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An intensive (locational) archaeological survey of a planned park development by the City of
New Bedford, the New Bedford Historical Society (NBHS), and the Waterfront Historic Action
League (WHALE) at 18 and 20 Seventh Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts. The project area is located just south of the downtown section of New Bedford, consisting of two lots totaling
approximately 0.22 acres. Two nineteenth century homes occupied the lots prior to damage
caused by a three-alarm fire in 2009 and their subsequent condemnation and removal. The lots are located within the County Street Historic District and form part of the properties in what is locally called Abolitionists Row. The project impacts will include the grading of the lots, the erection of educational kiosks, benches, and a gazebo, as well as the planting of trees and laying of a walkway.
The features and artifacts recovered from the site document the occupation from from at least the first quarter of the nineteenth century (the house originally on the site is believed to have been built in 1829) to modern times with the largest assemblages believed to date from the modern era and the period of the Thornton occupation (1829-ca. 1838). Due to the presence of what appear to be wetland related soils in the southeastern portion of the site, there is the possibility that this area was once wet and was subsequently filled after ca. 1829. The foundation for a small brick and cut granite outbuilding was encountered in several test pits in the eastern portion of the site.
This building may be a privy associated with the earliest occupation of the site. It appears that
only portions of the building survive with varying degrees of integrity. The building appears to
have been removed by the middle of the nineteenth century, apparently being replaced after an episode of landscaping and filling, with the structure visible on the 1876 lithograph of the site. A deeply-situated refuse deposit dating to the first half of the nineteenth century was found at the extreme eastern edge of the site, possibly representing deposition in a low area by the Thornton family prior to their move to Fairhaven ca. 1838. The deposits in the yard may reflect Elisha’s occupation until ca. 1838, with a period of cleaning out occurring at this time, and his subsequent return to New Bedford ca. 1849, represented by an episode of landscaping and lot improvement, which included the demolition of the old privy and its possible replacement.
What appear to be intact archaeological deposits (foundation segments and refuse deposits) are relatively deeply buried (below 60 cmbs) at the site. It is recommended that impacts in the
southeastern portion of the project area be limited to the upper 50 cm of the site. If this is not
feasible, it is recommended that a limited site examination be conducted in this portion of the site to further delineate the possible foundations and refuse deposits and to determine if they are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.