Surrounded by excited volunteers, City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt removes dirt from a newly discovered well that dates to the early 1700Õs at a dig at the Cathedral Parish School in downtown St. Augustine Thursday, August 6, 2009. BY DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com
Archaeology volunteers sift through material taken from a dig at the Cathedral Parish School in downtown St. Augustine Thursday, August 6, 2009. BY DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com
From: The St. Augustine Record
By: Marcia Lane
Three wells and burned wooden items probably dating back to a British raid in 1702 British are among the latest items to turn up at an archaeological dig on the grounds of the Cathedral Parish School in downtown St. Augustine.
“You can see the barrel. The barrel’s still there,” Melissa Dezendorf, part of the city’s archaeology staff, told volunteers who were cleaning off and cataloging items found at the dig site off Bridge Street.
The barrel was part of a third well uncovered by city archaeologist Carl Halbirt. The news was exciting enough to cause volunteers to stop working and head over to the rectangular shaped hole where he was working.
A portion of a metal barrel band that once held a wooden barrel together and pieces of burned wood could be seen in the pit. Barrels — placed one atop another — were used to form the shaft of the well and hold back the dirt.
As quickly as Halbirt dug in the hole on Thursday, water seeped in.
The area is below the water level. and that — combined with recent rains, a full moon and high tides — prompted the city to bring in a pump to try and keep the area dry while the dig goes on.
The third well caused Halbirt to slightly change his hypothesis about events that took place at the site. He originally thought what turned out to be the well was a “robbers’ pit,” a sort of dump site.
Each of the wells at the site was dug next to each other and each at different times, he believes. The wells range from the mid-1600s to the early 1700s.
“It’s a fascinating insight into how the Spanish got potable water,” Halbirt said.
The middle well was about eight feet deep and used hogshead barrels – 48 inches across. Hogshead barrels were the type used to ship in items from Europe.
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The Treasure Trove 