MARCIA LANE
marcia.lane@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 08/07/09
Three wells and burned wooden items probably dating back to a British raid in 1702 British are among the latest items to turn up at an archaeological dig on the grounds of the Cathedral Parish School in downtown St. Augustine.
"You can see the barrel. The barrel's still there," Melissa Dezendorf, part of the city's archaeology staff, told volunteers who were cleaning off and cataloging items found at the dig site off Bridge Street.
The barrel was part of a third well uncovered by city archaeologist Carl Halbirt. The news was exciting enough to cause volunteers to stop working and head over to the rectangular shaped hole where he was working.
A portion of a metal barrel band that once held a wooden barrel together and pieces of burned wood could be seen in the pit. Barrels -- placed one atop another -- were used to form the shaft of the well and hold back the dirt.
As quickly as Halbirt dug in the hole on Thursday, water seeped in.
The area is below the water level. and that -- combined with recent rains, a full moon and high tides -- prompted the city to bring in a pump to try and keep the area dry while the dig goes on.
The third well caused Halbirt to slightly change his hypothesis about events that took place at the site. He originally thought what turned out to be the well was a "robbers' pit," a sort of dump site.
Each of the wells at the site was dug next to each other and each at different times, he believes. The wells range from the mid-1600s to the early 1700s.
"It's a fascinating insight into how the Spanish got potable water," Halbirt said.
The middle well was about eight feet deep and used hogshead barrels - 48 inches across. Hogshead barrels were the type used to ship in items from Europe.
And that middle well was also filled with sand. Halbirt believes the Spanish filled the well with white sand, probably during 1702 when Gen. James Moore of the Carolinas laid siege to St. Augustine in an attempt to take it for the English.
The siege went on for 51 days, but the Spanish did not capitulate. Moore left in defeat.
"I think the idea was to go back and clean it out and use it again as a well," Halbirt said. The Spanish were trying to minimize resources that the English could use during the siege.
Among other items dug out of the area have been burned wood, including legs from chairs and tables that were probably burned by the English during the siege.
After the wells were no longer in use, the Spanish apparently used the area for a hog wallow. Four posts were found that would have served as the sides for the wallow.
"The charred pieces of wood out of the third well suggest there was some type of fire, and then they just dumped that material into that well shaft. It was abandoned and then within a short period of time was reused not for potable water but ... as a muddy environment for pigs right in the back yard," Halbirt said.
After digging several buckets of dirt to be cleaned and examined by the volunteers, Halbirt closed the third well hole with clean dirt.
The site is part of a planned drainage system for the school. The dig, while more extensive than most, will be over in a couple of weeks.
If in future years the site is uncovered by other archaeologists, the sand will let them know this area has been examined.
There's another clue as well.
As with other digs in St. Augustine, Halbirt planted a coin - in this case a 2009 penny.
ALSO FOUND AT THE SITE:
** Some blue beads
** Shell pendant
** Big fragments of Native Ameridan pottery
** Small brass crucifix in pieces
** Copper medallion
** Lots of European ceramics, mostly from the First Spanish Period
** Piece of decorative wood, apparently from furniture
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