Excavation Reveals Revolutionary War Artifacts in Pennsylvania
This year marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and archaeologists, alongside university students, have recently uncovered artifacts from the American Revolutionary War, including details surrounding a notable 18th-century robbery.
The excavation took place in Newtown, Pennsylvania, roughly 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia, as reported by local station WFMZ. Students from Bucks County Community College collaborated with staff from the Mercer Museum on this project.
While the site appears fairly ordinary now, it was once the location of colonial buildings, such as a county jail and a courthouse.
The excavation survey ran from March 23 to March 28 and centered on the former site of a treasure house.
Photos show archaeologists and volunteers working at the site, revealing various small 18th-century artifacts, including coins.
Clint Flack, an exhibit specialist for the Bucks County Historical Society, commented that the excavation took place in an area rich with Revolutionary War history.
Flack, a participant in the excavation, noted that some of the most significant finds included three British flint stones from the Revolutionary War, utilized to ignite gunpowder in muskets.
Historians also discovered a small set of keys, possibly used for furniture or padlocks, along with a Dutch copper coin known as a duit and a 1737 New York penny.
Additionally, a considerable amount of porcelain, pottery, and glass—long buried for over 200 years—was unearthed.
The team expressed surprise at finding the foundations of the Treasury, which Flack mentioned were in remarkably good condition.
This foundation is particularly noteworthy as it was the site of a notorious robbery conducted by the Doan Gang, a group of Quaker Loyalists who made off with thousands of dollars in colonial currency back in 1781.
According to Flack, this robbery occurred just three days after the British troops’ surrender at Yorktown.
The gang, many of whom were part of the Doan family, stole $1,200 in silver Spanish dollars, $400 in silver French crowns, and various other sums from the Bucks County Treasury.
Flack described how the robbery began at County Treasurer John Hurt’s home, where the group seized cash bundles and a key to the treasury that hadn’t yet been deposited.
Some gang members took Hurt hostage while others proceeded to rob the treasury, which was only half a mile away.
He explained that while the gang managed to unlock the treasury doors, they had to use knives to pry open locked drawers and desks. It’s interesting to note that one desk from this incident is currently on display at the Mercer Museum.
While the Doan Gang robbery is a significant event, Flack emphasized that it’s just part of the site’s “incredible” history.
He added that the treasury was used for storing gunpowder during the early years of the American Revolution, as Continental Army soldiers camped throughout Bucks County.
Flack also mentioned that some Hessian soldiers captured in the Battle of Trenton were imprisoned in a facility adjacent to the Treasury.
Interestingly, several members of the Doan gang were subsequently held in that same prison next to the Treasury Department.
