On June 7, we completed an orientation lecture from 9:00 am until noon. Our thanks to Bethany Hawkins, Executive Director of the Sam Davis Home, for a gracious welcome. After lunch, our first goal was to establish a "site grid" -- the
basic north/south and east/west system used to establish all excavation units and
mapping for the project.
Thanks to a lovely first day for fieldwork, we were able to establish our recording grid. The first photograph below shows several of the students constructing the north-south gridline. Pin flags are placed at 2-meter intervals along this line.
After establishing the grid that will serve to orient all our finds, we began the process of learning how to set up excavation units on this grid. The next photograph below shows Mr. Chris Hogan, Project Field Assistant, instructing students in the use of trigonometry to create "square" excavation units by triangulating from the established grid.
After learning how to locate the corners and place spikes, student crews learned how to string off the excavation units. We have four student crews working on the project, and were able to complete three of their units before a brief shower blew in. The final photograph of the day shows Mr. Hogan instructing students in proper techniques for setting up an excavation.
On Tuesday morning, we will lift the sod from our first four excavation areas in the search for some of the slave residences at the Sam Davis Home.