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Relationships between archaeologists and landowners can often grow tense, Meghan Howey admits, thanks to the potential tug of war over ownership of any notable finds during a dig.

And then there are times when landowners bring you homemade cinnamon rolls.

Howey, the director of the Center for Humanities and a professor in the Anthropology and Earth Systems Research Center at UNH, recently completed work on a project that highlighted a host of notable positives 鈥� chief among them the power of UNH to make a tangible difference for Granite State residents, the value and reward that comes from partnering with community members, and the opportunity to unearth truly historic artifacts.

But it was also a shining example of the benefits that come from nurturing the relationship between archaeologist and landowner 鈥� of particular importance for UNH as the state鈥檚 flagship public university, and benefits that go far beyond baked goods.

In partnership with a landowner in nearby Madbury, Howey and her colleagues were able to identify the site of a 1701 garrison known as the Meserve Garrison, completing a dig at the site that contained not only the foundation but some additional artifacts from the colonial period.

鈥淗ow we as a university make ourselves relevant to the state is by making ourselves as accessible as possible. This is a really cool example that illustrates how the more you engage with the public, the more benefits can come out of it as a researcher or scholar,鈥� Howey says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the value of relationship-building as a big part of the end product. It took time before we dug on the landowner鈥檚 property, but we were able to do so because we continued to develop that relationship.

鈥淗e even made us all cinnamon rolls,鈥� she quipped.

A landowner reaching out to UNH is fairly atypical, Howey notes, as it鈥檚 usually the university doing the initial outreach on a potential dig. But when this particular owner purchased his property years ago, he had heard it might have once had a colonial-era garrison house on it known as the Meserve Garrison. So, when he discovered a group of large stones and a raised circular feature while clearing an area, he became curious.

He remembered hearing Howey and the Great Bay Archaeological Survey (GBAS) she directs, a community-engaged archaeology research program, featured on NHPR not long before, so he began asking around to see if he could get connected.

Howey was joined by GBAS鈥檚 community historian, Diane Fiske, to conduct a walk-over survey on the property to get things started. That walkover revealed three visible features of interest 鈥� the series of large stones oriented in a line and a subterranean structure with a brick-vaulted covering, both of which had been exposed during the landowner鈥檚 clearing efforts, and a large late 19th/early 20th century cellar hole along the road currently bordering the property.

Further investigation revealed that the large stones continued on and were part of a foundation. Researchers eventually found enough continuity to estimate a probable foundation size of 24-by-48 feet.

The brick-covered subterranean structure was revealed to feature what appeared to be colonial-era brick (鈥渃olonial brick is distinctive,鈥� , 鈥渁s it was hand-formed, creating variation in shape and size, and it was fired at a lower temperature, creating a more orange coloring.鈥�).

Looking further inside, investigators also discovered late twentieth-century discarded pots, pans, and dishes, as well as some trash, indicating that someone was using the space at some point many years ago, and surmised that the colonial-era brick had been scavenged from remnants of the home鈥檚 original chimney.

鈥淲e found many layers of history, including evidence of a very early English colonial occupation out there. We had a 1700s foundation and also elements from the 1800s and 1900s, so it was a long-occupied landscape,鈥� Howey says. 鈥淔inding primary settlements from the first English colonists at sites being this intact and preserved is very rare. These garrison sites were actually dynamic homesteads where people lived their lives, and through archaeology, it lets you see that dynamism of the colonial period. It鈥檚 pretty exciting to find something like that.鈥�

Howey says she was honored to share the project with Fiske, who is a self-taught historian now in her 80s. The two first started working together at the launch of GBAS in 2016, and Fiske has since fully embraced her role as the proejct鈥檚 community historian.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an inspiring journey, because now Diane presents on GBAS and other research projects she does on her own. She鈥檚 an example of what UNH can do for people in the state 鈥� that empowerment of someone like Diane through research at UNH鈥� Howey says. 鈥淪he was always meant to be a scholar, to be a historian and an archaeologist, and now, all these years later, she gets to do some of that and here we see her publish her first peer-reviewed article.鈥�

That UNH connection to New Hampshire residents remains one of the strongest benefits of GBAS overall. Howey believes that archaeology provides a unique opportunity for the university to deliver notable results that people in New Hampshire can really wrap their arms around and appreciate.

鈥淔or us it鈥檚 about demystifying what academia is 鈥� making it accessible, making it understandable, making it tangible. Archaeology is so valuable for that,鈥� Howey says. 鈥淚 think people get a lot of value out of the work we do, and it鈥檚 about showing them, bringing them in and not just lecturing to them but having them participate actively, and then they鈥檙e invested. Come along with us, be a partner and share your knowledge and we鈥檒l share back. That community engagement is so important.鈥