Hey Mobjack,
Yes, we have a super secret middle of the night initiation
but it's past my bedtime and have to leave it up to Scott
and Dave to do the initiating.
But to answer your question about our surface finds on
new construction sites....Heck NO they don't save it!
If we weren't getting the stuff out of their way no one
would ever know it was there! We do consider a large
facet of what we do as "Salvage" work. Get it before it's
lost forever. Saving the past for the future.
I'm glad to hear your story although, I must tell you, it is
not unique. That has been going on all up and down the
east, and west, coast forever. The coastlines are virtually
one big continuous site. I remember being on one of my
first coastal digs with State archaeologists and, because
of what we were talking about, getting a glimpse of the
head archaeologists site map for the NC coast. I thought,
Oh Boy, now a chance to see where all the good sites are!
Well, all his little x's and o's completely filled the coastline
and I couldn't tell where one stopped and the next one
began.
It is funny tho, how down at the coast any slight rise or
"high ground" is what they were looking for and up in the
mountains, where you are, most of the campsites will be on
flat ground down close to the water, or a nice flat knoll
near the water.
Good Luck with the Hunt,
Joe