Final Day

On the final day, everything came to a close. We visited each sight and listened attentively to their stories and findings. We began in the graveyard. In the graveyard we read scripture, prayed, and laid a rose on each marked grave. The ceremony we held was heart-touching for many people.
Mr. Dana sent his team on a mission to mark off the land. So, we took the measuring wheel and walked the path of the sites. That was a long walk. I would say that it was a good way to end the week.

Day 5

Its sadly the last day of the dig, and we are going to go to everyones site and learn about what they did and how they found some of there things. The first place we went was the Cemetery which consisted of a small ceremony where we put flowers on some of the graves.

Day 4

Thursday probably the coldest day of the week to me. We got to our site and got straight to work, we still weren't finding important things like the other groups so we had to move into another spot then we started finding some cool things. Then two students found a pipe but didn't know it had a face on it until it was cleaned

Day 3

Today we got there and went straight to work. We tried to work hard considering the fact that Coach Glass was rushing us it was actually pretty funny. Alot of the other groups were finding cool things and we were gonna give up, but decided to dig deeper. We took our team picture which was missing some people but it was okay. Finally when it was almost time to leave we found some green ware and some pottery.

Day 2

Today is the day we start digging, we have found our spot which is a big cabin, I think that we had the biggest cabin out of everyone to be exact. We didn't really find anything like the other groups but its okay because we got a late start from the day before

Dig Day 1

Today is the first day of the dig, and it’s very cold. We just looked around the site and it’s very cool as Tyquan would say. It was basically a clean up day considering the fact that we had to clean up some places and move a lot of things at our dig site, which we got a late start on because we had to work in a depression hole, which we thought that something could’ve been there but Liz said that a tree was there. Emily, Marissa and I found a lot of rocks which were used to start a fire and had to flag them so that was kind of cool. Some of the students ran across of a snake while moving trees and other stuff but it was okay because no one got hurt.

Day 5 Summary

Today was the last day at the dig site. All we did today was we went to everyone dig site where they was digging. First we went to the slave graves and we seen where the math team has marked them down and measure where they would be. They gave everyone flowers to put on the slaves grave. I thought it was really cool that they found all them slaves at the grave site. Next we went to the slave cabins the quarters dig site. What we did there was show what we found and how we started digging. Next we went to the blacksmith shop and they showed us what they found. I really enjoyed digging this whole week and learning new things.

Day 5- Summary

Today was officially our last day of the dig. Today was filled with viewing other sites and cleaning up our areas. We did a small ceremony at the graveyard site that was really touching. All together this was a great experience and we would love to do this again. The dig told us a lot about our past and how things were really different.

Day Four

The day started out freezing, of course. We started in the graveyard learning how to determine where a grave was. Mallory and I took turns probing the dirt to determine the length of a grave. Lewis and Jacob were sent to the other side of the graveyard to do some cleaning. Dana taught Lewis how to properly take out a stump with an axe.
Dana told Mallory, Jacob, and I to load up on his truck. He dropped us off at the blacksmith station with Terry in order for us to locate the foundation of the newer blacksmith shop. While locating the foundation and extending part C of their area, we had the opportunity to dig and sift. As we sifted through the dirt we found plenty of metal and nails. The most interesting part of today was being a part of finding a shotgun barrel from the early 1800s.
I would say that today was a great way to bring the archeological dig to an end. 

Day 4- Summary

Today was our last day digging which is a sad day. Today was filled with hard work and good times. We found a lot more stuff today that could tell us about the area and how they lived. Today we dug deeper and found more important things like bullets, pottery, and more parts of dishes. A lot of people came out today to see our work and left happy. Today was a good day for Plantation Patterns.

