Students’ dig unearths
historical war artifacts
By darlene diebold
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — Some Brookdale Community College students got the chance of a lifetime when they unearthed 234-year-old historical artifacts at the Monmouth Battlefield parsonage site, Freehold, as part of their course work.
The group included students Bill Bonnell; Jason Glassman, Bradley Beach; Gene Virgilio, Old Bridge; Kristi Rose, East Windsor; and Conrad Whiteside, Freehold.
Barbara Jones, a professor at Brookdale Community College, led the archeological dig, which ran July 22-27, in conjunction with Garry Stone, New Jersey’s principal historic preservation specialist.
"This was the first time the students had been in the field, and it was all very exciting," Jones said.
"We were trying to find features that would possibly show the location of where buildings were on the Monmouth Battlefield, and that’s exactly what we found," Jones said.
Jones, Stone, and Sean Bratton, who is very active in the Battlefield Restoration and Volunteer Organization (BRAVO) and works for an archeology firm in Cranbury, planned the dig together.
"BRAVO has been quite successful in proving things about the Revolutionary War, and they were very helpful to us," Jones said. "They are volunteers who do metal detecting for war artifacts like musket balls. That is not my expertise, so it really helped."
Jones has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She has been teaching anthropology and archaeology at Brookdale Community College for the past two years.
The parsonage site was a house that was used as a field hospital during the 1778 Battle of Monmouth, Jones said. The house was demolished in 1860.
The Battle of Monmouth is suspected to have taken place in an orchard.
The mission was to dig at the parsonage site, near the battlefield, in an effort to map out where various buildings and fences were located that led to the battle orchard.
"We found significant features that suggested a fence line. There were discolorations in the soil. It is very significant to the work," she said. "Right now we are excited about going back. We don’t really know where the original features will lead us."
Of five 5-foot-by-5-foot areas excavated, three produced artifacts. Jones said the team, which included her 7-year-old daughter Kelsey, found objects like ceramics, pottery, a piece of a pipe stem, nails, and a bone which she believes is from an animal.
"The nails were very significant, as well as the other items. It proved that we were on the right track," Jones said.
This was not Jones’ first experience in the field, and it will not be her last, she said.
Another team will be searching the site May 2003 through Brookdale Community College, on the 225th anniversary of the battle.
Previously, Jones worked at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home in Virginia, at Native American sites out West, and on Roman ruins in southern France.
"All around, it was just a wonderful experience. My daughter did her part, too, digging and sifting. Every one of us learned something from the dig. Archaeology is not Indiana Jones anymore. There are a whole array of specialists, and everyone does their part. Everything is a team effort, and that is exactly what we had. I recommend anybody who is interested to sign up next summer and become a part of history. It will change your life," she said.