Exton resident Gene Delaplane, a former history teacher and the president of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology’s local chapter, is among a group of volunteers who are working at the oldest house in Berks County to uncover remnants of everyday life in the 1700s, writes Susan Miers Smith for the Daily Local News.
Sewing pins before the Revolutionary War were found in the stone home in the village of Morlatton in Amity Township but for Delaplane, 82, the most interesting artifacts unearthed thus far from the 1716 Mouns Jones House in Douglassville are coins.
“We have found five coins dated between 1680 and 1731, plus one in 1807,” he said.
Other items that have been recovered from the home include shards of 18th- and 19th-century pottery and corroded straight pins.
The group has also found evidence of possible architectural changes that were made to the house itself during the late 18th or early 19th century. One such change is where the door facing the river was located.
“We could tell on the inside and on the outside and when we dug down, we found steps going up there that were more modern,” said Delaplane.
Read more about Gene Delaplane in the Daily Local News.
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Step inside the oldest surviving home in Berks County as the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology’s John Shrader Chapter uncovers the secrets of the 1716 Mouns Jones House. Since beginning their interior excavation in early 2022, the team has unearthed a remarkable collection of artifacts that bring this Amity Township landmark back to life.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in April 2022.
