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This article hits home for me.... prior to buying the home I am currently living in, in Bordentown City, I used to reside on Park Street in the center of which was know as the Bonaparte estate. I moved from that property in 2003. I was alway curious as to what "might be out there" and looks like their are locating alot of history. Just one more reason to come to Bordentown City for its Charm, Character and History through the ages.
from the Register News......Archaeology students excavate Bonaparte site
Dishware with a Roman scene painted on it, a medal with an Army insignia on it, and countless polished marble floor pieces, all covered in dirt and at least 150 years old.
These objects were not in museum, but rather a catalogue of artifacts extracted by Monmouth University students from the property where Joseph Bonaparte's estate had once stood, now owned by the Divine Word Missionaries off Park Street.
Joseph Bonaparte, the exiled King of Spain, was the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte and lived in the city in the early 19th century.
He chose the property because of the high windswept bluff that the property featured, also partly because he feared a sneak attack from those intending to do him harm, said Michael Gall, a Monmouth University adjunct professor.
Bonaparte financed the building of his estate with the sale of his crown jewels. He also had many paintings by Murillo, Rubens, Canaletto, Velasquez, Snyders, Rembrandt, da Vinci, Gerard and Vernet.
The estate, dubbed Point Breeze because of the land's height, was completed in 1816 and partially burned down in 1820 while Bonaparte was away from his home.
A group from Monmouth University recently got a chance to do an archaeological dig where the foundation of the house once stood.
The program went six consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This past Saturday, professor Richard Veit said that "we pretty much find about one interesting thing per week," while he displayed a piece of a corroded crest metal that he believes was part of a military badge.
The course, Field Methods and Archaeology, offers a hands-on approach to learning - something that makes it easy to get 60 students to the fields early every Saturday morning, he said.
Kim Lombardo, a sophomore anthropology major, says that she doesn't mind giving up her Saturdays to come dig on the Bordentown property.
"My first day I kept exclaiming to my professors every time I found something asking them, 'What is this,' and it usually just turned out to be a rock," she said.
Bricks and rocks certainly are plentiful, as many of the students said that they were instructed just to keep looking if they come across any tell-tale orange specks in the dirt indicating pieces of brick.
The students broke up into groups of six or seven and each had a distinct job description at every post: One would record the different measurements, two would actually excavate, while another sifted through soil and yet another was responsible for transporting the dirt from the holes.
First, a group of five professors would shovel test part of the property and decide if that area would be good in determining if there were any artifacts present.
"This shows them what areas they think would be worth excavating," said Ms. Lombardo.
If the area that is shovel tested is deemed to be rich in artifacts, a square is then plotted out in the grass with stakes and string.
The students then excavate the soil in layers and carefully measure each part of the process, recording how deep they should dig. After a part of the soil is dug, it is placed in a tripod sifter, which is a large square sifter that hangs on chains from the tripod, making it easy for the students to spot anything worthwhile.
The students are also getting a crash course in how to identify soils, with the knowledge and the usage of a color chart called the Munsell Color Chart.
After being bagged and classified, the artifacts are taken to a wash tent where they will be carefully washed in plain water with soft toothbrushes to wipe away the dirt.
The washing works well for artifacts such as glass, ceramics and pottery, but more extensive chemical washes are often needed for metal artifacts that have rusted or corroded.
The artifacts then go back to the college, where they will be accounted for and possibly put on display at a Bordentown Historical Society function in the next year or so.
Mr. Gall said that Bonaparte was indeed a very well-liked neighbor when he was residing in New Jersey.
"He would take oranges in the wintertime and throw them out onto the ice when the townspeople would be ice skating on Crosswicks Creek," he said.
Bonaparte was also a big connoisseur of wine, and had many bottles that were imported, as it known that he had tunnels that went under his estate from Crosswicks Creek for easy unloading.
Although the dig at the old Point Breeze estate yielded a lot of artifacts from the early 19th century, some things found date back even further, said Dr. Veit.
"We have found several artifacts that are more than likely associated with Indians who lived here a 1,000 years ago," he explained.
Among the artifacts found were spear heads, and pieces of rock that were probably pieces of flint from stone tool making.
"It's really interesting digging up prehistoric artifacts," said student Keith Robbins.
According to the Burlington County Library Web site, Henry Beckett, the British consul in Philadelphia, purchased Point Breeze in 1850. He demolished the house Bonaparte had built, replacing it with an Italianate villa with such amenities as gas and hot and cold water.
In 1924 a subsequent owner, Harris Hammon, had the house remodeled in English Georgian Revival style. The Divine Word Mission purchased the property in 1941 and began to operate a seminary in 1947. In 1963 the seminary erected three modern school buildings near the mansion. However, the mansion burned down in 1983.
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