[MassHistPres] Peace Haven archaeology report

[Dennis De Witt]

Some numbers worth considering in light of the s.2053 controversy.

Last year MHC staff had to review, to some degree, about 10,000 state and/or federal filed projects for potential adverse impacts.

It found and reached Memoranda of Agreement on 14 adverse impact cases.

It required some level of archaeological survey in 64 cases.

Below is a story on the archaeology of the Peach Haven (Meditech) site that apparently has just come to light and was published on the web on Jan. 31.

The whole 25pp report and more photos is available at: 
http://ojornal.com/portuguese-brazilian-news/2012/01/meditechs-archeology-firm-says-work-with-mass-historic-to-protect-peacehaven-site/

Dennis De Witt

FALL RIVER – A report provided by architects hired by Meditech to the state concerning their efforts to build on a historic site called Peace Haven, has been obtained by O Jornal and reveals that the archeological firm recommended that the medical billing company work with the Mass Historic Commission to protect the site during development.

On page 17 of the Public Archeology Laboratory (PAL) report to Meditech, the authors write: ”PAL recommends that impacts to Peace Haven 3 Site be avoided.”

Meditech is seeking to build a medical billing facility on the site but has complained about the state’s agency’s requirements for protecting artifacts on the land which is listed on the state’s inventory of protected properties, overseen by Mass Historic. Local officials have said that the site has been picked clean and contains no archeological artifacts. The company has promised to create 800 jobs at the location and is balking at the state’s agency’s recommended steps to protect the integrity of the site, which PAL calls in the April report, “one of the most significant in Southern New England.”

The report also lists that during a site evaluation conducted in April (2010), that  PAL found that, “A total of 697 pieces of cultural material was collected during the intensive survey investigation, including 480 pre-contact artifacts, 112 post-contact period artifacts, and 105 pieces of temporally neutral material,” reads the report.

The report also lists the artifacts found and even offers photos, gives maps and indicates the various areas where they found historic artifacts.

“The Peace Haven 3 site within the Meditech office Building APE is a significant archeological resource individually and as a contributing element of the Freetown and Fall River Archeological District, a discontinuous archeological district along the lower Taunton River in Freetown. Research at 20 archeological sites within the nominated district indicates that the area has been utilized by Native Americans for more than 10,000 years,” reads the report.

Scientists discovered a number of artifacts including a corn masher used by natives to mash corn into meal and numerous shards of pottery including some post-contact, blue hand-painted pottery similar to Spanish or Portuguese styles.


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