Archaeologists in York, Pennsylvania, uncovered evidence of what is believed to be the last remaining prisoner-of-war (POW) camp from the Revolutionary War.
The evidence, discovered Monday, confirmed the location of Camp Security, which at one point likely housed up to 1,200 British POWs, according to the York Daily Record. The camp included POWs captured following the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown.
Archaeologists uncovered a set of holes about a foot underground which formed a broader stockade around Camp Security, the York Daily Record reported. The team reached the holes utilizing a combination of trowels and tablespoons.
The discovery follows decades of archaeological work at a broader site that also includes the remnants of Camp Indulgence, a lower-security POW camp, according to CBS News.
“This has been a long project, and to finally see it come to fruition, or at least know you’re not nuts, that’s wonderful,” head fundraiser Carol Tanzola, who served as president of Friends of Camp Security, said, according to the outlet.
Archaeologists in York County are working diligently at the Camp Security site — the only known surviving prisoner of war camp in America, dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War.https://t.co/piq6WYDvgN pic.twitter.com/oUJKZbXluK
— 6 News (@WJACTV) August 28, 2019
In 1979, a local discovery of items, such as buckles and buttons linked with British soldiers in the Revolutionary War, gave traction to the idea that Camp Security and Camp Indulgence could be located in the York area, according to CBS News.
Archaeologists did not uncover any human remains at the site, but the account of an imprisoned British surgeon’s mate indicates some kind of “camp fever” may have swept through Camp Security, CBS News reported. (RELATED: Marine Archaeologists Discover Famous 1600s Äpplet Shipwreck In Sweden)
John Crawmer, lead archaeologist at the site, said his team hopes to uncover more evidence to “start answering questions about where people were sleeping, where they were living, where they were throwing things away, where the privies are,” according to CBS News.
October 2022 has also seen the discovery of a church in Turkey believed to house the remains of St. Nicholas, as well as a rare Roman-era mosaic in Syria.