Archaeology under the Gilmore Cabin

In fall of 2001, the Montpelier Archaeology Department opened excavation units under the cabin floor at Gilmore. What archaeologists found was a series of sweepings that had fallen through the first-floor boards and had accumulated under the structure. Within these deposits are hundreds of tine glass beads (used for needlework), buttons, safety pins and other sewing items that relate to seamstress activity within the cabin. In the upstairs hearth, a similar deposit was encountered from sweepings dumped into the firebox. This deposit contained around 1700 tiny glass beads - all being the exact manufacture as the ones found below the cabin floor.

George Gilmore's great, great-granddaughters excavate soil below the cabin floor in October 2001. Hundreds of 19th-century artifacts were recovered during the excavations that reflect the day-to-day activities of the Gilmore family.	A sample of straight and safety pins, glass beads and buttons recovered in 2001 from soil under the floorboards of the cabin. These items date from the late 19th-century, and illuminate the role of Polly Gilmore as a seamstress and dressmaker.