Green Tree Tavern Stand

Archaeological Investigation of the Green Tree Tavern Stand

      This issue of the Mon-Yough Journal focuses on the ongoing excavation of the archaeological site across the road from the Abel Colley Tavern, the museum for the Fayette County Historical Society. The excavation has been vexing as well as intriguing. After four years of excavation, the identity of the site is still problematic. According to local oral history, the remains are those of the Greene Tree Tavern Stand. Yet there is only one published mention of the site as the location of the Green Tree Tavern. Lengthy research at the Uniontown Public Library and the Fayette County Courthouse by Dwayne Santella, Beverly Santella, and the author yielded no clues about the identity of the site, its age, nor its usage as a tavern stand to service private and commercial travelers. While Able Colley, who had his home built across the road from the site, is mentioned in the tax records as having a license to operate a 

 

Ae Colley (taken from Searight, 1894). Colley home, now the location of the Fayette Historical Society Museum.            

                                                                          

tavern as early as 1838, the available document record cannot tell us whether his ownership of a tavern refers to his home built in 1835 and used as a tavern, or the site across the road, the subject of this issue. Again, oral history connects the archaeological site with Abel Colley, but did Able own the building complex referred to as the Green Tree Tavern prior to 1838 when he inherited properties from his father, Peter Colley, who died that year.

Excerpts taken from 1838 will of Peter Colley:

 

“To son, Abel Colley, Sam Adam’s tract excluding ten acres of said tract adjoining, and including the buildings at the Old Tavern stand at the Plump Stock/Sock Road equaling

about 110 acres occupied currently by deceased David Colley’s heirs.

 

Also to Abel, the tract called Frost Place of 30 acres

 

Also to Abel, the tavern tract containing 55 acres all equaling nearly 200 acres adjoining land of Joseph Beall Phillips heirs, Mrs Searight, and others”

 

While informative, it has not been possible to determine if one of these properties contains the site across from Abel Colley’s home.

     One fact is certain regarding the site, all the building footprints thus far delineated, like those of other still standing structures from the first half of the l9th century, are parallel to US  40, the National Road. Historical records state that the National Road was built across Fayette County in 1818. It is highly probable that the building complex, the site, was thus built sometime after 1818 and not before as some oral history accounts have stated.

     The ending date for the site is also problematic. Oral historical accounts – which cannot be substantiated with documents – suggest the destruction of the tavern, and perhaps some of its dependencies, by fire occurred prior to 1850. A thorough examination of the available newspaper collections stored on microfilm from approximately 1830 to 1860 by an intern working for the chapter did not find any reference regarding the destruction of the tavern. However, it is possible that a story describing the demise of the tavern was published in one of the missing newspaper issues. The site artifact assemblage does not provide any assistance, since several examples of ceramics and bottles dating to the second half of the 19^th century being recovered. Chapter members will continue to review archival documents as these become available.

 The Archaeology of the Tavern Site

     Excavation at the site started in May, 2019 (see picture below). The standard sized unit was a 2 m². Initial excavation began where a noticeable rise or swell in the surface was apparent. Excavation confirmed the existence of a dense concentration of limestone rubble.

     An important question was what to expect regarding buildings. All of the structures previously shown were built with stone foundations. What this the case with our tavern?

     One of the best means of inferring the type of structure once present is by examining its footprint. Different types of structures can have different footprints. As horizontal exposure progressed, segments of dry laid stone foundations or footers were exposed. It would appear our structure and its outbuildings were supported by these. Such foundations are predominately associated with structures built from logs.

     Excavation identified the presence of an extensive, artifact rich, sheet midden – feature 5 – denoted by the white dashed line superimposed upon the aerial photo. Beneath it were several deep, 

Feature 1. Limestone rubble.

Drone image showing extent of excavations in 2019.  

stone-lined or chinked, rectangular post holes visible in the aerial photo. While such reinforced post holes tend to be wall supports, these did not form any pattern. Also visible in the aerial picture denoted by red lines were segments of dry laid foundation stones.

     Visible in the photo below is a partially exposed three-course thick, rectangular shaped foundation made from cut limestone. Within the foundation were pockets oxidized soil suggestive of burning. This was the extend of excavation in 2019. Of course the COVID lockdown presented us from do any work in 2020.

     In 2021 several California University of California students assisted with the excavations. The infusion of their enthusiasm and energy helped make up for the lost field time in 2020. Excavations exposed additional stone-lined post holes, and more of the dry laid foundations. 

     

                                            

Excavation also completely exposed the rectangular shaped, cut limestone stone foundation first identified in 2019. The foundation measured 1.88 m by 3 m (7 ft by 10 ft) in size. The floor of the foundation (outlined with red lines) consists of disjointed, cut limestone cobbles. Our current thinking is that the configuration might be the remnant of a chimney box of some sort. The size of the foundation seems too small to have been the foundation for a summer kitchen. The foundation could also be the remnant of either a bake oven or a smokehouse; see image below. In addition, the sheet midden identified in 2019 extended across the entire area excavated between 2021-23. 

