An Archaeological Critique of Watertown, New York - Part 2

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Watertown’s Washington Street, tucked behind a short sprawl of well manicured lawn, sits an ornate red brick estate.  This is the Paddock Mansion, home to the Jefferson County Historical Society.  A combination of Tuscan villa and Swiss chalet design elements make the Paddock Mansion an abnormal landmark.  It was constructed in 1878 and transformed into a museum in 1924 through the kind donation of Olive Paddock.

By spartanfoto

I’ve been here many times throughout the course of my life, starting with visits in grade school and culminating with a volunteer opportunity in 2010.   Today happens to be one of those rare days when the halls of the Paddock mansion are not bustling with visiting school groups.  The silence allows one to immerse themselves in the elegant parlors and fully enjoy the historic treasures that adorn them.  Its summer; the museum is hot and full of rich musty smells.  History is (literally) in the air and I am itching to explore.

During my visit, the museum is hosting a special exhibition: Presidential Papers and Historic Documents.  The exhibit showcases some of the museum’s historic national documents, including two recently discovered George Washington papers, two appointments signed by Abraham Lincoln, and an 18th century land contract detailing the sale of what is now the Ohio River Valley between two Continental Congress delegates.  It is an impressive collection to say the least and displayed at a level that puts it in line with most national museums.

But this isn’t archaeology.  Nor is the beautifully decorated parlor on the first floor, or the massive wrought iron stoves or industrial equipment that occupy the lower levels.  But upstairs, I find a room dedicated to the Iroquois tribes of New York.

Within the walls of this small parlor I find projectile points in a variety of shapes and sizes, turtle shell rattles, and pieces of beautifully decorated pottery.  I’m thrilled to see “old stones”.  I appreciate the focus on Iroquois culture, religion and society within the museum’s literature, but, during the course of my forty-five minute long visit I never once encounter the word archaeology in any of the museum’s literature.  

In my opinion, The Jefferson County Historical Society has mastered historic preservation, but sadly, turned a cold shoulder to archaeology within the North Country.

My phone rings and I soon find myself heading off to lunch with a group of friends.

I meet my mates at a local chain restaurant.  On the table is a video monitor where patrons can pump quarters in and play a game while they wait for their food.  I scroll through the menu and find an Egyptian themed game called Luxor.  The game description reads as follows:

The pyramids are in peril, and only your quick wits and quicker reflexes can save Egypt from certain doom! Colored spheres roll relentlessly along a convoluted track; your objective is to remove them all from the screen before they can enter your pyramid. Do you have what it takes to protect this mystical land?

I’m nearly certain that this game could take place under the guise of any ancient civilization, but popular culture has this profound hold on ancient Egypt that I could never hope to explain.  While we wait for our foods, I take the time to ask my friends if they encounter archaeology in their daily routine.  Most scratch their heads and answer ‘no’ and I’m quick to admit that I’m not blaming them for missing something that isn't there.  I ask them to fill me in on archaeological related stories they may have heard in the news in the past few months.  They rattle off few lines about early humans remains being found in Africa.  The specifics are scant.

"How old are these remains?" I ask.

I get a variety of responses ranging from a few thousand years to 200 million years old.  I'm unsure which hominid story they are referencing, but I can easily point out that 200 million years old is off of the chart.

I head to the gym afterwards where one of the exercises on the list is referred to a Persian Pushup.  I’m not sure if the Persians actually designed them or not, but they hurt and they do conjure up the image of ancient warriors training for battle.  There’s talk amongst myself and the other gym members about the Paleo Diet, essentially a diet based off of what human beings were consuming before the advent of agriculture and processed foods.  Finally, some archaeology!  My friends don’t realize it but their participation in this dietary path is actually experimental archaeology (at least from my perspective.  I’ve written about Paleo Diet before- see previous post: Why the switch from foraging to farming?)

At dinner, my girlfriend and I share a glass of Stone Age Winery's blush.  Unfortunatly, neither the grapes nor the wine itself comes to fruition through any special Archaic process.

The day is drawing to a close.  Alas, as the sun sets over Watertown, I must now turn my eye towards the TV.  I could spend days commenting on the number of cable television series that attempt to incorporate archaeology as a buttress for supporting some pseudo-scientific agenda, but I’ll limit myself to just the 8 -11 prime time slot and the local stations.

Surprisingly I find nothing.  I think back to Karol Kulik and her observational study of archaeology and British Television and wonder what has happened since then.  By the furthest stretch of the imagination, you may be able to relate the Fox show Bones to the field of archaeology (I believe the main character is an anthropologist).  Even networks with a higher likelihood of airing such archaeological themed programming, like PBS, are empty houses this weekend night.  Dissatisfied, I flip off the television.

My day is at an end and it’s time to award Watertown its archaeological GPA.

