Archaeology Dig Near Boston's Chinatown Gate Gets Underway

BOSTON — Grab your Indiana Jones spirit and khakis and head to Chinatown. Boston Archaeologist Joseph Bagley began the city's first archaeological dig there Monday, and he's inviting members of the public to watch. The dig is part of an effort to shine light on Chinese and Syrian immigrants in Boston.

"This is an important piece of Boston's history," said Mayor Marty Walsh in a statement. "We expect to unearth the untold stories of Chinese and Syrian families who settled in Boston during the first half of the 20th century."

The site of the dig, a vacant lot at 6 Hudson Street, was home to Irish, English, Syrian and Chinese immigrants or descendants from 1840-1980. The property owner, working with the Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE), invited the city to lead the dig, and worked with members of Boston's Downtown, Chinatown, and Syrian community on the project. The dig is set to finish up in early fall.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with the community to learn more about Chinatown's history," said Bagley. "Digging into Boston's past is an exciting experience."

The City's Archaeology Program was recently awarded $350,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities as one of 233 humanities projects across the country, totaling $28.6 million in grants. The funding will support Boston's Digital Archaeology Project, which sets out to process, rehouse, catalog and photograph more than 200,000 Boston artifacts.

This isn't Boston's first dig. The city has hundreds of known archaeological sites within its borders. The city's archaeology collections are housed at the Archaeology Laboratory at 201 Rivermoor Street in West Roxbury.

The official excavation site is at 6 Hudson Street next to the Chinatown gate and is open to the public.