June 9: Official Statement from IAS Regarding Faculty Housing Project

When the Institute for Advanced Study received the approval of the Princeton Planning Board for its Faculty Housing project, it offered to carry out a third archaeological survey at the site in advance of construction. The fieldwork for that pre-construction survey, conducted by the archeological firm the Ottery Group in stages over the past year, has now been completed, as documented in an interim report prepared by Ottery. Designed to be as comprehensive as reasonably possible, the survey methodology incorporated a variety of technologies, included geophysical survey (magnetometry, electromagnetic induction, and ground-penetrating radar), 122 shovel test pits, three test excavations and two complete metal detection surveys. Suggestions by the Princeton Battlefield Society and others were taken into account in the final research design.

Of the 663 artifacts collected, ten related to the Battle of Princeton—five musket balls and five pieces of grapeshot. These artifacts, with those recovered from previous surveys of the Faculty Housing site, provide a significant contribution to the interpretation of the Battle of Princeton. The interim report explains the analysis of the artifacts that will take place in the project’s next phase, which includes curating the materials previously collected from the site, before their transfer to the State of New Jersey. The Institutes archaeological protocol provides that an archaeologist will be on site to monitor construction activity that might encounter additional artifacts.

The Institute is pleased that it has received all necessary approvals for its long-awaited Faculty housing project, for which activity is about to begin. It also looks forward to receiving the final archeological report, and to working with others on the overall enhancement of the Princeton Battlefield State Park.

The interim report prepared by the Ottery Group is available here.

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