- yearly cost of property dam- ued to determine whether ar- other emerging termite control ling subterranean termite colo- age, repairs and control mea- eas remain clear of infestation technologies, such as acoustic nies without damaging historic sures.