Dr. Tom Greer, Fenton History Center archaeological dig leader and trustee, removing roots during the archaeological dig in Walnut Grove, which is the park that surrounds the Fenton Mansion, Tuesday. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

At least one of the volunteers for the Fenton History Center’s archaeological dig had his interest piqued by what some might consider to be an old way of spreading information.

“Well, I read it in the paper,”said Pete Bumsted of Jamestown about why he volunteered for the project Tuesday. “(Dr. Tom Greer) is a good friend and it piqued my interest when I read the article in the paper. I’m sort of curious now to find out what is out here.”

Tuesday was the second day of the eighth year and seventh of digging in the ground of the archaeological project in Walnut Grove, which is the park that surrounds the Fenton Mansion.

Bumsted said he’s not a “history buff,” but is interested in knowing more about all the buildings that once stood on the grounds of the Fenton estate. On his first day, Bumsted was already making discoveries by finding porcelain and coal.

“I wasn’t sure what I would be doing. I was sifting dirt at first, but then I get to start scraping in the dirt and that’s when I found the items,” he said.

James Olson, a native of Jamestown who returned back home recently, said he signed up to volunteer for the project when he first heard about the archaeological project a year ago. At the time, Olson was living on Long Island.

“I’ve seen a lot of positive changes and wanted to be a part of it,” Olson said about all the new developments in the city of Jamestown. “Most communities don’t have historical societies like this one. I’ve lived in Minneapolis, Rochester and Long Island. They’re not very active. There is no sense of community. The history of the area is important to the people of this community.”

Olson said he has always wanted to participate in an archaeological expedition, but it was too great of an expense to participate.

“I’ve been dying to participate and now I can, and it’s free and five minutes from my house,” he said.

On Tuesday, the volunteers were digging where a tennis court was once located in the 1930s. Olson said they started hitting pea gravel, which was compacted like clay to be the surface of the tennis court, around 10 centimeters below the ground and said it will probably take another 10 centimeters of digging to get below the former playing field.

Last week, Greer, archaeological dig leader and Fenton trustee, told The Post-Journal more than 1,000 artifacts have been uncovered through the years of the archaeological dig. To date, he said the biggest discovery was last year when they found a cistern (or water storage structure), which was found next to where the carriage house used to be located on the grounds.

Also discovered last year were two coins on the second day of the dig. One coin was an 1860 Indian Head Penny, which Greer said is possibly the oldest item uncovered during the archaeological dig. He said they also found a 1911 King George V Canadian dime. He added that finding both coins on the same day was a rarity because since the beginning of the dig they have only found about six coins altogether.

Greer said once they’re done digging around the cistern, the archaeological dig will continue near the carriage house. He said they might also dig by where the original barn was located as well.

The dig will be taking place this summer at 9 a.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. For those interested in volunteering, call the Fenton History Center at 664-6256.

The archaeological project started during the summer of 2012 when Fenton History Center officials, in conjunction with the State University at Buffalo, conducted an archaeological survey searching for the lost landscape of Fenton’s estate. Evidence of several outerbuildings was discovered during the survey.