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Archaeological Services is a little known feature of IUP -- the anthropology department's own archaeological firm. Trained by the professionals that run Archaeological Services, students procure knowledge about both lab and field settings.
One of these professionals is Lori Frye, a native of Ligonier, who has been educated around the country in archaeology and historic preservation. She has been hired to share her expertise with the staff and students of Archaeological Services.
Frye's broad scope of education includes a bachelor's in archaeology from the University of Pittsburgh, a master's in historic preservation from Western Kentucky University and a master's in archaeology from Arizona State University.
Archaeological Services needs her expertise as on their current project, a historic site in Clarksburg. Frye is now helping train students in identification of historic artifacts, as well as working tirelessly at the site and in the lab to help shed some light on the site known as Reed Cribb.
The Reed Cribb Site was discovered due to a project by the Norfolk Southern railroad company.
Before a company such as Norfolk Southern starts a project, they test the project area for many factors, one of which is the impact of the project on historical properties or archaeological sites in the area.
Also, background research and the use of Shovel Test Pits, or STPs, by another archaeological firm determine whether further testing should be done on the area. The project has been given to the Archaeological Services for further investigation.
The Archaeological Services team placed small STPs across the site at 5-foot intervals to give the team an idea of where the house or any other buildings may have been or where soil color changes occur so those areas can be more closely investigated with larger excavation units.
The field staff searched for artifacts by removing soil layer by layer and putting that soil through a mesh screen.
Frye discovered from reports that the site once hosted a small domestic tenant farmer, who would have been of a lower class and had very few pricey material possessions. This gave the Archeological Services team an idea of what type of research questions needed to be asked and answered by further excavation of the site.
As the field crew discovered artifacts -- including earthen-, red-, white- and pearl-ware pottery -- new light was shed on the Reed Cribb project.
According to Frye, ceramics at a site can indicate the economic status of the previous tenants, judging by the type of ware it is and the print or paint on the vessel or dish.
The analysis of the ceramics concluded that most of it was English import, some of which included matching tea service sets, which would have been too expensive and elaborate for a poor tenant farmer to own.
Also, utensils, including two partial spoons, were discovered to be pewter -- more expensive than a tenant farmer was likely to possess.
A number of animal bones, mostly that of pigs were found, which excited Frye.
"Bones generally don't preserve well. They can tell us a lot about the food habits of people," she said.
"Did they do on-site butchering? Or did they have money to afford meat of better cuts from a butcher?
"Also, if it was a poor family there would be indications of poorer cuts of meat used for soup instead of a finer cut like a pork chop."
The pork bones found at Reed Cribb include teeth and large bones that were finely cut, which may indicate on-site butchering of finer cuts of meat.
Frye determined that the house itself was what is know as a "post and peer foundation," in which posts are placed in the ground to raise the floor up off the ground surface which can be put up quickly and cheaply, but also keep the floor surface from being directly on the dirt.
Among the 10,000-some artifacts that have been recovered thus far from Reed Cribb, there have been a few buttons from the Civil War.
Two of which have an eagle hovering atop three cannon balls, indicating that of an artillery man.
Other artifacts include window glass, medicine bottles, other buttons and, oddly, no children's toys.
"Part of what is really interesting about this is that the site dates to the early 1800s, back when the county was new," Frye said.
"Clarksburg was close by stream, had mill seats and road junction.
"These things can equal a population center, so people from rural areas would have to commute to this small community for things like groceries and supplies ... the idea of the gristmill and sawmill.
"People in rural areas would have come here for these items.
It also would have been an easy walk or carriage ride to town, even though the site is not exactly in Clarksburg."
The site is still in progress; with more research and excavation Frye and the staff of Archaeological Services will attempt to accurately determine the historical significance of the site to Clarksburg and the type of economic life the family of the Reed Cribb Site led.
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