BOLTON, Conn — 13 French students are joining sixteen students from Connecticut for the project known as “Digging into History: On the Road with Rochambeau”. It is an excavation at the Bolton Heritage Farm, a place where, in 1781, General Rochambeau camped with thousands of French troops to assist US soldiers on their way to the Battle of Yorktown.
The Museum of Connecticut History is organizing six days of digging. Christine Pittsley, the projects coordinator and the curator at the Museum of Connecticut History said, “In 1781 as the French Army – six thousand men – marched from Newport, Rhode Island into Yorktown they camped here over the course of four nights. This is where they lived, and it’s their buckles and their buttons and the things that they dropped that are the most interesting things for us.”
High school and college students are now dishing the dirt together looking for pieces the French troops might have left behind.
Rowan Varney, who will be a senior at Bolton High School in the Fall said, “It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’ve never been to another country, and we’ve been bonding a lot and now we get to sift together so that is really exciting.”
Sarah Sportman, the Connecticut State Archeologist is on hand lending her expertise for the excavation. She stressed that the digging is all done by permit since Bolton Heritage Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is a state archeological preserve.
Sportman said, “It's a great opportunity for students from both sides of the Atlantic to learn about the archeological process and to study our joint history.” Pittsley added, “This is a really interesting way of introducing students to history because they get to actually experience it – they get to dig in.”
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.