The archaeological findings of an early colonial settlement on the seacoast will be the topic of New Hampshire Archeology Month 2013’s keynote lecture. “Life in the Piscataqua in the 17th Century: The View from the Chadbourne Site” takes place April 17 at 6 p.m. at the New Hampshire State Library, 20 Park St.
Emerson “Tad” Baker, a professor at Salem State University, led excavations at the Chadbourne site from 1994 to 2007 and will deliver the lecture.
First occupied in 1643 and destroyed in the Salmon Falls Raid of 1690, the Chadbourne settlement included a substantial homestead, trading post and saw mill complex. More than 40,000 artifacts, including axes, saw blades, spoons and musket balls have been recovered at the site, as well as pottery fragments from England, France, Spain, Portugal and Mexico.
“(The Chadbourne) is an archaeological time capsule – a rare opportunity to gain insight into the daily life of the first generation of European settlers,” Baker said.
Baker has directed archaeological excavations on many colonial sites in northern New England. He was a lead consultant and on-camera expert for the Emmy-nominated PBS series “Colonial House” and has also appeared on the History Channel and National Geographic Channel. His most recent book, “The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England,” is set principally in a New Hampshire tavern in 1682.
For more information on New Hampshire’s Division of Historical Resources, the State Historic Preservation Office, visit nh.gov/nhdhr or by calling 271-3483.
