Archaeology in Philipsburg
The archaeologists are working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 2-0 (PENNDOT) to study the route of the proposed Philipsburg Bypass Project (S.R. 0322). The archaeological study of the former Philipsburg Tannery is taking place as a result of preservation and environmental laws that require state and federal agencies to assess the potential impact of design and construction projects on environmental and cultural resources. Some environmental resources include endangered species, wetlands, and waterways. Examples of cultural resources include historic buildings and known and unknown historic and prehistoric archaeological sites.

A.D. Marble & Company is conducting a full archaeological investigation of this area because once the new highway is constructed the information the site contains will be lost to future scholars. Our efforts, closely coordinated with PENNDOT and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), will result in a detailed report on the history and significance of the Philipsburg Tannery to development of Philipsburg, and to the industrial history of nineteenth century Pennsylvania. This location, where the project will be conducted, was once the location of a bustling tannery operation during the nineteenth century in Philipsburg. A tannery is an industrial plant where the hides of animals are cleaned, treated, and manufactured into various leather goods such as: belts, boots, shoes, harnesses, book bindings, and clothing.

What was the Philipsburg Tannery?
A tannery is a factory where raw animal hides were processed into finished leather. Tanning hides is a difficult process requiring hard labor. The entire tanning process took between eight and ten months, involved numerous steps, and happened in many different buildings. Hides had to be fleshed, de-haired, tanned, and finished. The first tannery on this site was built in 1870 and was named the Philipsburg Leather Manufacturing Company. The earlier tannery consisted of a tan yard , a leach house, a rolling house, and two bark mills . This tannery could process 30,000 hides per year. On March 28, 1876, the tannery burned down and soon was rebuilt.

The new operation was named the Moshannon Tannery, and was a much larger plant that included seven tenement houses (to house workers at the tannery), a tan yard, two dry houses, a leach house with furnace , a hide house , and four bark sheds . The tannery also had a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, a grease house , and a beam house. The tannery made a type of leather called "union crop" , which was shipped all over Pennsylvania and New York. In 1903, the tannery stopped production permanently due to a decreased demand for leather products. The tannery was sold and the land was used for farming. A few years later, the land was divided into residential plots and some houses stand where the tannery once operated. When the Philipsburg tannery was in operation (over 100 years ago) life in Philipsburg was very different from today. The goal of this archaeological project is to reconstruct what life was like during this time in Philipsburg’s history. We also hope to gain a better understanding of tanning operations in Pennsylvania. Tanning was at one time, one of the largest industries in the state. Ideally, the information gathered from this site would be useful in understanding aspects of other tannery sites.

What is Archaeology?
Archaeology is the study of our past through the items people have left behind. Archaeologists learn about past ways of life by excavating sites where people lived, worked and played.

What Does an Archaeologist Do?
Much of what we know about the past comes from the study of archaeology. Archaeologists use the analysis of artifacts, soil layers, and ecofacts (plant and animal materials) to reconstruct past human activities.

Tools Archaeologists Use
An archaeologist uses many tools to excavate , map what we find , and screen . Archaeologists use a transit and tape measure for mapping. Everything from a fence line on the site property to a small button found while excavating will be recorded. The positions of artifacts are recorded because their locations are important for further study in the lab. Shovels are used to excavate large areas and a trowel and dustpan are used for excavating smaller or more detailed features. A screen made of wire mesh placed in the bottom of a wooden box is used to sift the soil. Soil passes through the mesh and the artifacts and rocks that remain are examined.

Excavations at the Tannery
Our excavations at the Philipsburg Tannery have revealed new information about the activities at this site. We have located the two different tannery areas, with the later tannery resting upon the burnt ruins of the original tannery. Foundations of buildings remain, with wooden timbers resting beneath the dark soil. The remains of the tannery vats have been located. These vats were used to soak hides during the tanning process. Many artifacts were found that related to the structures. Nails, brick, and window glass were recovered. The archaeologists found several tools including vat plugs and hide hooks. Personal items belonging to the workers or people who lived near the tannery after it closed were also found and include buttons , a pipe stem, ceramic plates , and glass bottles.