Picture of stone foundation

     Excavations in 2024 exposed additional sections of dry stacked stone foundations and a linear discoloration some three meters wide by more than four meters in length was exposed. Excavation to delineate its configuration or footprint recovered several artifacts that functionally would be associated with black smiting, such as horse and oxen shoes, files, pliers, and tools for working leather. The surface of the stain contained a small amount of cinders, coal fragments, small stones, and charcoal fragments. 

     Unfortunately, excavation could not chase out the dimensions of the stain. Such stains are consistent with the presence of a structure and represent debris that filtered down through the flooring. But such stains could also represent the actual floor. Because of the presence of smiting tools, the horse and oxen shoes, and the debris on the floor, we believe the latter proposition best characterizes the existence of the stain. For the moment, lab work is occupying the chapter as we attempt to assess catalogue the thousands of artifacts recovered from five field seasons. 

     Volunteers are Welcome and interested persons should contact the chapter president at john.nass.1813@gmail.com. In fact, we are in need of help! Prior archaeology experience is not required and volunteers will learn first-hand how to identify and catalogue artifacts from the site. 

John Nass, Jr.

     

    

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History of Mon-Yough Chapter #3 Archaeological Investigations

   History of Mon-Yough Chapter #3 Archaeological Investigations 

     As previously mentioned in the initial posting of the Monyoughjournal, the chapter was chartered in 1973 at California State College. Membership consisted predominately of students with the Anthropology Program faculty serving as advisors. Many of the founding student members acquired their initial field experience while working at the Campbell Farm site, a precontact habitation site in Grindstone, Fayette County. Five field schools were held at the site and chapter members under the supervision of William Johnson continued additional testing in the mid-1970s. 

 Chapter members played a significant role in helping test and surface collect other precontact Monongahela Culture habitation sites in Wahington, Fayette, Westmoreland, and Greene counties to obtain a large sample of the cultural material with which to outline a regional chronology. Of particular interest was the acquisition of ceramic sherds, especially those with decoration and/or appendages. The sherds were used to help create a series of ceramic types, much like those described by Mayer-Oaks (1955) and Richard George, both affiliated with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Sites investigated included Vesta, Speers, Labash, Hartley, Fuller Hill, and Deterick Farm. Chapter members 

Testing at the Vesta site

                         

also participated either directly or indirectly in excavations at the historic period Searights Tavern, Peter Colley Tavern, Breasher House, Nemacolin Castle, and Gaddis Fort sites, all in Fayette County. (Note: Jones, Novak, Otvos, and Sorn were not sites tested by the Chapter) (Nass 2006). 

Map showing the location of selected site investigated by chapter members

Testing at the Speers site

                                          

    

Sample of rim sherds from the Speers site

     In the early 1980s, due to a drop in Anthropology majors, the chapter went inactive. In 2011, students, faculty, and interested individuals sent a petition to the state organization asking that the chapter be approved for active status. Since then, the chapter has been involved in several excavations in southwestern Pennsylvania. Noteworthy projects include assisting Marc Henshaw 

Testing at the Labash site

                                   

Base map of excavations at the Labash site

Excavations at the Campbell Farm site

                                                

Feature excavations at Campbell Farm                                                                        

testing sites associated with the riverboat industry and trade in Brownsville, testing at the precontact Shriver site in Greene County, and assisting Fay-Penn Economic Development Council by testing archaeological site locations within the boundaries of a proposed business park. Since 2019, the chapter has been conducting excavations at the possible location of the 19th century Green Tree Tavern Stand. The investigation is being done on behalf of the Fayette County Historical Society.

     From 2012 until 2021, the chapter held its monthly meetings and lab sessions at California University. However, all outside groups, including the Mon-Yough chapter were no longer permitted to meet on-campus following the end of the Covid shutdown from the prior year, even though most members of the chapter were students and faculty. Matt Cumberbridge, a chapter member who is also the Executive Director of the Greene County Historical Museum, offered the basement of the museum library as a replacement for the lab at the university. The chapter has sense used the space for its lab sessions and research. 

     With the assistance of Matt, the chapter was able to secure funding for the purchase of additional lab equipment, for supporting a lecture series, a collaboration with the Greene County Historical Museum, and to purchase a projection system for installation in the main hall in the museum. The projection system allows speakers to use PowerPoint and other media resources for their talks. When possible, many of the talks are carried live on YouTube. Through our collaboration, we have been able to host several talks on archaeology, local history, architecture, 19th century trades, and technologies for the general public, chapter members, and members of the Greene County Historical Society.

     Keeping with the theme of the chapter's activities, the next issue of the Journal will focus on the archaeological investigation of the historic site believed to be the Green Tree Tavern  Stand.

John Nass, Jr. 

Mon-Yough Chapter President

 References 

Mayer-Oakes, William J. 1955 Prehistory of the Upper Ohio Valley: an Introductory Archaeological Study. Anthropological Series, No. 2. Annals of Carnegie Museum 34. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh. 

Nass, John P., Jr. 2006 “Thirty Years and Still Going:” A History of California University of Pennsylvania’s Archaeological Investigations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Paper Presented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Washington, Pennsylvania.