CHARLESTOWN, Mass.– Artifacts that haven't seen the light of day in 251 years are being discovered at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts – just in time for the nation's 250th birthday.The project is one of the first archaeological digs at the site of the battle fought on June 17, 1775.Crews are wanting to learn more about the earthen fortification, known as the redoubt, which is essentially a dirt fort colonial soldiers built by hand overnight before fighting began."We know that the fortification was up here, but nobody has been able to identify where specifically it is after all of these years," said Project Archaeologist for the City of Boston, Lauryn Sharp.
"Even with the monument being built, there wasn't any evidence of where the actual redoubt was, so this is kind of the first hand that we are adding this information back into the story."RARE 1,700-YEAR-OLD RELIC ACCIDENTALLY UNCOVERED DURING CHILD’S HUNT STUNS ARCHAEOLOGISTSThe City of Boston archaeology program and American Veterans Archaeological Recovery are leading the dig.(Kailey Schuyler)Through the dig, crews are hoping they will find more clues about the Battle of Bunker Hill, known as the bloodiest single day of the Revolutionary War.
On the search for the redoubt, archaeologists have found artifacts from 251 years ago. "We found two English gun flints, a French gun flint, and then two musket balls that are consistent with being British," said Joel Bohy, a historian and material culture specialist."This project has been extremely successful and we're learning new things about the battle that we didn't know before."Bohy was examining a musket ball archaeologists found in one of two trenches. Material Culture Specialist, Joel Bohy, shows a musket ball found in the dig. (Kailey Schuyler)"I haven't weighed yet, but it is possibly from a provincial gun.
So we've got materials used from both sides, it seems, all in this one trench," said Bohy."You can see it struck the gro...