Alumni, students participate in archaeological dig at Newport’s historic spring

Lauren McKinnin ’21, Mary Persico ’21 and current student Grace Parenti are participating in an archaeological dig at the historic spring site in Newport. In August, they revealed artifacts that they’ve unearthed along the way, displaying them to invited members of the public.

The dig was coordinated by Dr. Alexandra Uhl, an adjunct professor at Salve Regina. “That hands-on experience with students is priceless,” she said. “Newport is such a historical city, so you’ve got history all around you and under you.”

Members of the public look at artifacts found over the summer.

Students share their experiences digging up artifacts

Persico graduated with degrees in cultural and historic preservation, as well as sociology and anthropology. She described what a day has been like for the four members of the archeological dig.

“We grab all our gear from across the street, we bring it over this way and we lay our catalog bags out to get ready for whenever we find something to put in them,” she said. “Then we get our shovels and a bucket. We have to be careful, but we start scraping the sides [of the dig area], filling the bucket up slowly without trying to break anything in the process.”

Once they fill a bucket or wheelbarrow, the team brings it to a strainer to sift through the dirt. If they find an object, they put it in a catalog bag to investigate further, trying to determine what it might be. Throughout the summer, they found numerous artifacts through their careful digging, sifting and cataloging.

“It was fantastic overall,” Parenti said. “It was everything I dreamed of.” A double major in art history and cultural and historic preservation, she had always wanted to be involved with an archaeological dig, and she was excited to take an archeology class at Salve Regina. It was her participation in that class that paved the way for her to be part of this summer’s dig.

Parenti was particularly excited about the pieces of ceramics that were uncovered during the dig. “We found a lot of pieces that have the same decorations on them and the same painting and glaze design,” she said. “It’s Chinese-inspired porcelain, and there’s a chance that maybe some of these pieces are authentic from China brought through trade in Newport, whereas some of them also might be European remakes.”

Mary Persico ’21 catalogs an object found while digging. 

Envisioning the past and the future for a historic spring

The archeological dig took place through Salve Regina’s partnership with the Historic Newport Spring Project, run by the Newport Historic Spring Leadership Committee and the Church Community Housing Corporation. The goal is to continue to investigate and unearth the site around the spring, which has a long history within the region.

“Underneath us is freshwater,” said McKinnin, who majored in philosophy, as well as sociology and anthropology. “We’re standing on top of a freshwater source right now. When the original Native Americans were here, this is what they used for their water source, and they covered it with sheets of bedrock to keep it safe.”

Newport was founded in 1639, and records from that time indicate that the town would be built up around the spring. Throughout the years, the spring was covered and a gas station was built on top of it. After considerable fundraising, the Church Community Housing Corporation purchased the land for the Historic Newport Spring Project, with plans to turn the area around the spring into a park that celebrates Newport’s historical legacy.

This fall, interns will continue the dig until the ground freezes, and there are plans to resume next spring. “We’re uncovering history,” McKinnin said. “The rocks that I’m standing on haven’t been uncovered in 300 years, so what we’re doing here is impacting the Newport community. To say that the work that we’re doing right now will be a part of Newport for hundreds and hundreds of years – I just feel lucky. I can’t wait to come back here with my kids in 40 years and say, ‘See that park? I helped with that.'”

The dig was made possible through a grant from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, which funds projects that bring enrichment to Aquidneck Island.

The Newport Historic Spring Project plans to turn the area into a park.