Recap of Wednesday and Thursday's events
Wednesday’s goal was to uncover the presbytery and potential Church sites and the City of Florissant lent a hand, or rather a backhoe to assist the archaeologists in their endeavor. City employee Kevin Green artfully peeled back the grass and layers of dirt with the backhoe and by the end of the day, both areas were exposed. This saved our archaeologists’ at least three days worth of work.
On Thursday and Friday, the bake area of the Presbytery revealed several pieces of French ceramics including coarse earthenware with a green lead glaze and French faience with a tin glaze. According to ARC archaeologist Joe Harl, the French knew the health hazards of the metals but the settlers enjoyed the expensive appearance the tin and lead glazes gave to the dishes. However, the British creamwares became popular after 1762 and were widely used by the end of the century. The appearance of the French ceramics was unusual because up to this point in the excavations the majority of the vessels have been of British make. Several pipe bowls and stems, animal bones and teeth, charcoal remnants and limestone fragments were also found around the cook area during the first 2 days of the excavation.
The presbytery was most likely built before the church in hopes to gain an edge over the competing communities of St. Louis, St. Charles, Portage de Sioux and beyond. Unfortunately St. Ferdinand Church did have a difficult time securing a permanent priest with most only staying a year or two before moving on. The presbytery probably stood vacant for long periods of time though the quantity of artifacts uncovered over the last 2 years suggests that the building may have been occupied for quite some time as well. Visiting dignitaries from nearby communities could have used the presbytery. American Indian delegations or individuals looking for a priest to return to the their tribe, or seeking trade relations with the French could have used the building as well.
Around 1820 the presbytery was rented out to the American Settlers that began to trickle into Florissant and was used as a place of residence until the early 1840s. The property was then used as a burial ground in the 1850s.
A special thanks goes out to Joe Harl, who has been the principal investigator of this excavation. Reading his 2005 report and pestered him with questions helped to write this entry. Thank you Joe, your patience and enthusiasm is appreciated!
As you can imagine, the costs to fund this dig are expensive and the Old St. Ferdinand Archaeological Dig Committee has been busy raising money to offset the costs. We are hoping to extend the excavation an additional two weeks, but we cannot achieve this goal without your help. Donations are tax deductible and checks can be made out to Historic Florissant Inc.
Our address is
Historic Florissant Inc
PO Box 2211
Florissant MO 63032.
Remember that our excavation site is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday 9am –5pm. Spanish Land Grant park is located at the intersection of St. Ferdinand and St. Denis streets.