Dig Day 4

         Today was a pretty quick, yet eventful day. We got to our start and started digging right away. A few of us were digging, some were sifting, and others were bagging and tagging. We dug a lot in Site C and Site A. In Site A, there was a tree in the midst of our pit. We all were tired of that tree, and we felt as if something lied underneath it. So, a few of us began to dig under the tree. The tree became loose quickly, and it fell to the ground.... with a little help.
         As we began digging up under this tree, we found lots of metal. We knew something had to have been here before the tree had grown. As some of us were digging, Jakob and Addie noticed something in the side of the tree that had been bothering them since the dig began. Immediately, they both started ti cut out this piece of what seemed to be metal. After a good while of cutting it out, it finally was cut loose from the tree, Mr. Terri identified it to be an old gun shaft. To me, this was our greatest find. These were very rare, and it is just so extraordinary that we were able to discover this amazing artifact. This Day Four's report.

Digging Day 4

Day 4 of digging was a pretty quick day. All we done today was dig in one area because we had visitors coming around looking at what we have done this whole week. We also took turns doing the screens. We found more things screening than we did digging.  One boy found a old pipe made out of clay and it had a face on it. Everyone thought it was really interesting and so did I. Mr. Dana stated that the pipe was a very important piece.
  While people was finding the items we had some cleaning and rinsing them off to see what they was. We found a lot of pottery and parts of plates. These past few days we've been digging I really been liking it. I think it's real cool that we find things from way back then.  At the end of the day, all of the groups gathered around at the area we was suppose to meet at. Mr. Dana talked to us and he should us what all he found when his groups was digging.  He stated " This is why we here, we learn new things everyday and find new things." I loved that I learned new things on this trip.

Day 3

Today our group ended up split in half. Dana put Mallory and I together locating certain point in each site, while Lewis and Jacob were at the cemetery digging for artifacts. Mallory and I were put in charge of Dana's compass. He told us that we had to guard it with our lives. We started off at the cemetery plotting the outside coordinates and the origin using his unit. Then, he moved us to the blacksmith area to plot the direction of the stakes which marked the buildings location. While plotting points at the blacksmith shop, Terry gave us nicknames: blue eyes and blondie. 

We ended up walking to the site of the slave cabins. Once we got there, we were able to see the findings that were discovered in this area. They had found nails, pottery, and even a bullet! It was neat watching everyone work together. Mallory and I helped the groups clean artifacts and screen. 

Once we were united with the rest of our team, they told us about their day. Jacob and Lewis had spent the day scanning the grave site area with metal detectors. They told us about finding a few bullets. Jacob said that he enjoyed the day. He enjoyed being able to dig the most. Lewis agreed with Jacob and stated that his expectations of this dig had been met. Lewis said that he couldn't wait to see what tomorrow held. 

I asked Mallory what she had discovered about herself. She stated that she realized her ability to solve problems was stronger than she thought. She also realized how math could be implied on a daily job site. I believe our group works well with not only each other, but also the other groups we encounter. Being apart of Dana's crew has meant that we get to be everywhere all the time. 

Day 3- Summary

Today was a very good day! Plantation Patterns met all of out expectations which was to find good artifacts. Today was filled with working together and finding good artifacts. We found a lot of things today and we are very proud of that. Our findings consist of pottery, pieces of plates, and nails. Tomorrow we expect to find bigger and better.

Dig Day 3

Digging today was really. Soon as we got to the dig site we went straight to work. At first everyone digged in there assigned area. I think pretty much everybody found something today. We had high expectations today. It was to get to the dig site and find interesting things and we met those expectations.

 Today we found more nails than yesterday. Then our teacher moved all of the diggers in one area because the one group that was in a area kept finding stuff. We all began to dig and we found pieces of plates and pots pieces.  Everyone was helping eachother out a lot today. We worked together and got alone with one another.

 My group found several things in our area. We came together and we was trying to figure out what each item was. T'co asked " Hey can yall help me find something." Then our group replied "yeah sure."  I think we all learned a lot these past few days. I really enjoy going on this dig everyday and learning something new.

