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.