Archaeology after 1966

Regulatory Archaeology after the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

A big change occurred in 1966 with the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The passage of the NHPA was spurred at least in part by losses to the historic fabric of American cities caused by the excesses of highway building and suburban sprawl. Section 106 of the NHPA required federal agencies to take into account the effects of their actions on National Register or National Register eligible properties, a mandate that was eventually extended to projects receiving federal funds or needing federally-issued permits to move forward.

Excavations at the Hermann-Grima House Complex

A multi year investigation at the Hermann-Grima House Complex marked the first sustained research at a historic site in the neighborhood, with archaeology intended to solve site-specific questions as to the function of buildings, the chronology of architectural additions, and the origins of anomalous features in the complex courtyard.

Click through photographs from the Hermann-Grima House Exacavation

This shot shows an overview of the verdant Hermann-Grima courtyard during one of several excavations performed by the University of New Orleans. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
A University of New Orleans field school student stands in an excavation unit in the Hermann-Grima House courtyard. In the background, the sign reads "Christian Woman's Exchange Shop." The Christian Women’s Association has owned the house since 1924, and they have encouraged extensive archaeological excavations. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
Workers prepare an area along the Exchange Shop entrance in the Hermann-Grima courtyard prior to excavations. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
Photograph of Excavation Unit 10 at Hermann-Grima House. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
One student watches as the other uses a shovel in an excavation unit in the Hermann-Grima courtyard. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
A student shovels soil in an excavation unit of the Hermann-Grima house. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
This layer of bricks was the original open hearth base built in 1831 when Samuel Hermann had the house constructed. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
This 18th century pottery was found during excavations of the Hermann-Grima house. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
This 18th century pottery was found during excavations of the Hermann-Grima house. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
This 18th century pottery was found during excavations of the Hermann-Grima house. Courtesy of UNO ARC.

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Excavations at Fort St. Ferdinand and Congo Square

The identification of the city’s fortifications and of military emplacements in the surrounding area was a goal of many historical archaeological projects during the 1970s, and work was carried out at Spanish Fort, Fort Pike, Fort St. John, and Fort St. Mary, among others. It was interest in the city’s fortifications that would help spur one of the first large-scale urban investigations of the 1970s, that at the Jazz Complex and Congo Square in what is now Louis Armstrong Park. Investigations represented an important step in the application of the NHPA and related laws to urban deposits, one that would soon see much more thorough realization in other contract work throughout the city.

Click through photographs from the Fort St. Ferdinand and Congo Square Exacavation

Crew members conduct shovel testing to determine where to establish an excavation unit. This photo shows how overgrown and undeveloped Louis Armstrong Park was in the 1970s following the city's destruction of the 9 residential blocks that formerly occupied the site. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
The excavation crew uses a backhoe to dig excavation trenches to look for evidence of Fort St. Ferdinand. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
The excavation crew sorts through backdirt collecting artifacts. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
Excavators work to pump out the water that had accumulated in the trench. The wooden planks on the left side of this trench are remains of Fort St. Ferdinand. The ditch, or moat, that surrounded the city was lined with these planks. This excavation was hampered by frequent rainfall and ground water issues which made investigation of units and trenches difficult. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
A closeup photograph of the wooden planks that lined the Fort St. Ferdinand moat. This moat connected each of the five forts surrounding New Orleans. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
Members of the excavation team work on a unit of the 1977 Congo Square Excavation. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
In the Jazz Complex area of the excavation, archaeologists uncovered what appeared to be a brick patio or walk, indicating that this particular area of the park seems to have always been used as an open yard area. Courtesy of UNO ARC.
A Firehouse used to occupy the area of the park close to Rampart Street, and the excavation revealed an fire well that reserved water for firefighting. After the city utilities were established, the well likely became used as a trash pit. Artifacts recovered from the well include items dated from the middle of the 19th century such as common ceramic wares, horseshoes, glass, and nails. Dr. Shenkel concluded that the well was filled in the mid 1800s and that the people who owned the residence at the time were likely middle class due to the common household wares the well contained. Courtesy of UNO ARC.

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Excavations at Big Oak Island

Investigations continued at pre-contact era sites in Orleans Parish during the 1970s and 1980s, with the best known and most extensive being those conducted by Richard Shenkel of the University of New Orleans at Big and Little Oak Island (16OR6 and 16OR7). These sites remain a significant long-term concern for the archaeology of the New Orleans area, as do other undiscovered sites in the surrounding lakefront area.

Courtesy of UNO ARC.

Courtesy of UNO ARC

Courtesy of UNO ARC.

Excavations at Little Oak showed greater evidence of year-round habitation, including the remains of at least two different structures, but also a shorter period of use. The site contained dense quantities of pottery and faunal remains that demonstrated the diversity of food sources for the people of the Tchefuncte culture, including white-tailed deer, muskrat, freshwater drum, gar, bowfin, alligator, and turtle.

Shell middens, or deposits of refuse made up of discarded brackish water clam shells (or Rangia cuneata), are the most visible Native American sites in this area. They often form the highest land in the low-lying marshes between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne, which makes them home to distinct floral and faunal communities, as attested to in the names of the sites themselves.

Interspersed within shell middens are numerous other types of material remains: bits of pottery, stone and bone tools, items of adornment, animal bones discarded from meals, and even human burials. Some shell middens also contain distinct living surfaces, including hearths, post holes from dwellings and shelters, and pits.

Excavating at the Oak Island sites was not easy. Supposedly the 1930s excavations were called off prematurely because of the difficult field conditions. The sites are difficult to reach, especially in wet weather, and heat, water, mosquitoes, stinging insects, and poisonous snakes made summer field schools there an adventure.

Courtesy of UNO ARC.

An important development related to the Oak Island archaeology projects was the creation in 1982 of the “Indian Youth Project”. That year, Richard Shenkel and Pete Gregory launched a project with the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism to host a workshop (at UNO and on site at Big Oak) on archaeology for 50 participants from the Jena Band of Choctaw, the Coushatta Tribe, the Chitimacha Tribe, the Tunica-Biloxi, and the United Houma Nation. The workshop was intended to introduce young people to the goals and objectives of archaeology, the codes of ethics for professional archaeologists, and the benefits of archaeological studies of the past. Such an effort prefigures the increased attention to tribal concerns and stakeholder outreach that would eventually be enshrined in the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (or NAGPRA) in 1990.