The maps that the Archaeology department pulled together in preperation for the Old City Hall Courtyard dig show a lot more than they were expecting to find. First, there was a lot more private ownership of the property in front of the building than they knew of originally. There was not only the 17th century school house but two additional 17th century houses in what now is the courtyard. There also appears to have been at least two different school houses, with the second being built on the site of the first demolished one. In the 19th century, there were buildings flanking the open space in the center that may have disturbed some of the deposits along the north and south of the current open space.
With the digging that is soon to begin, we hope to find the remaining foundations of at least one of these buildings!
With the digging that is soon to begin, we hope to find the remaining foundations of at least one of these buildings!