Pit 129: Level 2

Completed on July 2, 2021, by Beth Santiago, Lyn Del Rosario, Art Coogler, Josephine Bachman, Jocelyn and DC Locke, Odess and David Brinkman. Level two started with the find of a 1720-1750 pipe stem. That was the third pipe stem so far in the pit. And then, one by one, the different sifters started finding more of the pewter beads. Some of the beads had part of the necklace cord still inside the hole. Odess then found the answer to the bead question when she found the main part of the necklace. It was a pewter feather and a copper anchor, and they were tied together with the same cord material, which appears to be leather. Later on, research showed that this feather/anchor combination is very common in early and mid 20th century tattoos. "In ancient Celtic times, feathers were believed to have mystical powers. Feathers supposedly held the power to take people to different planes of existence, such as the spirit world. They were considered to be medicinal, and they were given as a sign of good luck. They are commonly found in Celtic tattoos, as well." In the 20th century, an anchor combined with a feather was a way to express your eternal love, freedom, and inspiration. Being that the necklace was scattered in two layers and in the trench of the gas line, it seems it was probably dropped or thrown into the trench in the 1960s.

Pit 129: Level 2 produced: 6 kitchen pottery, 1 stoneware, 10 kitchen glass, 18 window glass, 12 nails, 1 pipe, 13 dress, 4 Native American, 12 iron, and 39 slag.