LEWES, Del. -- Archaeologists and volunteers are working at the site of the former Lewes Dairy on Pilottown Road to try to uncover traces of a 17th century Dutch fort.
The dig is part of the City of Lewes' preliminary evaluation of the proposed Roosevelt Landing subdivision expected to be built on the site. After receiving word that there could be historic remains there, planning and zoning commissioners required the property owner to have the property surveyed.
"It depends on what is found on the site," says Janelle Cornwell, City of Lewes Planning and Building Manager. "It might just move some lots and open space in different areas, and again we won't know that until we get the results of the review."
Dr. Edward Otter and his team have been digging on the site for six weeks now. Otter says his team is retracing the steps and reevaluating the work of archaeologists who surveyed the site in the 1950s and 1960s. They claimed the 1631 fort and the palisade lines of the fort were on the site and the neighboring cemetery.
"In 1631 when the Dutch came here, they built a fort or some sort of a palisade with a house in it and it was wiped out by the natives very quickly," says Otter. "This has been identified as that location since at least 1909."
So far, Otter says his team has found several rusty nails and broken bottles, mostly from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries.
"We're uncovering parcels and things that were found in 1964," says Otter. "We also had a ground penetrating radar done out here and that identified a foundation sticking out of the back of building and we uncovered that and found it was from the 19th century."
All of the uncovered findings are taken to a lab to be analyzed. Otter says once the dig is concluded in the next two weeks, he will submit a report to the city and state to then decide what will happen with the site based on the findings.
Otter is inviting city and state leaders to the site for an open-house on Aug. 31st to get a closer look at the digging work.