Montclair History Center's 2024 Archeological Dig
If you visited us last month, you may have been able to catch a glimpse of the recent archeological dig happening onsite. This project was led by Montclair State University’s Dr. Chris Matthews and Will Willams of CUNY Graduate Center in NYC alongside students and volunteer archeologists in an attempt to uncover more of the site where our historic buildings collectively stand today. But did you know that this is not the first time an archeological dig has taken place at the Montclair History Center?
For context, the Montclair History Center’s campus consists of land that was originally settled by the Crane family in the late 17th century. The Nathaniel Crane House, which now houses the schoolroom, general store, and museum shop, was constructed on this site in 1818. Despite being relocated in the 1890s and again in the 1970s, the ground beneath remains undisturbed. In fact, during preparations for the Montclair Community Farm project, artifacts such as pottery shards, glass jars, and pipe fragments were unearthed, hinting at the rich historical significance of the area. Thus, the land likely retains secrets of its history, making it an excellent landscape for archeological research.
In 2013, Dr. Chris Matthews led a similar project with The Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies at Montclair State University: a shovel test survey. This method involves digging several small pits, approximately the width of a shovel, at different locations on the site. Students sifted through the excavated soil from these pits to uncover artifacts, to be cleaned, identified, and cataloged. This method is minimally invasive to the original site and only in an instance of significant material being dug up in the initial shovel test would further excavation occur. In the 2013 dig alone, more than 2,500 artifacts were uncovered. A follow-up was conducted in 2014 and a significant number of additional artifacts were uncovered. While these excavations were able to uncover more of the Crane story and culture behind the Clark House, a third dig in 2022 was concerned with revealing the history of the Rose family.
In 1899, a man named Alister David Rose moved his family to Montclair, New Jersey. He had three daughters, Alice, Lavenie, and Mary with his first wife Sarah, and lived in Brooklyn until his wife’s death in 1894. Alister then married a woman named Elizabeth and moved to Montclair, NJ, taking over the greenhouse business at 116 Orange Road from a man named Alexander Mitchie. At this property, Alister David Rose operated a successful business as a florist. Late 19th and early 20th century maps show that Rose expanded his retail operations significantly by expanding his greenhouse space. Also, Rose was actively involved in both the Montclair community and floral industry societies in New York and New Jersey. Additionally, census records indicate that within a year of assuming control of the business, Rose had hired at least two more greenhouse workers, underscoring the success of his enterprise in Montclair.
But between 1906 and 1907, Alister developed pneumonia and died in 1908. He passed on his business to his wife Elizabeth and daughter Alice, who was the company’s bookkeeper. By 1916, 29-year-old Alice became the sole proprietor of her father’s flower shop, renaming it “The Rosary”. It is assumed that Alice continued running the shop until her death in 1936, bringing it more and more success, beyond that of her father’s as evidenced by its longevity. Unfortunately, however, Alice Rose’s business was not without facing difficulties during the time of the Women’s Suffrage movement. After Alister’s death, mention of the business was listed without Elizabeth or Alice’s name, among other publications that tried to keep womens’ successes anonymous by leaving out their names or making them untraceable, leading to historic erasure. Therefore, the archeological evidence of what remains of The Rosary allows Alice’s story to come to light.
The archeological dig that took place in 2022 was concerned with this story, and conducted shovel test pits in the area of the florist shop and greenhouses. The majority of material excavated and identified were flat glass shards, likely from the greenhouses, and fragments of flowerpots. In fact, coarse earthenware or redware, the material of flowerpots, consisted of 88.94% of all ceramics found during the dig. Being able to have access to these materials opens conversations about gender and labor in regards to Alice Rose, arguably a business pioneer in the town of Montclair.
This time, our 2024 dig happened onsite during the week of July 15th. In an effort to improve our driveway and add ramps to allow better accessibility to the buildings on our campus, surveying the area for potential archeological resources prior to construction is necessary. Beneath the property are layers of evidence from The Rosary’s history and provides the perfect opportunity for Montclair State University students to get field experience. “For most of us, it’s probably our first time excavating a site,” Montclair State University student Allison Chacon-Perez mentioned. “Getting to learn how to use the tools we’re using and different techniques that they use to excavate is pretty fun to see, and how they document that because it has to be very precise.”
When asked what had been found so far, Dr. Matthews noted that this year’s dig had found less artifacts but more building foundations and historic infrastructure; this included remnants of a cobblestone pathway and the brickwork of a possible former building. The biggest mystery that the archeological team worked on during their time excavating was a deep hole next to the old building foundation that seems to have been filled with rubble and industrial debris. But as the team digs deeper, the bigger picture of the Rose family, the layout of their property, and the image of this Montclair family’s business starts to become clearer with Dr. Matthews saying, “we’re getting to the bottom of it, literally.” The collaboration between historic properties like ours and archeologists allows for a better understanding of what stories are just beneath our feet. Allison also mentioned, “I think just being able to learn more about the local history in places like the Montclair History Center… and how archeology can add to it is interesting.”
By Jess Titterington