Dig Day 3

            Today we got straight to work. I began the day digging in site A, the site of the pit. In the pit we found so many things. We found a bottle that dated back to 1801! I thought that was quite a discovery. We also found nails, stove pieces, hedges, knives, and a lot of cool tools.
            We discovered a rock on top of a rock in Site A to the left of the pit. Mr. Terri identified it to be a corner of the foundation, and that is what it signifies. Sifting dirt was a big part of the day. Tori stated, "I am sure we have sifted at least 400 buckets of dirt." We found a lot of similar items while sifting. Diamond said, "A lot of it looks the same, but it really isn't."
            A majority of our day included some really cool animals. We found lots of worms while we were digging. When we started digging through some holes, we spotted 2 scorpions the length of my finger, yikes! Michael was digging in the pit when he saw a rainbow colored lizard, and he said, "I'm pretty sure the dirt is getting to me." Addie, Tori, and Terri found a spider that was the size of my thumb. Addie stated, "yep, who's ready to do something away from here?"
          I got to work a lot with Donnie and Steve, considering it was there last day. Me and Steve had some really interesting conversations about archeology and his line of work. Tori and I's favorite part of today was when we found a really hard piece and asked Mr. Donnie what it was. Mr. Donnie presumed it to be a very thick walnut. While he was examining it he said, "Well, it looks like a nut but it's not acting like a nut." It was very humorous. This concludes Day Three's report.

Day 2- Summary

Today was a great day for Plantation Patterns! We got there, got the equipment, and got straight to work. The most important was an old smoke pipe that could tell the time period which was very big!! We found lots of pottery. We also went in today with positive mindsets and came out lucky.

Day Two: And It Begins...

Today was much different from yesterday. Fortunately, the cleaning up turned into squaring off sections. Our instructor, Dana, showed us how to plot rocks in the quadrants. Mallory, Lewis, Jacob and I worked together to plot rocks for the Tallapoosa Timberwolves.  First, we measured how far the rock lays on the north-south line. Then, we ran a tape measure east-west. While speaking at lunch, we all decided that today was an eventful day, but it was a successful beginning. 

Dig Day 2

Our dig today was really interesting and our expectations was better than yesterday . We learned how to use the tools and the correct way to dig.  Also that the area where we was digging the house always faced the direction where it wasn’t cold. The house was slanted like and going down a hill. It had like a trailway in front where they could walk back and forth.

We was at the dig site  and did what we had to do. Today we found a lot of things that had been left there from years ago . Our job today was to find where the house that slaves lived in was built. So we found them and we knew that because there was rocks in a straight line everywhere. When we found them we made a big square of how the house would be. After we did that Jared went around in the square with a metal detector scanning the ground.

We came upon a lot of things. The things we found was nails, old pottery, and something that could've been a shovel. After we found those things we bagged them up and but labels on them. Tco asked “have yall ever just wanted to go back in time  to see what they went through”. Whitney replied “ yeah, I really want”. I replied  “ I always wished we could that”. The Jared said “ They really had a lot of work to do and it was half the time.” Jaxon replied “ Sure was. They only had breaks when their owners told them to.
I think our team works well together. We all cooperate and help each other out if we need help.  We depend on each other to help do things all the time so we can get our job done.

