A routine drainage project at a 300-year-old farm in Cherry Hill, NJ, turned into one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the region’s history.
Before drainage improvements could begin at Croft Farm in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the township hired archaeologists to check the soil. What they found was far more than anyone expected.
Buried in the ground around the historic farmhouse, researchers uncovered a large collection of low-cost meat bones and cheap crockery. These aren’t the kinds of items a wealthy Quaker farm family would have used. Instead, they point to something much bigger — evidence that Croft Farm was a busy stop on the Underground Railroad.
What the Archaeologists Found
The dig is being conducted by PS&S, a Warren, New Jersey, engineering and architectural firm contracted by Cherry Hill Township. According to 70and73.com, which first reported on the findings, the team uncovered an unusually large amount of animal bones showing signs of home butchering — saw and knife marks on low-value cuts of meat…