Archaeological Excavations at McDonogh School
Archaeologists excavated multiple features at John McDonogh Senior High School, but the most productive was a deep, wood-lined well. It was likely built in the 1860s, in tangent with the modern street grid. Archaeologists deducted this data from multiple clues. First, archaeologists noted that the wood used to build the well was cypress wood, sawn with a machine sash. This type of saw was used in Louisiana only after 1810. When the well was built, it was dug through the existing ground surface and people packed dirt behind the wedged-in boards. In these two locations, archaeologists recognized similarities in artifacts within the soil. They noted that the well was built through soil that contained bricks and other artifacts from a wide range of dates, but none later than the mid-1800s.
Excavations of the wood-lined well along historic Bayou Road. Courtesy of Coastal Environments, Inc.
As the new street grid was laid out, there was a flurry of buying and selling and a complex series of landowners. From archival records, archaeologists traced the development of street grids and property ownership. They noted a little house on the corner of Esplanade and North Rocheblave, near the discovered well, remained for about 50 years. Archaeologists know that the people who owned the house with the well, but did not live there, were of European descent and supported the city’s free black and enslaved community, although the identity of the home’s residents remains unknown because records of that era, such as the city directory, did not have complete records.
Excavations of features within the wooden well along historic Bayou Road. Courtesy of Coastal Environments, Inc.
What was in the well? Towards the bottom of the well, standing water preserved fragile materials. One of the most exciting finds was an almost entirely intact wooden bucket. The wooden bucket was smallish, about seven inched tall and eight inches across and would have held about a gallon and a half of liquid. The bucket was traditionally made, of wooden staves bound with strips of iron, some of these iron pieces were still connected to the bucket. Other artifacts at the bottom of the well were peach pits, a shoe tack and pieces of leather – maybe from the same shoe? There were many pieces of bone, including one with an engraved design. And preserved wood. Archaeologists found an almost entire wooden scrub brush with clear holes to hold the bristles, probably boar bristles. This piece of baseboard molding still has vestiges of paint and circular saw marks on the back. Some of these well-preserved items may have come from the time that the well was in use, however most of the artifacts in the well shaft were thrown in when the well was no longer used.
Artifacts from the excavation of the wood-lined well along historic Bayou Road. Coastal Environments, Inc.
Like the piece of baseboard molding, most of the artifacts were debris from the remains of a home, or architectural debris. One out of every three artifacts was a piece of brick. About a quarter of the artifacts in the well shaft were coal and the rest of the majority included slate, shell, and stone. Less than three percent of all the artifacts within the well was ceramic, and much of this was related to homes, roof tiles or tiles that would have lined a fireplace. Less than five percent of the contents of the well shaft was glass, and a good portion of this was window glass. Although most artifacts in the well were rubble, one artifact that may be linked to people who lived in the area, was the piece of a pestle handle in the upper left of this image (a). This pestle handle may have come from a nearby licensed apothecary, or pharmacist. Marie Jean Gabriel Peyroux de la Roche Molive owned and operated an apothecary, making and selling medicines in the 1700s. He owned property adjacent to the site of McDonogh Senior High School and lived along Bayou Road. His widow owned the property itself before any homes were built at this location. Perhaps the pestle was from their apothecary.
Archaeologists believe people stopped using the well about 20 years after it was constructed, when the house it stood by was removed. The building disappeared from maps by 1881. It appears that the house was demolished, and the well was used as a handy place to dispose of the debris that was no longer needed. Most of the architectural debris was small, work and/or broken pieces of brick, slate and other building materials. Clearly seen in these buckets of artifacts. These were items that were considered unusable and disposed of in the old well. As refuse from tearing down the old house, it was clear that this was not what we would call demolition today. Instead, people deconstructed the home. This is where a building is taken apart so that most of its material can be reused. The well was filled with pieces and parts from the old house that could not be repurposed were discarded.