I am posting this for a friend seeking information on late 18th - early 19th
century blacksmith sites, particularly French Canadian sites.
 
Matt Switlik, Director, Monroe County Historical Museum, is storing the
remains of a French domestic residence and associated blacksmith shop
relating to Francois DeLisle(Deloeuil) and dating ca. 1789-1866 excavated in
Monroe (Frenchtown), Michigan.  The site was salvaged excavated in 1988 by
Dennis Au and C. Stephan Demeter and volunteers of the Raisin River Chapter
of the Michigan Archaeological Society and the Monroe County Historical
Museum.  Two or three articles by Dennis Au and Gerald Wykes have been
published on the site in Michigan History, Vol. 73, No. 3, June 1989.  There
are an estimated 60-70,000 artifacts that are presently being washed, cleaned
and dried, with the exception of the metal.
 
Private construction development emplacing a sewer line revealed a house
foundation, root cellar, puncheon fence, smithing area, and abandoned well.
 Some of the artifacts recovered or other evidence show a variety of:
decorated creamware; pearlware and whiteware ceramics to include some late
18th century French Faience types; hand-wrought fire shovel; limestone block
forge; anvil block; wooden tub; iron stock; wooden table; slag; charcoal;
gilded brass watch back with the inscription "J. Tobias, Liverpool, 1766;
iron wall hook; medal of St. Francois De Salles; backed razor, knives;
thimball, scissors; medal of St. Joan of Arc; chisel; punch; punch; set
hammer; spoon, clay pipes; miniature horseshoe, shaft straightener;
bone-handles awl; door latch; kettle lug; hand-blown wine bottle; serpentine
side plate from an 18th century Northwest Fur Company gun; crucifix; lock
plate of a flintlock musket; agricultural tools; flintlock hammers; and many
more items.
 
Historical documentation on the site and Francois DeLisle is excellent.
 
Does anybody know of any good published or unpublished reports dealing with
French Canadian blacksmith sites in particular and blacksmith sites in
general? Matt and Dennis are looking for a historical archaeologist to assist
them in a complete analysis of the site and publication of a report on the
excavations, history and material culture.
 
Pat Tucker
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