Downtown dig produces historic artifacts

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

The city Preservation Council’s Bruce Atnip, left, and Jimmy Haley say they were excited about getting a quick look at objects they found in layers of dirt underneath the road after a trench was dug for utilities next to the courthouse Wednesday.

Digging into the second section of the Main Street project is just what Jimmy Haley and Bruce Atnip have been waiting for.

As history buffs and members of the city’s Preservation Council responsible for the recovery of historic artifacts uncovered during the revitalization project downtown, it didn’t take long for them to learn of preliminary utility work taking place at the northeast portion of Court Square in front of the post office.

“I couldn’t wait until they dug this up,” Haley, a history teacher and city alderman, said of unearthing objects that were estimated to be 150 years old, or more.

Haley said the site is unique because Union soldiers overtook the courthouse, which he said was built in 1856, during the Civil War. And while he didn’t find Civil War artifacts like the bullets and buttons that have been found elsewhere during construction, several other interesting objects came to the surface.

The trenching uncovered a cornerstone of what was thought to be the Civil War-era courthouse, which is supposed to be saved, Haley said while digging along the sides of the trench. He also found several shards of what might have been 1840s-era pottery, animal teeth and animal bones. If any human remains are ever uncovered, a number of agencies would have to be contacted, Atnip clarified for a passerby.

Shards of blue and green dishes or pottery attracted some attention.

“Apparently, blue and green were two of their favorite colors,” Atnip said, “because we’ve found a lot of this.”

Haley said the farmers market used to be in the area, but he didn’t know if it was a general trash area for the old courthouse or if it served some other purpose.

In any case, the pair were fascinated with being able to get a limited glance of the layers of road, old brick and dirt during the Civil War, which happened with short notice as utility crews dug in.

“More people are interested in this than the original one because of the Civil War,” Atnip said of the site.

The Preservation Council was formally established by city officials at the start of the downtown project in order for members to collect historic artifacts uncovered during the project and to discourage foraging there. A display or collection of what is found there is likely to be set up at some point.

Although the electrical work being done in front of the post office caused a partial street closure, it was a temporary one, as the trench was filled with gravel Wednesday. Officially, the second section of construction at Court Square is supposed to begin later this month. When that happens, access to Court Square from Morford Street will be cut off for a few months.