The North Carolina Department of Transportation Presents
	Have you ever wondered what life was like for the early settlers who lived in the North Carolina colony? Thanks to NCDOT-sponsored archaeological research several years ago near Edenton, we now know more about this period of North Carolina's history. Archaeologists began to dig at the Eden House site after it was discovered that future road work would destroy a part of the site. The North Carolina Department of Transportation consulted with the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Highway Administration. After taking measures to avoid a cemetery and other parts of the site, NCDOT funded a major excavation at the Eden House site. Archaeologists from Coastal Carolina Research of Tarboro, North Carolina worked at the site during the summer and fall of 1996. There they uncovered the remains of one of the oldest settlements in the Albemarle region. Traces of two houses, a barn, a well, trash pits, fencelines, a privy (outdoor bathroom), and thousands of objects (which archaeologists call artifacts) thrown away by the people who lived at the site show us today what life was like in early North Carolina.
Use the links above to learn about the site history, what the archaeologists found, what kinds of objects colonial people used in their homes, and how archaeologists work.
What Did Archaeologists Discover? | Colonial Life | What Artifacts Were Found? Suggestions for Further Reading | For More Information ... Contents | List of Illustrations Credits North Carolina Department of Transportation Project Development & Environmental Analysis Branch Coastal Carolina Research, Inc. North Carolina Wesleyan College; Bill Hall, intern North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office Federal Highway Administration
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