Dig Day 2

          Today we met our dig instructor Mr. Terri Chandler. He really is an interesting, fun, and outgoing person. He gave us all nicknames, and each name seemed to suit us well. We really enjoyed meeting him and getting to know him. After surveying the area, we found three main areas we believe to be something interesting.
           The first site was a giant hole with rocks built around it. Mr. Terri and a couple of other men identified it to be a pit. They instructed us to clean around it and inside of it to see what we might discover. The pit seemed to go on forever, leading us to believe it could have also been a well. While digging in the pit, we found a numerous amount of objects such as: horseshoes, tools, nails, and much more.
         The second site was an area right below the pit. It was a center of something, possibly a chimney. It had a lot of fire rock and bricks. We were instructed to dig on the inside of the pit to see what we might find. During our digging, we found glass, pieces of tin, pieces of pottery, and glass bottle tops.
          The third site still remains a mystery. Along the lines of the first sight to the left is a lot of rocks piled up. We believe their could be something here, or it could be a rock pile that the slaves would have done. Along the road, we got traces of metal and tomorrow we are going to dig around to see what we may find.
          Tori stated that her hands would probably be stained after sifting so much. I asked Will, "What do you think is different from the dig last year?" Will exclaimed, "Well, I feel like this work is more difficult because of the trees and roots we have to encounter while digging." I asked Jakob, "What is your favorite part of the dig so far?" Jakob said, "I really like to dig. It makes me feel like I am actually doing something." I asked Addie the exact same question. She stated, "Definitely getting to work with Terri again." This concludes Dig Day Two's report.

Dig Day 1

        Today was a pretty interesting day. The weather was colder than we all thought it would be. Early this morning, we all boarded the buses and headed to start our first of the dig. When we got there, we received instructions from Mr. Dana, and we also met a few new people. We all loaded trucks and went to our first dig site.
        Our first dig site was the cemetery. When we got there, it didn't look like much. Our first job was to clear all the brush and limbs. As everyone began grabbing tools, we started clearing the site. While we were clearing up everything, we noticed peculiar rocks. Mr. Dana identified them to be the marking of graves. Katlyn stated that she did not want to step onto one because she did not want to be haunted by anyone deceased from the graves.
        I don't think we realized how much work this was going to call for. We had to cut down trees in our way, deal with tons of cow manure, and put some physical, manual labor into our work. Tori exclaims that she did not realize what working really was until she had to dig up a root herself. We also found cow bones. It was pretty exciting. We learned to use new tools that a few of us were not familiar with such as: pick axe, miniature axe, and clippers.
      Our second dig site to clean up was a little path believed to be where the slave houses or plantations were to be. The math team had to calculate the measurements for this job. We found a lot of things at this dig site such as: a snake, a baby turtle, and a lot of bugs. A few students went through the path with medal detectors flagging what ever spot they picked up. By the end of this, there were tons of flags.
     I asked Addie, "What do you think of the dig so far, and is there anything different from the previous dig you attended?" Addie stated, "This year is different because we are having to clean up every site, not just our own. As for last year, we went straight to our assigned sites, cleaned up, and went to digging. Plus, there's a lot more cow manure this year." Katlyn mentioned, "The dig is a lot more interesting that I thought it was going to be, and it's just day one!!" That concludes Day One's  report.

     

Day 1- Summary

Day 1:

Today was a very easy day after thinking all night about nothing but hard work.

We cleaned up areas such as the grave site and the digging site. We cleaned up leaves and cut trees. We all worked together to complete these task that went by really fast. We found grave stones, pottery, we even toured slave cabins, and much more.  Some of us even found little creatures such as turtles and a baby snake. Today was a very good day!

Community Studies Dig Day 1: Summary

As we was at the digging site today, we was cleaning up the grave site area where would be digging. While we was raking up leaves and cutting down trees we seen a lot of gravestones of some of the African slaves where they was buried. The stones was marked with a headstone and footstone so you would know where they was located and where it stopped. The stones was white and flat. They was sticking out of the ground and it was a lot of the graves out there. Today was pretty easy for us and everyone else

Day One: Clean Up

Today, groups of students from community studies formed to begin an archaeological dig. I guess you could say that today was basically a clean-up day. Students started their week off by chopping down trees, uprooting stumps, and clearing the undergrowth. Mallory Mitchell, leader of "The Denominators", reported the group findings of pottery and grave markings on the surface. The students ran into multiple animals such as a grub worm, turtle, and even a snake! Don't worry, the snake was taken care of, and no one was injured during this activity.