NEWPORT, Ky. — A team of experts and students is working to learn more about Newport's history — specifically General James Taylor Park, which is where the Newport Barracks stood in the early 1800s.
“This is the most historic spot in all of Newport," said City of Newport Historic Preservation officer Scott Clark.
This week, the team started an archaeological dig to unearth artifacts they hope will help achieve this goal.
Northern Kentucky University graduate student Patrick Coggins is part of the team doing the dig, using it as part of his capstone project. He said he started researching the barracks in preparation for this and learned how important it was to the region.
“Every major military event it seems around the Tri-State area really revolved or came back to Newport," Coggins said. “If you went down the river and you were in the U.S. military, you stopped at this barracks.”
The team said one of the first things it found Monday morning was what experts believe to be a piece of Native American pottery, confirming that Native Americans occupied this land before the barracks were built. They also found English pottery and bottled glass pieces.
"It can tell you what people were eating. It can tell you about their economic status. It can tell what was in, what was popular," said Brian Hackett, PhD, Director of the Public History program at NKU.
Coggins said for him, finding artifacts like these helps bring history alive.
"When you see these items they tell you about the humanity of who came before us," he said. "This is what connects us to the past."
For Coggins, the project will also help prepare him for his career after he leaves NKU.
"If I take the role of a history professor, having this experience, I can tell kids history doesn’t have to just be in here, it’s all around us," he said.
The City of Newport said as it looks to the future of General James Taylor Park, it wants to make sure the land's history is remembered too.
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