Uncovering a Revolutionary POW camp in York County: 'It will ... be a tourist destination'

Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record
·4 min read
17

On a recent sunny morning, volunteers used shovels and hand tools as they dug into the earth in hopes of uncovering more of the footprint of a Revolutionary War POW camp in Springettsbury Township.

Lead archaeologist John Crawmer and volunteers found evidence of the site of Camp Security last year when they discovered post holes of the stockade under the topsoil in a field off of Locust Grove Road. It drew national attention as the site is believed to be the last undeveloped Revolutionary War prison camp in the country.

This spring, the archaeologists and volunteers are working to uncover more of the footprint of the camp. They have no idea what the shape of the stockade was, Crawmer said. Some in the 18th century were round, while others were square.

Archeologist Samantha Muscella scraps through soil at the end of a row of stockade at the Camp Security dig site on Thursday May 25, 2023. By understanding the soil compaction where a suspected pole was pulled out and looking for evidence of pole changes in the soil around where a pole might be, individual areas are excavated looking for a pattern.
Archeologist Samantha Muscella scraps through soil at the end of a row of stockade at the Camp Security dig site on Thursday May 25, 2023. By understanding the soil compaction where a suspected pole was pulled out and looking for evidence of pole changes in the soil around where a pole might be, individual areas are excavated looking for a pattern.

More: 'We finally found it': Evidence of Revolutionary War POW camp site in York County unearthed

"Right now, it's doing a weird serpentine pattern ...," he said. "We can't make much of it right now because you sort of just need to see the bigger picture to know what that's about or why that's happening."

It's not clear at this point how long it will take to uncover the footprint of the camp.

Soft, slightly darker soil in the stockade

Camp Security, which held British prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War, operated between the summer of 1781 and the spring of 1783.

When wooden posts sit in the ground for years, the wood rots a little bit and changes the color of the soil in the earth. Archaeologists typically look for good post molds, but those don't exist at the Camp Security site. The stockade was removed after a short period of time.

"It is enough for us to see a different soil color, but that soil color is extremely subtle," Crawmer said.

A closeup of the most recent excavation. The large red dots mark areas that poles may have been buried for the Stockade. The dark green areas are historical pits that were excavated. The current map hasn't been updated with the most recent activity.
A closeup of the most recent excavation. The large red dots mark areas that poles may have been buried for the Stockade. The dark green areas are historical pits that were excavated. The current map hasn't been updated with the most recent activity.

That's why the volunteers worked under canopies on that recent morning because the bright sunlight would have bleached out the color.

Crawmer said the soil, which is slightly darker in color, is soft. It also contains charcoal, which indicates that the wooden posts had started to degrade.

Pieces of charcoal found in one of the suspected post holes can help confirm that a post that was placed there at Camp Security along the stockade trench. Small amounts of char don't signify burning as much as a small amount of rotting during the short time that the stockade was in place.
Pieces of charcoal found in one of the suspected post holes can help confirm that a post that was placed there at Camp Security along the stockade trench. Small amounts of char don't signify burning as much as a small amount of rotting during the short time that the stockade was in place.

Crawmer explained that they can see evidence − a disturbance in the earth − where the wooden posts had been yanked back to remove them.

While volunteers worked in the area of the stockade trench, assistant archaeologist Jane Skinner used a drone to capture images of the site. She turns the photos into 3D models to gather more information.

They can use the models in several different ways, such as to get elevations and accurate coordinate points. It allows archaeologists and volunteers to spend more time digging in the field, she said.

Skinner, who is a researcher at Penn State University, has an ancestor who served as a guard at Camp Security for four to six months. She's not from Pennsylvania, so she was surprised to learn that about her family history.

In addition to her family connection and having friends working at the site, she's interested in outreach and involving local communities in archaelogical digs. With this project, it allows people to connect themselves to the Revolutionary history of York.

"I'm glad we have a stockade," she said. "I'll be excited to see what artifacts we get."

Carol Tanzola, with Friends of Camp Security and part of the preservation effort from the start, said that the find will put "Springettsbury Township on the map" as a significant Revolutionary War site.
Carol Tanzola, with Friends of Camp Security and part of the preservation effort from the start, said that the find will put "Springettsbury Township on the map" as a significant Revolutionary War site.

The hunt for Camp Security: Where exactly is it, and will archaeologists find it?

Future of the Camp Security site

Carol Tanzola, president of the Friends of Camp Security, felt vindicated when the dig uncovered the stockade last year. She fought for years to save the site from development.

Finding the camp will put Springettsbury Township on the map, and "... it will eventually be a tourist destination," she said.

She expects that some people who had ancestors at the camp will want to come see it.

The land is owned by Springettsbury Township, which is in the early stages of developing a master plan for the site, manager Mark Hodgkinson said.

The development of the plan is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete, he said.

The municipality received grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the York County Planning Commission for it.

Rick Geidel, a volunteer and retired archaeologist from York Township, said it was a hard-fought battle to make sure that Camp Security didn't become like other Revolutionary War POW camps and be destroyed by development.

"It's a privilege to be out here trying to document this thing and whatever I can do to help out," he said.

A map of the dig site sits in northernly orientation to match the orientation of the current stockade dig. The area in blue matches up with the stockade trench in the background at the Camp Security dig site on Thursday May 25, 2023.
A map of the dig site sits in northernly orientation to match the orientation of the current stockade dig. The area in blue matches up with the stockade trench in the background at the Camp Security dig site on Thursday May 25, 2023.

Learn more about the archaeological dig

Want to see the archaeological dig for yourself?

The site will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to noon on both Monday, June 5 and Saturday, June 10.

The Friends of Camp Security also could use financial help with the archaeological work. Donations can be made on Camp Security website or mailed to Friends of Camp Security, P.O. Box 20008 York, PA 17402.

For more information, visit campsecurity.org.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Revolutionary War POW camp in York County, Pa. revealing its footprint