Archaeologists find artifacts at environmental center
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Doug Stine, Waynesboro, president of Cumberland Valley Chapter 27 Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, shows artifacts uncovered at Tayamentasachta during Old Home Week. Michelle Kegerreis and son Daniel, 9, Greencastle, view the glass, arrowheads and Native American tools featured at Saturday's Special Events Day.

For one week, and that was Old Home Week, Tayamentasachta was the site of an archaeological dig for demonstration purposes.

Members of the Cumberland Valley Chapter 27 Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc., dug a hole between the old caretaker's house and the spring. As they filtered through the soil they found numerous relics from the Environmental Center's past residents.

Doug Stine, Chapter President from Waynesboro, displayed arrowheads, pieces of glass and Native American tools to visitors attending the Special Events Day Saturday. The broken bits came from that patch of ground, as well as from other test pits on the school property.

"I thought the yields would mirror what we find at Ebberts Spring two miles away," Stine said. "The springs are similar. I'm disappointed there's no pottery."

However, the group did find articles that were associated with the house as well as from some of America's earliest citizens.

"To be the first person to find something that's been buried for 1000 years, that's why I'm into archaeology," he continued.

He's been active in the earth exploration for 19 years. All except two of Chapter 27's 46 members are amateurs, and anyone can catch on to the requirements for a dig fairly quickly.

"In a couple weeks a new member is competent to have his own site."

Dave Hornbaker, Mercersburg, repeatedly struck a piece of Fenton glass with a coppertopped tool to make a spear point. Woodland Indians would have used copper as well, or stone or deer horn. He finds his interest in archaeology therapeutic.

"Some guys golf. I do this," he said.

Chapter 27 gave the artifacts to Tayamentasachta, as well as a map of each area they test dug. At the end of the day they filled in the exhibit hole, erasing any evidence they were even there.

The Yankees didn't come

Confederate soldiers set up camp at Tayamentasachta the Friday evening of Old Home Week and waited for two days to skirmish the enemy in the Walnut Grove. The Union Army never showed up.

They were at Renfrew Park in Waynesboro.

And so the Civil War reenactors lived peaceably for the weekend. They shared tales of life in the 1860s, slept on cots and cooked their food over a fire.

Abby Sullivan, Odenton, Md., was 'Jared,' Sergeant of the Peace. She has played many male roles during encampments. Quite a few women actually served in the military, particularly in the South, she said.

"If it wore pants, it was a man," Sullivan remarked. "As long as she could pull her weight, they didn't care. Since everyone was very private back then, and didn't bathe, many units didn't know they had women soldiers until they were wounded."

She said women signed up out of necessity due to lack of employment opportunities, no males left at home and out of patriotism.

As a member of the Bible Society, Cheryl Tharp of Waynesboro offered comfort to the soldiers. As many of them would have been illiterate, she could write letters for them. She likely would have stayed in town and come to camp during the day.

Larry Rita, Chambersburg, strolled into the encampment in his Union uniform, a Brigadier General of the 1st Division.

"I'm an army of one," he said. "I think I've just been captured."

Minstrel meets queen

Between songs, Time Travelling Minstrel Roy Justice, Chambersburg, chatted with 2007 Pennsylvania Honey Queen Rachel Bryson of Marion. He asked her about dangers to the honey bee population.

Bryson believes it is in trouble due to colony collapse disorder. For some reason, bees are uncharacteristically failing to return to their hives. Some bee keepers have lost 70 percent of their colonies.

Justice, who teaches guitar and voice, and performs educational programs in schools, uses history, storytelling and music to present his lessons. He decided the bee situation should be added to his repertoire.

He then pulled out a conch shell. It used to be a valuable horn used by stage coach drivers and canal boat captains, who let lock tenders know they were coming.

Before sounding the conch, he advised, "Always blow them first to clean out the spiders and bugs."

The toot carried to the elementary school.

The Special Events Day also hosted demonstrations by local craftspeople, environmental displays and a Volksmarch and Volksbike.