City of Boston Archaeology Program

08/26/2026

This June, the City of Boston Archaeology Program conducted an archaeological investigation at the site of the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown to investigate one of the first, major, and bloodiest battles of the American Revolution.

Read More: https://ow.ly/2LwY50ZyGBc

08/17/2026

EDIT: Answers at the end! Some of you in the comments did pretty well!

What do you do when it’s time to harvest your Bartlett pears? Arrange a still life, duh! The Bartlett was introduced to the U.S. by James Carter in 1799, who planted some in Dorchester on farmland that would later be purchased by Enoch Bartlett, a Vice President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. It was believed that Bartlett had “discovered” this new type of pear on his property until the realization in 1828 that they, uh…were already a thing.

In fact, the pear originated in England around 1765 and is commonly referred to as the Williams pear outside of the U.S. and Canada. A little embarrassing, but we still call them Bartletts here, so it looks like old Enoch got the last laugh. Would we call this failing upward?

Can you identify some of the artifacts or material types in our tableau? Bonus points if you can pick out the reproductions versus the antiques from our personal collections.

ANSWERS: From far left--antique mid-18th c. creamware creamer; repro creamware pitcher; antique early-19th c. glass alcohol bottle; repro 18th c. wine glass with etching and air twist stem. Center--antique 18th c. creamware platter; antique 19th c. ball clay smoking pipe.

07/30/2026

We needed a little boost on this gloomy day so we decided to bust open some notes from our lab visitors! Turns out they are big fans 🪭 Thanks for the kind words and support!

07/27/2026

Do you own a property in a Landmark District or Architectural Conservation District with archaeological protections? Are you a developer wondering how to help preserve our irreplaceable cultural resources while helping our city grow? Maybe you’re just curious!

We’ve developed a new section of our website to help interested folks understand exactly how an archaeological excavation works and how we can work together to learn as much as possible about our city’s past while we move forward into the future.

Visit the link below to read about our process, our methods, the public benefit of doing archaeology, and general FAQs about the Program. What are you waiting for? Dig in!

https://www.boston.gov/departments/archaeology/digging-boston-archaeology

07/10/2026

Did you catch us on the radio last night? Project Archaeologist, Lauryn Sharp, spoke in depth about our recent excavations at the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown and life as an archaeologist for the City of Boston!

Thanks to our friends at WBZ NightSide With Dan Rea for hosting!

Bradley Jay Fills In On NightSide with Dan Rea:The ground beneath the Bunker Hill Monument is revealing long-lost stories of the American Revolution! Archaeologists have uncovered musket balls, gun flints, and personal items left behind by soldiers nearly 250 years ago...

07/09/2026

Boston residents! From July 1 to July 31, you can help the City decide how to spend $2 million of the budget! Share your most groundbreaking ideas at https://participate.boston.gov/place/new, by calling (617) 635-3059, or in person at City Hall and selected BCYF Community Centers 🪏

07/08/2026

Join City Archaeologist Joe on a very unusual guided walking tour of 1783 Boston as imagined by the developers of Assassin's Creed III!

Favorite quote: "we've dug right where he's standing and there's no well there." Did your favorite Boston archaeological site get mentioned? 🪏

Celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary with a tour of where it all b...

07/06/2026

Archaeology Magazine ✅
Smithsonian Magazine ✅
Scientific American ✅

Forgive us for geeking out, but this feels like some kind of nerd hat trick! We're thrilled and honored that our research is reaching so many people as we work to tell the hard histories and untold stories of everyday Bostonians!

New archaeology has uncovered everything from musket balls to wig curlers at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major clash of the American Revolution

07/03/2026

The City Archaeology Program was recently awarded a grant from the Community Preservation Commission to acquire the 1675 Capen House.

Read More: https://ow.ly/krEp50ZiFVz

07/02/2026

It's hot out and we don't like it! We're holed up in the lab today, but for those days when you gotta get out there we've got some pro tips to get you through. 😎