Why Dig Another Mill Site? Archaeological Investigations of the East Creek Mill

Abstract

A program of historical research and archaeological data recovery was conducted at the East Creek Mill Site in southern New Jersey. The historical research provided most, if not all, of the information concerning the site's chronology, siting criteria, structural and technological changes, and operation. Archaeological data provided new information concerning structural changes to the mill; however, these changes could only be dated grossly and could not be related to documented environmental or social/economic variables that might have caused these changes. The results of this study, and review of other archaeological investigations of mills in the region, forced us to question the ability of archaeological research to provide important information on changing mill technology, and the role mills played in the social and economic fabric of the areas they served. This does not mean that archaeological studies of mills should not be done, but that different research issues relating to mills need to be explored.