Ceramics and the charred remains of plants grown by Native Americans some 400 to 700 years ago at the replacement site of a Northern Vermont bridge has archaeologists confirming that large groups of inhabitants once thrived in the area in a well-organized village.
“We have evidence that this site represents a fairly prosperous village somewhere between 1300 and 1600 A.D.,” said John Crock, director of the Conservation Archaeology Program at the University of Vermont. “This is the first evidence we’ve found representing such a recent time period, which is just prior to the time of European settlement.”
Data recovery at the site began in September to meet requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, a federal law requiring, in part, that federally funded construction projects meet cultural resource management standards, among them analysis of significant archaeological remains. The work also is required under the National Environmental Protection Act.
The Mississiquoi Bay Bridge, which spans a bay of Lake Champlain between Alburg and Swanton, VT, is being replaced at an estimated total cost of $37 million.
The archaeological study, which is ongoing at the University of Vermont, is not delaying reconstruction of the bridge. The archaeological dig concluded in October, after an estimated 20 percent of the site area was sampled. The most significant finding is that the Native Americans thrived perhaps as recently as 1600 A.D. It also is rare that archaeologists are able to determine specifically what the inhabitants ate and what plants they grew. Recent excavations have produced a wealth of botanical samples that will make this possible.
The study is being done in close cooperation with the community of Abenaki Native Americans living in this part of Northwestern Vermont. “They have been very supportive of the project,” Crock said. Evidence proves that the area was a habitation village.
The bridge reconstruction is a high priority in the state, with a recent addition of $3.5 million in federal funding, bringing the total federal contributions to $15.5 million. The project is to be funded with 80-percent federal funds and 20-percent state funds.
The bridge is an “extremely important corridor” for truck traffic along Vermont Route 78, providing the most direct link between Montreal, Quebec and Boston, MA, said Dan Landry, project manager with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. It also is heavily used by commuters from these small Vermont communities to St. Albans and Burlington.
The actual bridge construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2002. The current bridge has been identified by the state since 1997 as in “terrible condition,” said Landry, with very narrow shoulders and literally no break-down lane.
“You definitely can’t walk over it without feeling your life is threatened,” Landry said.
The bridge in its current state also blocks marine traffic which is unable to pass under, as the drawbridge has been inoperable for six years. The state is working the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that construction of the new bridge, which will not impede water traffic, is progressing.
The newly constructed bridge will have a service life of at least 70 years.
