The archaeological findings of an early colonial settlement on the seacoast will be the topic of New Hampshire Archeology Month 2013's keynote lecuture. "Life in the Piscataqua in the 17th Century: The View from the Chadbourne Site" takes place on April 17, 6 p.m. at the New Hampshire State Libary, 20 Park St., Concord.
Emerson "Tad" Baker, a professor at Salem State University, led excavations at the Chadbource site from 1994 - 2007 and will deliver the lecture.
First occupied in 1643 and destroyed in the Salmon Falls Raid of 1690, the Chadbourne settlement included a substantial homestead, trading post and saw mill complex. More than 40,000 artifacts, including axes, saw blades, spoons and musket balls have been recovered at the site, as well as potter fragments from England, France, Spain, Portugal and Mexico.
Baker has directed archaeological excavations on many colonial sites in northern New England. He was lead consultant and on-camera expert for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Colonial House and has also appeared on the History Channel and National Geographic Channel. His most recent book, The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England, is set principally in a New Hampshire tavern in 1682.
