An individual residing in a log house in rural western Pennsylvania sought to ascertain its original construction date. The property, featuring large square beams, a double stone fireplace, and notable age, had an undocumented history prior to 1913, with a 1964 tax assessment merely describing it as “old, remodeled house.”
Despite previous attempts to date the structure—including consulting a county recorder of deeds, a log house expert, a local historian, and dating nearby apple trees—a definitive timeline remained elusive. The breakthrough occurred when archaeologists Tom and Pat Baker were invited to examine a collection of artifacts gathered from the surrounding fields and forests over a 37-year period.
These artifacts, which included pottery shards, glass fragments, iron tools, farm equipment, shotgun shells, oyster shells, and animal bones, provided crucial evidence. Their analysis facilitated the identification of the property’s historical context, thereby assisting in resolving the longstanding question of the log house’s construction era.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/climate/archaeology-trash-litter-environment-pennsylvania.html