Remnants of the past at Beekman Street have recently been unearthed

In a historic district like Lower Manhattan, it doesn't come as a surprise to find hidden treasures buried just below the street surface. For this reason, many downtown construction projects have an archaeologist on site if there is a likelihood of coming across a significant find. In 1981, archaeologists discovered a maritime ship on Water Street that had been stripped of its fittings between 1749 and 1755, chained into position, and used to hold new landfill in place with ballast of sand and cobbles. Recently, crews working to replace water mains on Beekman Street have come across quite a few significant finds -- more than 2,000 in fact.

Over the past few months, archaeologist Alyssa Loorya has spent a lot of time unearthing remnants of the past at Beekman Street, coming across items ranging from plates and bowls to a storeroom foundation. What amazes Loorya is that "no matter how many times the streets are ripped up, we still find undisturbed pockets." Wearing multiple layers of clothing and armed with a trowel and tape measure, she routinely hops down into a worksite to see what has been dug up.

On Beekman Street, the first thing Loorya and the construction crew found was an 11-foot-long section of a wooden water main dating back to the 19^th century. It was joined to a second section of water main and fitted with a metal collar to prevent the joint from leaking. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has taken the water main sections for preservation purposes.

After digging about eight feet below street level, workers came across foundation stones. Loorya began to carefully excavate the stones, discovering a five-foot-by-five-foot storeroom containing multiple artifacts, which she slowly and painstakingly unearthed, photographed, and cataloged. Piecing together a variety of clues, Loorya was able to determine that the pottery inside the storeroom is from the last years of the 18^th and first years of the 19^th centuries.

Archaeologist Alyssa Loorya (right)

Loorya theorizes, from old maps and knowledge of the area's history, that the structure's entrance likely sat on Pearl Street and that it was either a grocer or tavern serving the busy port. She recently came across what she believes to be old pier pilings, but she is hesitant to confirm their identity until she conducts more research.

Much of Lower Manhattan is land reclaimed from the Hudson and East Rivers that was filled in using a vast array of materials, ranging from old ships to stones to garbage. That provides a second layer of interest to archaeologists because it can tell a lot about what types of tools and materials were available at the time the land was filled in.

What was likely a pier pilling is unearthed

A major find can take time to excavate, so extra time is built into construction projects in Lower Manhattan to allow for the discovery and excavation of artifacts. Loorya's discoveries have not changed the scheduled completion date of the Beekman project. The city does not have a central repository for archaeological artifacts, and one of two large collections that were kept at the World Trade Center, the Five Points artifacts, was lost when the towers collapsed in 2001.

Because archaeologists often can only photograph and carefully document the location of artifacts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission is working to compile a master GIS map of New York City to help identify where such treasures are buried. They are also working with the city to try to establish a central repository to store pieces of Lower Manhattan's history.