2010 – Day 5

After cleaning up the newest trenches on Thursday afternoon, it was all hands on for our last day.

Having determined that there would be no new trenches dug, people were put into teams and assigned different trenches. There were also things to do to finalise the dig such as drawing up the stratigraphic layers, doing the paperwork and for the resident film crew to get those final interviews

Dr Jon & India drawing the layers

Dr Jon catching up on paperwork

The final interview

 

It was decided by Jon that the ‘sandy’ layer was the main layer to dig in. India began the day by helping Glenys dig a section of the trench that was between the wall and a clay channel which most likely delineated the edge of a sewer pipe channel. Linda took on the trench that had the post hole and was joined by Pam, and later India. April, Noel and Joan took on the uppermost trench (up the hill) in the north-east corner that had been excavated in the first couple of days of the Dig.

India and Glenys	Linda and Pam	April, Joan and Noel

One of the first finds was by Noel. It was in the north-east corner of the trench and was identified as a 1940s, possibly Army, bottle dump. As it was on the very corner of the trench and not our main target period, after enough bottles were removed to identify the date it was left for another time. Glenys’s trench was not to reveal anything of significance.

What is it?	Army bottle dated 1945	The bottle cavity – top right corner

In addition to the post hole in Linda’s trench, she also discovered a rectangular shape. Because this was clearly man made but did not appear to be a post hole it was excavated around, rather than dug out. But it did not reveal its secret. Just on the edge of the hole, Linda found a piece of 19th Century ceramic – another indication that we were digging at the Early Redcliffe level! We have to wait for further research on the makers stamp, a partial of which, fortunately, was on the back of the ceramic.

Another project by the QU Archaeological Services Unit is to collect and identify as many 19th Century makers marks as possible to assist in dating such pieces of crockery. If anyone has a large collection of crockery and/or ceramics that they think might assist the team, please contact the museum on 3883 1898.

A ‘hole’	The ‘hole’ revealed by digging around it	Piece if 19th Century ceramic!

The day finished up with the knowledge that Corscadden Park was definaltey used by the early Redcliffe settlers. We are still yet to determined whether this was from the 1824 period or later on in the 19th Century – after 1860 when Redcliffe was resettled.

“Now I know that we do have some of that old surface there, the chances are that some evidence from the convict period has survived and these items could be a breakthrough in our investigations… The sediment that we’ve found indicates people have been here doing things on this surface. It indicates human activity. I haven’t given up hope of finding the brick kiln. We have a better chance than ever of uncovering Redcliffe’s first settlement heritage.” Dr Jon Prangnell

I would like to conlude that although we did not find any definitive evidence of the First Settlement community of convicts, soldiers and other free settlers, we did find evidence of activity in this park dating back to the 19th Century. So we look forward to more digs being undertaken in the area!

The Dig Team: Joan, Linda, Dr Jon, April, Noel, India and Pat – minus Glenys and Pam	The Film makers Chris and James

In the meantime I would like to thank the Moreton Bay Regional Council for their ongoing support for the archaeological digs in Redcliffe, and to all the individual departments that helped us out such as Parks & Gardens, Roads and Drains and Works.

I would also like to thank the Staff and Volunteers of the Redcliffe Museum. Volunteers were on hand throughout the Dig to assist the Archaeologists and visitors to the site and especially those who were on site before during and after, putting signs up, setting up, packing up – thanks Bob!

The site was visited by Mayor, Allan Sutherland, Councillors Frawley and Houghton, a team from the Department of Environment and Resource Management, and visitors from the QU Archaeological Services Unit.  Daily visitors included Pat Gee from the Local History Room at the Redcliffe Library who was on hand to answer any questions from the archaeologists, Chris Teitzel, Director Cultural Services, and Pam Armstrong, Senior Manager Cultural Services who, toward the end of the Dig, became part of the digging team. In addition to the ‘official’ visitors, we had approximately 200 interested locals –  and non-locals – who came to view the dig through the fence.

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