Caldwell Archaeology

Look what I found!
Hands-on excavations

Children visit the center, dragging family members by the hand to an exhibit case to point out the buttons and lead shot that they helped pull from the ground as part of the family-friendly work with Wake Forest University’s Historical Archaeology Department. Building upon State of North Carolina excavations from 1979, a regularly updated selection of a dozen or more of the 11,000 early American artifacts are displayed in the center. A Spanish silver coin reminds us that European money was still the hard currency of Guilford County in the 1700s. An intact pair of cufflinks with an eagle motif speak to early nationalism after the Revolutionary War and a writing slate with the date 1818 engraved in its surface ensure that some local person did make their mark in history for us to discover.

See photos of the collection on our facebook page.