Also, an early water system has been discovered, which was constructed of wooden box drains, that was used to carry clean water to and spent processing fluids away from the buildings. At the time of the first tannery there were no environmental controls, and so the fluids flowed directly into nearby Cold Stream. The second tannery recycled the spent tanning fluids.

Ecofacts are the preserved remains of plant materials (e.g., seeds) and bones (faunal remains). The skeleton of a cow was recovered from the tannery site. Archaeologists are not sure if it was related to the tannery or a later occupation.
The Philipsburg Tannery utilized cowhide. Samples of this hide were found in several units; they were in poor condition but easily identifiable. A large amount of hair that had been stripped from the hide was also recovered. Spent tree bark, used to tan hides was found in the northern section of the site. The bark of oak and hemlock trees was used in the tanning process. Other artifacts that were discovered were related to the period after the tannery was demolished. These include several toys , canning jars, and bottles. Archaeologists believe these artifacts are related to the farm or houses that occupied the land after the tannery.

By combining historic research, literature, and excavation results, we are able to form a more complete picture of the activities and processes that occurred at the site.

Lab Work and Report Writing
After the excavation is complete, the artifacts are taken to a laboratory for processing. Lab technicians clean, photograph, identify, and tag the artifacts. They may also glue broken artifacts and try to restore them to their former shape to identify their use. People who work in the lab must have a strong knowledge of artifacts. The report is written after the research is complete and the artifacts are examined and cataloged. This report combines all the various research parts and can contain many maps and pictures of the site. Additionally, this report details and documents what has been learned about the site through the excavation, and may compare it to other similar sites. The report and the artifacts are often kept at a museum to maintain the artifacts and to make the recovered material available for future study.

Why we excavate and where.
People often ask archaeologists, "Why are you digging in this spot? Wouldn’t you find more if you dug over there?" Unfortunately we know that sometimes there are better, more informative places to dig than where we are. The work we do is usually because a road, building, or pipeline is being built. Therefore, we can only excavate in the areas that may be affected by the project. Once the project begins, whatever potentially important information that is on that spot could be compromised during the construction.
There are federal and state laws that help protect historic and prehistoric sites. These laws state that before tax-funded construction is started, surveys must be done to find out if any resources exist, and whether the project may negatively affect areas that contain cultural or environmental resources.

Since PENNDOT is building a bypass road through the area of the historic tannery, A.D. Marble & Company was hired to excavate and document the tannery and its relation to Philipsburg’s history.

Archaeology as a Profession
Many archaeologists go to college and attend an archaeological field school to prepare themselves before working in the field. To be a field archaeologist you should be in good physical shape because excavating can be hard work. You should be prepared to work outdoors in all kind of weather and not mind getting dirty. Mosquitoes, poison ivy, and worms are a few things that archaeologists have to deal with. To be an archaeologist you often need to travel. You must be observant, and be good with math, maps, and be knowledgeable in history and prehistory.

Excavating a site requires teamwork. The 2000 field crew had twelve field technicians, two lab directors, two crew chiefs, one field director, one principal investigator, and one historian, all worked together to preserve Philipsburg’s history.

Archaeology isn’t really like Tomb Raider and Laura Croft or like Indiana Jones. Most likely you would never dig up mummies or find gold. Archaeologists don’t dig up dinosaurs (that’s a Paleontologist) and aren’t able to keep what they find. What is important is gaining knowledge of the past, saving information that would be lost, and sharing that knowledge with others.
Even though it is hard work, it is an exciting job. You get to have the thrill of a new discovery every day. You are able to unearth an artifact that no one else has seen in a very long time. Every day is something new and different. You feel as though you have made a difference and have helped to preserve our nations past.

Volunteering on an archaeological site is a good way to decide if this is the career for you. If you are interested in archaeology, check with local universities, museums or on the web to find a program you can participate in.

For More Information…
You can learn more about tanneries and archaeology at your local library or at a number of Internet web sites. Please check out our Links page.

Link to Childrens Glossary