Seventeenth-Century Artifacts Unearthed in Connecticut

WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT—A collection of early seventeenth-century artifacts has been unearthed in north-central Connecticut at the site of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, known for its eighteenth-century buildings, according to an MSN report. Interim co-director of the museum Richard C. Malley said the items were found under a layer of debris thought to have been dumped during construction work completed at the site in 1769 by Silas Deane. The artifacts include copper British farthings dated to the reign of Charles I, between 1625 and 1649; wampum beads made from quahog or whelk shells for trade with the Wangunk and Pequot peoples; a seventeenth-century button; glass beads; and pottery imported from Portugal and Italy. The excavation also revealed traces of a palisade dated to the time of the Pequot War, which took place from 1637 to 1638. The structure is thought to have been built to protect the home of English candlemaker Clement Chaplin and perhaps other early European structures on the site. “There was a paradox there,” explained project head Meg Harper. “They had a fear of Native Americans, but they really needed the food they sold them.” Chaplin returned to England in the 1640s. For more, go to "World Roundup: Connecticut."