Update from the Dig at Cinnamon (June 2001)

Once again Syracuse University donated their field season to the Cinnamon Bay Project, a donation that has been estimated at one hundred thousand dollars each year. This is Dr. Douglas Armstrong’s third season at Cinnamon Bay. Graduate and undergraduate students from Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Tennessee worked together in an effort to answer questions about the historic period at Cinnamon Bay. 

Students excavated at four historic structures that are actively eroding out from the beachfront. One of the structures investigated is eroding out of the bank, to the west of the warehouse, near the prehistoric site investigations. Excavations were also conducted adjacent to the historic warehouse building. These tests discovered that the extant warehouse building, formerly a plantation great house, was built on the foundation of an earlier building. This may indicate that Cinnamon Bay was occupied prior to Danish occupation of the island in 1718. Excavations along the shoreline revealed evidence of plantation structures, probably households based on the percentage of domestic artifacts found there. Particularly exciting is an extensive burn layer that may be the first physical evidence of the 1733 slave rebellion to be located on the island. We know from historical documents that several buildings at Cinnamon Bay were burned during this rebellion, including the laborer quarters. 

Another floor was located below this burned level that also indicates occupation prior to 1718, in fact one coin recovered has a date of 1714. Judy Patterson, a doctoral candidate of the University of Tennessee, has enhanced this research. She has chosen to use the Cinnamon Bay site for her dissertation research. She is examining the historic faunal materials from the site. This year she recovered data from the wide variety of archeological periods investigated including materials that border between the prehistoric and historic record. In all it was a very successful field school and the results were very rewarding! 

Meanwhile, excavations continue on the Taino ceremonial site at Cinnamon Bay. Presently, the friends provide funding for an intern to continue the work. Ceremonial offerings and all objects associated with this Taino temple site known by them as a “Caney” continue to be recovered. The University of Southern Maine will join us from July 24-August 14th. They will be doing some testing to determine the extent and function of additional prehistoric sites at Cinnamon Bay. We urge you to come out and work with us or learn of the history that is being revealed! 

Contact the friends to volunteer or to help fund this vital activity at thedig@friendsvinp.org now! You can make a difference!

Page updated: 6/20/2001