Members of the public will have the chance to join St. Mary's University archaeology students in digging up a piece of Canadian history this summer.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the dig at Nova Scotia's Grand-Pré historical site, St. Mary's Archaeological Field School, the Societé Promotion Grand-Pré and Parks Canada are letting a limited number of curious citizens in on the dig.
Since the dig began in 2001, excavations have led to many discoveries of objects belonging to the original Acadian settlers of Grand-Pré. According to historical records,the Acadians lived at Grand-Pré from 1682 until Sept. 5, 1755, when they were deported by the British, forced to leave their homes and possessions behind.
St. Mary's student Tim Crellin has been helping unearth the buried treasures.
Crellin said his team of 14 students, under the supervision of archaeology professor Jonathan Fowler, have found artifacts including ceramic pottery, windowpane glass, various coins and a large, mysterious building foundation just west of the site’s church.
"Just to realize that this is down in a layer of soil that’s dating to that period, I know it’s at least 250 years old and that in itself is exciting,” Crellin said.
From July 12 to 23, anyone could experience that same excitement. The Société Promotion is giving 144 members of the public the opportunity to spend a day working alongside its archaeologists.
“It’s something we’ve been speaking about for a long time,” said Société Promotion executive director Victor Tétrault.
“With the public, it allows us to extend the program by a couple of weeks," Tetrault said. "It gives the public a chance to get their hands in it as well. A number of Acadians have already signed up for whom it also has a personal dimension of examining things that belonged to their ancestors.”
Twelve people per day are allowed to participate. For a $40 fee, each participant will get background information on the Grand-Pré site, a hands-on archaeology experience and a CD of photos from the day.
Tétrault said he was surprised how fast spots were filled. “Of the 144 available spots only 19 are left,” he said.
“We’re going to have to establish a waiting list. If we disappoint a lot of people, it’s an opportunity to do it again next year.”
Crellin said although he fears a volunteer could misplace an artifact, the chance to give the public such an experience outweighs the risk.
“The more the merrier when it comes to archaeology,” Crellin said.