Conclusion

If Watertown were a college Freshman wrapping up its semester in ANTH 204 (Introduction to Archaeology), it would be carrying a shameful D average.  Watertown is severely lacking an archaeological presence.  The physical process of archaeology is all but absent from the public view.  Historic preservation, while an active process, is still lagging behind the rest of the world with several of the city’s historic landmarks falling to shambles and/or absent from the National Register.

I started this journey to become more self aware of the presence of archaeology within my hometown.  With any luck, I'd hoped to find something to build upon.  What I did not expect to find was a gaping void.  It’s apparent that any sort of public outreach program could only have a positive effect on the population’s perception of archaeology.

My observational endeavor has been an interesting experience.  I encourage other archaeologists to take a long, scrutinizing look at their own stomping ground and evaluate the presence of archaeology.  Like me, you may be surprised (and slightly disappointed) by what you find.

An Archaeological Critique of Watertown, New York - Part 1

In my year long sabbatical from archaeological field work, I’ve resumed work on a handful of projects that have been floating in my head for some time.  Two particular projects stand out and both involve the Jefferson County Historical Society, the proverbial HQ of historic preservation in my home town of Watertown, New York.  The most fully developed idea I’ve got floating in my head and on my hard drive is a podcast series I hope to introduce within the next few weeks.  The second is a community based archaeological project that with enough planning and support could possibly be implemented next summer, here first in Jefferson County and then elsewhere around the United States.  I’m incredibly excited about both projects and promise to provide more details as soon as I have things sorted.

In an attempt to gauge the possible level of reception of these projects, I felt it essential to put Watertown through a sort of test.  Over the course of a day, I’m going to commit myself to paying particular attention to the presence of archaeology and historic preservation within the city of Watertown.  I’ll do my best to avoid veering from the beaten path of my daily routine, but strive to note anything relating to archaeology.

June 29, 2011,

My day almost always starts at 7am.  I pack up my laptop and notebook into my canvas ammo bag (purposely reminiscent of the one which Indiana Jones wears) and hop into the truck.  My first stop is the Historic Paddock Arcade to work on the website and get some reading in.



The Arcade is one of, if not the, most beautiful building in the city.  It is the oldest continually operated shopping mall in the United States and wears the title proudly.  The arcade was built by Watertown native Loveland Paddock and designed by architect Otis Wheelock in 1850. Its design was based on similar arcades built during that era in the United States and Europe. Shops occupied the bottom floor, while the upper floors were used for office space.  While still an awe inspiring site to this day, the building is a far cry from what it once was.  Its beautiful vaulted glass roof was hidden from view in the 1920s by the inclusion steel-and-wire-glass dropped ceiling between its second and third stories.  The building was added to the National Registrar of Historic Places 1976.

I grab a cup of coffee from the Paddock Coffee House, which after adding my cream I attempt to Munsell in my mind.  My guess is it’s somewhere in the 10yr 3/2 - 3/3 range then take my seat and pick up a copy of the the local read, the Watertown Daily Times.  To my surprise there is a page two article with an archaeological focus.  “Sunk sub is upright for first time” informs the headline.  I dive in to learn that workers handling the H.L. Hunley (the first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship) are working feverishly to conserve this 1864 vessel.   The word archaeologist is featured once.  A second article, “Battlefield boasts historic garden crops” highlights a period-specific garden in nearby Sackets Harbor and its ties to the War of 1812.  No mention of archaeology, but there is an emphasis on historical research.

I finish my cup of coffee and head outside.



The front door of the Paddock Arcade opens up onto Public Square.  This is the oldest portion of historic Watertown.  The city’s first settlers built their homes on the west end of Public Square.  My guess is the archaeological remains of those log cabin dwellings were lost long ago when the square became the urban hub it is today.  In 1849 a massive fire destroyed most of the square, but it was rebuilt a few years later to include beautiful structures like the Woodruff Hotel.  The 1850 rebuild of Public Square featured the inclusion of three islands in the center which still exist, but have been incorporated into one single entity.  In the center sits an ornate fountain circa 1960, the third to occupy the spot.  In 2002, the fountain was vandalized and nearly destroyed by a drunken moron.  The fountain remained in storage for seven years while it was restored and Public Square was redesigned.  Today the Square retains most of its former majesty, but the number of vacant store fronts indicates it still has a ways to go.

Interesting, no?  You'd think that with nearly every major road in the city funneling traffic towards this historic spot that somewhere among the nearly two hundred year old circus that story would be available.  Yet not a single bit of information is available on Public Square regarding its history.  There is not a kiosk, an information board, anything that details the vivid history of this centerpiece of the city.  In fact, my day has barely brought any archaeology to my attention.

I hang a right out of the Arcade and pass by the grotesque marble additions of the 1960s, before I reach the Paddock mansion, home of the Jefferson County Historical Society.  Surely, if archaeology has a presence in the North Country culture, I will find it here.

Check back mid-week for more.