The Fascinating Archaeological Discovery That Put This Historic House On The Map
By Kim Falchek|Published August 18, 2023
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Kim Falchek
Author
Kim Falchek has been exploring the towns, trails, and hidden gems of Massachusetts since her college days in Boston. When not writing, Kim enjoys photography, going on road trips, and spending time at the beach. Kim has previously been a contributing writer for LA Family Travel, Global Munchkins, and Latched Mama. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts where she and her family embrace all things Halloween!
I have always been fascinated by old houses. I love visiting these buildings and trying to picture the families who resided in them years ago. What was life like for them back then? In Massachusetts, we are fortunate to have many of the area’s historic homes still intact. The stories of generations of people who once lived in these houses lie within and are sometimes still hidden behind their walls. An archaeological dig in the town of Canton recently uncovered some interesting finds that provide us clues about the people who once lived in a little red house.
The David & Abigail Tilden House was built in 1725 and is one of the oldest surviving houses in the town of Canton, Massachusetts.
The building is currently leased to the Canton Historical Society, which is taking steps to preserve this historic structure and open it up to the public. Massachusetts has only about 300 surviving first-period homes, so this preservation project has been an important one.
The Tildens were some of the first white settlers in the town of Canton (originally called Dorchester Village).
Twenty acres of land were deeded to the Tilden family by members of the Ponkapoag tribe. David and Abigail built their house on the property around 1725 and resided here until 1747. It was later inhabited by other members of the Tilden family, a reverend, a bank owner, and a colonel. A widow named Martha Howard is thought to have stitched the oldest-surviving whole-cloth quilt when she lived in the home with her cats in the late 1800s.
In 2018, the town of Canton leased the home to the Canton Historical Society and the renovation process soon got underway. Due to the age and fragile state of the home, it has required extensive work and renovations to eventually make it safe and accessible to the public.
In the summer of 2022, carpenters removed a wooden floor and made some surprising discoveries. Under the floorboards were several pairs of leather shoes.
The historical society quickly assembled a team of archaeologists and volunteers from the community to lead a dig to see what other artifacts might be hiding under the home. The dig took focused on a small 8-by-8-foot area of the home that was formerly a kitchen. When the floor was opened for the first time in over 170 years, the team had their work set out for them.
The archaeologists got to digging inside the house. For three days, they filled up bucket after bucket of soil.
The discoveries made during this archaeological dig will add great value to future educational exhibits and programs.
To find out more about the Tilden House project, please visit the official Tilden House website and the Friends of the Little Red House Facebook page. Who knows, maybe you can help out with a future archaeological dig!
If you enjoy historic houses, there are many more to visit in Salem, Concord, and Lenox. If historic preservation is a cause that is important to you, you can now let the world know all about it when you wear this cool sweatshirt from Etsy.
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