Arifacts Uncovered at First Seasonal Dig at Muncy Park and Heritage Trail

Ginger Reibsome from Elimsport and her two grandaughters, Ashley and Madalyn Blair discover old pieces of glass possibly from an old medicine bottle.
On Saturday morning, the first public archaeology dig of this season was scheduled to help raise awareness and interest to the reported master plan for the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail. Coordinated by Robin Van Auken, education and community director for the Muncy Historical Society that sponsors the trail, the public dig is very unique to the area. According to Van Auken, it is a hands-on experience where everyone gets to actively participate in the digging process.
Ginger Reibsome from Elimsport brought her two granddaughters, Ashley Blair, age 13 and Madalyn Blair, age 6 to the dig. “They have wanted to come for the past two years but this is the first time we have been able to come. They wanted to give up their ballet class to come here this morning,” said Reibsome. Using a Marshall Town trowel, a masonry tool that is good for excavating soil, Ashley was able to find a piece of old glass that could have been the remains of an Indian artifact said Van Auken who has a masters degree in anthropology and teaches at Lycoming College.
After the piece was cleaned and marked, it will be filed in a database that is kept at the Muncy museum. This is the 316th registered site for archaeology in Lycoming County,” said Van Auken. The registered site is part of eleven acres donated by Muncy resident, Betty Fisher. The squared off site has been marked as an exploration site for Indian artifacts. Formerly most of the excavating has been done by the well and the lockmaster’s house. Old pieces of glass and hardware were found dating back to the 1800’s. After doing several test holes by digging two to five feet deep at a higher level several feet away from the well and the old canal, some unusual pieces dating back to the late 1700’s were found.
Tom ‘Tank’ Baird has been working on the digs for some time and discovered a chirt scraper on Saturday at the new designated site. “We know this is historic because the house over there was built in 1795 and used to be an old tavern. This will be our first site strictly dedicated to Indian artifacts,” said Tank. He explained that a chirt scraper is a tool made of flint that was used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts. It was chipped to create an edge. “We will continue to dig here for awhile and we hope to find more Indian artifacts,” he added. There was more activity here and more things to find here. “It could be prehistoric. We already know it’s historic. We know that Muncy first had European contact in the mid 1700’s,” said Van Auken.
Historic evidence dates back to the occupancy of the Woodland Indians. “The fragments of chirt tools could be from the Indians or the fist European settlers who were Irish immigrant laborers and worked here digging in the canals,” explained Robin Van Auken to the group.

'Tank' Baird reveals a chirt scraper found at the Muncy Dig on Saturday. This artifact tool was used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts. It is believed to be dated back to the 1700's.
Since 2005, thousands of volunteers and visitors have helped to uncover history along the canal route during Muncy’s well-known industrial era in the early 1800’s. It is a real learning experience for the public as well as a way to preserve the natural resources. Under the development and ownership of the Muncy Historical Society, the dig is organized and supervised by the Northcentral Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennyslvania Archaeology.
Other groups participate
Beginning in June, a Junior Ranger club will meet once a month at the park. During the meetings youth can participate in nature projects and learn about conservation or work on projects in the Junior Ranger Adventure Guide. Projects might be plant identification, learning about wildlife, water testing, fossil hunting and other eco recreational activities.
New family programs scheduled for the season
Muncy is also bringing other family programs to the park each month. The first event is a fun-filled morning learning session about aerodynamics in “Go Fly a Kite” which is offered on May 16 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

This private residence in Muncy was once a busy tavern during the canal industry. It was frequented by Irish immigrant laborers during the early 1800's.
On June 27 there will be an orienteering workshop “Get Lost.” Those attending will receive a small compass and partial topographic map to find their way through the park.
On July 25, families will be introduced to watercolor painting and receive paint kits with instruction on how to paint natural scenes in the open meadow.
On August 15, photographers will be able to capture nature and wildlife at the park. Reservations are suggested because attendees will receive program materials.
For more information on these programs and the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail, go to www.MunchHistoricalSociety.org.
- ‘Tank’ Baird reveals a chirt scraper found at the Muncy Dig on Saturday. This artifact tool was used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts. It is believed to be dated back to the 1700’s.
- This private residence in Muncy was once a busy tavern during the canal industry. It was frequented by Irish immigrant laborers during the early 1800’s.
Arifacts Uncovered at First Seasonal Dig at Muncy Park and Heritage Trail

