Digging up the past
It's easy to overlook the trailhead for Moraine State Park's Hilltop Trail, with its modest parking lot at the end of the South Shore's one-way loop road — near the Bear Run Boat Launch.
A site on the trail, however, may soon reveal a glimpse into the region's history that could make it a worthwhile stop.
Working on trail and park maintenance projects last week, a crew from the Student Conservation Association uncovered the stone foundation of a building while removing invasive Japanese knotweed.
“We haven't completely identified what the structure is,” said Brian Flores, assistant park director for Moraine and McConnells Mill State Park. “As we clear away, we keep finding more structure there.”Within a quarter-mile of the trailhead, the building foundation is close to the already uncovered remains of what is described in the park's trail description as a stone spring house.“It's really exciting,” said Breanna DeCaro, 22, an association trail crew member. “It feels like we're archaeologists.”Two crews from the Student Conservation Association had been in the park working on trail maintenance and renovating some of the park cabin docks earlier this month when one of the crews uncovered the trailside structure.“This feels like a bonus I didn't know we'd be working on,” said crew leader Michael Bandes, 36.While it clearly predates the park, how old the structure is remains to be determined.Speculating as to what it could be, Flores said it may be an old homestead or part of a farm.“We're not sure,” he said, adding that initial research showed some old survey maps indicate the presence of the site.Given only a basic description during a phone interview, Butler County Historical Society Executive Director Jennifer Ford said the site may date back to the early-to-mid-1800s.She emphasized the importance of proper research and protecting a potentially historical site moving forward.“They need some experts telling them what they're looking at,” she said, suggesting reaching out to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and bringing in a state archaeologist.“They need to dot their proverbial I's and cross their T's,” she said.Describing the region's history, Ford said much of northwestern Pennsylvania remains understudied in her opinion.“Northwestern Pennsylvania is underrepresented in the literature,” she explained. “A lot of the main settlement arteries run across southern Pennsylvania. There was less settlement (in the northwest) early on which meant it was overlooked.”Looking at a photo of some of the exposed building, she also said it appeared to be much larger than a spring house, perhaps a storage area for a larger farm or an iron furnace. She said it was difficult to tell from a single photo.If it is of historical value, it should only be excavated by experts to properly preserve the site, Ford said, mentioning that it could even provide insight into architectural techniques in the region.
According to Flores, park officials are in the early stages of determining how to proceed, but he suggested they would look into further excavation of the site.“Right now we have not put together any kind of formal plan,” he said.He also mentioned it could be useful for future study and educational programming, and he welcomed the idea of partnering with other organizations and gaining insight from the community into the structure's history.“It's exciting. It lends itself to a lot of historical interpretations,” he said. “It would be cool if we get someone calling the park on that.”
