Recapturing History: Archaeological Case Studies from the Far Northeast

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Date/Heure: 
Vendredi, mai 2, 2025 - 9:00am
(NDT)
Room: 
Queen's College 4001
Organizer(s): 
  • Michael Deal, Memorial University.
Contact Email: 
mdeal@mun.ca
Session Description (300 word max): 

According to Richard Alan Fox (1993, 9), “Whenever a historical event has left physical traces, the full story of its history has not been told until archaeology has had its say.” Each of the papers in this session makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of Newfoundland and Labrador. Historical themes dating from the late 18th century to mid-20th century, and ranging from Beothuk migrations, the Great Fire, the St. John’s sex trade, a neglected Catholic cemetery, the logging industry, and Second World War aviation are re-examined using archaeological methods. In each case we see how archaeology can breathe new life into an understudied area of historical research.

(Citation: Fox, R. A., Jr. 1993. Archaeology, History, and Custer’s Last Battle. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.)

Présentations
09:00 AM: Tracing Shanawdithit: Archaeological Appraisal of Late-Beothuk Settlement-Subsistence and Related Activities
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Laurie McLean - Consulting Archaeologist

The Beothuk people's gradual retreat from their traditionally occupied territories in response to an increasing non-Beothuk presence after A.D. 1497 is well-documented by historical and archaeological data.  European accounts of contact and near-encounters with Beothuk throughout western Notre Dame Bay during the latter eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries provide brief records of some of the Beothuk's last coastal occupations.  While a number of poorly documented Beothuk graves in this region may have been created during this period, archaeological data compiled before 2022 do not strongly corroborate the historic evidence for Beothuk activity along the coast.  The results of archaeological surveys, undertaken in 2022-2024, of historically documented Beothuk migrations through the Badger Bay watershed to the sea coast and references to the Beothuk throughout the latter environment provide new details of cultural activity in this region.
09:20 AM: The Great Fire of 1892: An Archaeological Perspective on 19th century Streetscape Change in St. John’s
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Blair Temple - Provincial Archaeology Office, Gov. of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Great Fire of 1892 is one of the most famous and impactful events that occurred in St. John’s during the 19th century, possibly the entire island, and often viewed as the defining event in the creation of the downtown that exists today. However, this conflagration was just one of several throughout that century, and its post-fire impacts on the city have often been over inflated. The rebuilding efforts after four fires between 1816-1819, and another massive fire in 1846 (as well as other smaller events) all impacted greatly on the altering and creation of the landscape, and in particularly, the streetscape of downtown St. John’s. This paper will examine the archaeological evidence of the 1892 fire within the context of the other earlier fires, examining the effect that this event had on Water Street’s streetscape, and what aspects were actually related to rebuilding efforts after earlier fire events.
09:40 AM: Space, Interaction and Archaeological Potential of Uncovering the Late-Nineteenth- to Early-Twentieth-Century Sex Trade in St. John’s, Newfoundland
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Johanna Cole - Davis MacIntyre & Associates Archaeological Consultants
  • Madeleine  Mant - University of Toronto, Mississauga, Department of Anthropology

The late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century sex trade in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador can now be examined in greater detail thanks to the recently digitized Prison Admission records from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary (HMP) curated by The Rooms, Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador. When combined with institutional records from the Magistrates Court, the St. John’s General Hospital, and contemporary newspapers, these sources offer valuable insight into the lifeways of historic sex workers including many individuals’ names and physical descriptions.  The lives of these individuals were recorded mainly through their interactions with institutions such as HMP, the General Hospital, and providers of social welfare such as the Salvation Army; therefore, this paper uses geographic information systems (GIS) to place these individuals within the spatial landscape of turn-of-the-century St. John’s. By mapping individuals’ movements and locales where they lived, worked, and often were arrested, this research explores the potential of learning more about the historic sex trade through archaeological methodology.
10:00 AM: Exploring population demographics, bone metabolism, and diagenesis of a skeletal assemblage from the Immaculate Conception Cathedral Cemetery (CkAh-51), Harbour Grace, NL
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Janna M. Andronowski-Brake - Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Jamie Andronowski-Brake - Provincial Archaeology Office, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
  • Stephen  Mills - Heritage Consultant
  • Alannah DeJong - Department of Archaeology, Queen’s College, Memorial University of Newfoundland

We present preliminary findings from a long-forgotten cemetery uncovered on the property of the former Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Harbour Grace, NL. Prior to archaeological monitoring, a backhoe excavation of a service trench southeast of the cathedral’s front doors revealed various human burials. Fragmentary remains of up to 20 individuals, with ages-at-death ranging from perinatal to older adult, were recovered. Evidence of parent-infant (and other possible family burials) were found. Documentation included 1) a detailed skeletal inventory, 2) determination of the minimum number of individuals, 3) biological profile information (e.g., age, sex assigned at birth), 4) preservation details (macroscopic/microscopic), 5) pathology/trauma assessment, 6) X-ray imaging, and 7) histological analyses and high-resolution synchrotron micro-CT 3D imaging to document variables associated with bone metabolism and diagenetic change. Such novel approaches are needed to explain the substantial variability observed in the pattern/pace of bone remodeling, metabolism, and biochemical degradation among diverse groups in bioarchaeological populations. Though formal records regarding the presence of the cemetery are lacking, historical photographs showed headstones in front of the cathedral. The property has high archaeological potential and an assessment is required prior to further ground disturbance to identify historic resources, including additional internments.
10:40 AM: The Archaeological and Ecological Legacies of Mid-(20th)Century Forestry Practices in Newfoundland
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Ian Petty - Memorial University of Newfoundland

The sites associated with Newfoundland and Labrador’s logging history include logging camps, roads, and sawmills, and remain in varying states of visibility on the island of Newfoundland. These significant interactions between people and the environment permanently shaped Newfoundland’s socio-economic topography and physical landscape during its most active decades of operation. Hundreds of logging camps and sawmills were active in the island's interior from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. While a selection of these sites has been analyzed, the overall total amounts to only 56 documented sites. This project, adopting an interdisciplinary approach utilizing an archaeological, historical, and biogeographical lens, has undertaken a logging-specific ground survey to identify the impact and the heritage that Newfoundland’s historic logging industry left behind in the dense forests, rivers, and lakes on the island in the decades between 1850 and 1950. This presentation will review the preliminary results of my doctoral fieldwork from 2024, as they will eventually appear in my dissertation.
11:00 AM: Harbour Buffett and the US Navy Hudson Bomber: The Impact of an Aircraft Crash on a Community
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Lisa Daly - Independent
  • Neil Burgess - Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador

The military presence in Newfoundland and Labrador during the Second World War had significant impacts on many communities. Base construction and in the influx of Canadian and American servicemen impacted communities, local culture, language, seasonal employment practices, and more, changing the cultural and geographical landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador. During this “friendly invasion,” an act of kindness helped link one community to one of the military bases. When the community of Harbour Buffett came out to help an aircraft that crashed and caught fire on a nearby frozen pond, it started a relationship between the people and the US Navy in Argentia. This paper proposes to explore some of the connections between the military presence and the community using the 1942 crash and the 2023 survey of US Navy Hudson PBO-1 bomber #03844 (CjAm-05) from VP-82 Squadron of US Naval Air Station Argentia as a case study for how communities could be impacted by the war and the bases built for the defense of North America.