Ginger Reibsome and her two grandaughters, Ashley and Madalyn Blair from Troy find some old artifacts dated back to late 1700's.
On Saturday morning, the first public archaeology dig of this season was scheduled to help raise awareness and interest to the reported master plan for the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail. Coordinated by Robin Van Auken, education and community director for the Muncy Historical Society that sponsors the trail, the public dig is very unique to the area. According to Van Auken, it is a hands-on experience where everyone gets to actively participate in the digging process.
Ginger Reibsome from Elimsport brought her two granddaughters, Ashley Blair, age 13 and Madalyn Blair, age 6 to the dig. “They have wanted to come for the past two years but this is the first time we have been able to come. They wanted to give up their ballet class to come here this morning,” said Reibsome. Using a Marshall Town trowel, a masonry tool that is good for excavating soil, Ashley was able to find a piece of old glass that could have been the remains of an Indian artifact said Van Auken who has a masters degree in anthropology and teaches at Lycoming College.
After the piece was cleaned and marked, it will be filed in a database that is kept at the Muncy museum. This is the 316th registered site for archaeology in Lycoming County,” said Van Auken. The registered site is part of eleven acres donated by Muncy resident, Betty Fisher. The squared off site has been marked as an exploration site for Indian artifacts. Formerly most of the excavating has been done by the well and the lockmaster’s house. Old pieces of glass and hardware were found dating back to the 1800’s. After doing several test holes by digging two to five feet deep at a higher level several feet away from the well and the old canal, some unusual pieces dating back to the late 1700’s were found.
Tom ‘Tank’ Baird has been working on the digs for some time and discovered a chirt scraper on Saturday at the new designated site. “We know this is historic because the house over there was built in 1795 and used to be an old tavern. This will be our first site strictly dedicated to Indian artifacts,” said Tank. He explained that a chirt scraper is a tool made of flint that was used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts. It was chipped to create an edge. “We will continue to dig here for awhile and we hope to find more Indian artifacts,” he added. There was more activity here and more things to find here. “It could be prehistoric. We already know it’s historic. We know that Muncy first had European contact in the mid 1700’s,” said Van Auken.
Historic evidence dates back to the occupancy of the Woodland Indians. “The fragments of chirt tools could be from the Indians or the fist European settlers who were Irish immigrant laborers and worked here digging in the canals,” explained Robin Van Auken to the group.

'Tank' Baird discovers a chirt scraper at the Muncy Dig on Saturday. This is a primitive tool used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts.
Since 2005, thousands of volunteers and visitors have helped to uncover history along the canal route during Muncy’s well-known industrial era in the early 1800’s. It is a real learning experience for the public as well as a way to preserve the natural resources. Under the development and ownership of the Muncy Historical Society, the dig is organized and supervised by the Northcentral Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennyslvania Archaeology.
Other groups participate
Beginning in June, a Junior Ranger club will meet once a month at the park. During the meetings youth can participate in nature projects and learn about conservation or work on projects in the Junior Ranger Adventure Guide. Projects might be plant identification, learning about wildlife, water testing, fossil hunting and other eco recreational activities.
New family programs scheduled for the season
Muncy is also bringing other family programs to the park each month. The first event is a fun-filled morning learning session about aerodynamics in “Go Fly a Kite” which is offered on May 16 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
On June 27 there will be an orienteering workshop “Get Lost.” Those attending will receive a small compass and partial topographic map to find their way through the park.
On July 25, families will be introduced to watercolor painting and receive paint kits with instruction on how to paint natural scenes in the open meadow.
On August 15, photographers will be able to capture nature and wildlife at the park. Reservations are suggested because attendees will receive program materials.
For more information on these programs and the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail, go to www.MunchHistoricalSociety.org.
- ‘Tank’ Baird discovers a chirt scraper at the Muncy Dig on Saturday. This is a primitive tool used for scraping plants and cutting animal parts.