18th Century Artifacts Unearthed During Rowan College At Burlington County Excavation

Items from the 18th-century Borton/Ballinger farmstead have been found during an archaeological dig at Rowan College at Burlington County, college officials said on Thursday.

The college is partnering with Hunter Research, Inc. to carry out an archaeological data recovery in accordance with the New Jersey State Historical Preservation Office as part of the college’s modernization project at its main campus.

The farmstead was settled in the mid-18th century and the farmhouse and other farm buildings stood on the site until the 1980s.

The excavation aims to document the buried remains of the farmstead, including the main house, outhouse, well, barns and sheds while gathering information on the history of the farm and the people who lived there.

So far, the excavation has discovered the foundation remains of the house and several outbuildings along with a large number of historic artifacts, as well as a Native American jasper projectile point.

This type of point, known as a Brewerton side-notched point, has been found at other sites and has been dated to approximately 4,000 to 2,000 B.C. This is 3,750 years before the Bortons showed up.

Once the digging of the area is finished, Hunter Research’s efforts will turn to the analysis of the artifacts, preparation of site plans and a technical report that will take a couple of months.

“As we look forward to the future and the modernized Mount Laurel Campus, it’s always nice to stop and learn about the past and the history of the area that the campus is built on,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton said.

“Hunter Research is pleased to be working with Rowan College at Burlington County and the project engineers, Taylor Wiseman & Taylor, on this interesting project,” Vice President, Principal Investigator/Archaeologist at Hunter Research, Inc Jim Lee said. “Opportunities to conduct archaeological investigations this extensive on 18th-century farmstead sites are uncommon and we're confident that the research and excavations we are conducting will provide a rare look at the character of rural Burlington County during this period."

Created as a satellite campus in 1995, Mount Laurel is now the college’s main campus as it transitions out of Pemberton – its original home for half a century. Preparation of the construction site of the 78,000 square-foot Student Success Center and 320-car parking lot began in August and is expected to open before the fall 2017 semester.

“Burlington County has a rich farming heritage and it’s important to preserve this culture as Rowan College at Burlington County transforms into the model of 21st century education,” Burlington County Freeholder Mary Ann O’Brien said.

To learn more about the campus transformation, visit rcbc.edu/campus-transformation. To view the entries along with findings from Hunter Research, Inc. visit rcbc.edu/campus-transformation/site-excavation.

The attached image was provided by Rowan College at Burlington County