Hold the shovel, LMS dig on hiatus

The annual archaeological dig at the Brearley House conducted by Lawrence Middle School eighth-graders is on hold this year as school administrators review the program.

By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
The annual archaeological dig at the Brearley House, conducted by Lawrence Middle School eighth-graders with the help of Trenton-based Hunter Research Inc. archaeologists since 1998, is on hiatus this year.
   LMS Principal Andrew Zuckerman said he decided to postpone the dig to reassess how the program fits in with the school’s curriculum.
   He said it is very likely that the archaeological dig will resume next school year, after school district officials review the project and try to align it with the school’s curriculum.
   Mr. Zuckerman said he plans to meet with the Lawrence Historical Society this month to discuss the archaeological dig, which has been held on the grounds of the township-owned house off Meadow Road for the past several years. The society has worked with LMS on the project.
   "I am going to meet with the Historical Society to discuss how to move (the dig) forward," he said. "I have set aside time to discuss it with them. I want to re-evaluate and re-examine the focus of the dig. It’s definitely a wonderful program and I am going to look to continue it."
   Mr. Zuckerman said he does not intend to abandon the archaeological dig, because the students "definitely" benefit from it. He said he is new to LMS — he was named principal in August — and he wants to learn more about the dig.
   Lawrence Historical Society President Janet Bickal said groups of 10 to 15 eighth-graders are taken to the grounds of the 18th-century farmhouse — which was built by the Brearley family — for three days in October and May.
   In the early years, students dug small excavation pits and occasionally had a chance to sift through the piles of dirt they uncovered, Ms. Bickal said. But lately, the students have not been digging in the ground. They do sift through dirt that has already been excavated for buried items, she said. They learn what occurs after a pit has been dug and how the soil is examined for artifacts.
   "We were disappointed (when the archaeological dig was suspended)," Ms. Bickal said. "We just assumed it would continue. It has generated a lot of enthusiasm for the Lawrence Historical Society. More people are aware of the Lawrence Historical Society and the Brearley House, because a lot of people have children in eighth grade."
   Lawrence Historical Society member Chris Lahoda, who coordinated the effort, also was disappointed when he learned at the beginning of this school year that the dig would not take place.
   "I was sorry this year’s eighth-graders missed the chance to work with professional archaeologists, as past eighth-graders have been able to do for six or seven years," Mr. Lahoda wrote in an e-mail. "I do hope to see the project restored, and I look forward to working with the new principal to see if the project can be built into next year’s curriculum and schedule."
   Working with professional archaeologists, students have uncovered pieces of glass, pottery, coins and Indian arrowheads in earlier digs at the Brearley House property.
   The brick farmhouse was built in 1761 by John Brearley II and his son, James Brearley. The Brearleys were early settlers of Lawrence Township, arriving in the township in the 1690s. The house was occupied by five generations of Brearleys, until it passed out of the family’s hands in 1918.
   The township acquired the property in 1978, through the state Green Acres Program. The farmhouse was restored in 2000 at a cost of $562,950 by a Philadelphia-based contractor.