Site Examination of the Col. James Barrett Farm Property, Concord, Massachusetts

A site examination of the Col. James Barrett Farm in Concord,Massachusetts, in 2007, provided evidence for significant late 18th and early to mid 19th-century landscaping activities around the standing house and discovered and tested a mid-19th century primary ceramic trash
deposit. The property is historically significant because of Col. James Barrett’s association with the American Revolution, the well-preserved early 18th-century architecture, and the continuous history of the land as a family farm. The excavations demonstrated that the property is archaeologically
important because of the abundant evidence for landscaping activities and the many areas of intact deposits. The 23 test pits and 11 excavation units around the historic house (core constructed ca. 1705) indicate that there are intact strata and deposits in the yards, although many of the areas
adjacent to the foundation have been disturbed by more recent foundation repair. Buried cobble pavings survive north of the house, at its southeast corner, and in front (south) of the west ell as well as in the western part of the east ell. Many of these paving sit on top of artificially raised ground
surfaces and a buried A horizon dating to the late 18th century almost a meter below the modern ground surface. The trash deposit was located behind the east ell; we identified at least 49 ceramic vessels from this deposit, most dating from the 1820s to the 1850s. The foundation of a former
ell was mapped, but no additional outbuildings were discovered. The trash deposit and cobble pavings are associated with members of the Barrett family who owned the property until the early 20th century. There are also substantial early 20th-century sheet middens in the front yards associated with McGrath households who owned the property from 1905 to 2005.