THE OPPORTUNITY

Cherry Hill Township received a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust to make interior and exterior improvements at the Kay-Evans House to address drainage problems. Because the house, originally constructed in 1748, is listed in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, improvements to the property must be carried out in a way that does not detract from its historical integrity. The project offered PS&S the opportunity to help the Township through the compliance process while contributing to the understanding of this important historic resource.

THE CHALLENGE

Because of its significance and protected status, the Kay-Evans property has been the subject of numerous archaeological investigations. While previous studies provided valuable information, they focused narrowly on the wealthy Quaker families who owned the property in the 18th and 19th centuries. PS&S recognized that the history of these families was intertwined with that of the Black people who also lived on the property, working for and renting or buying land from the Evanses and, with their help, fleeing the bonds of slavery before the Civil War. The challenge was to find a way to tell the story of these people through the evidence found in the archaeological and documentary record. 

THE PS&S SOLUTION

PS&S conducted in-depth ntary research as well as interviews with local historians to trace the history of the Evans family’s Black tenants and employees, one of whom went on to found a Black settlement in what is now Haddonfield. Analyzing the abundant supply of animal bone and broken pottery among the recovered artifacts, PS&S was able to identify evidence of meals that had likely been consumed not by the Kay or Evans families but by less affluent people who lived among them. Our report, in addition to fulfilling the Township’s regulatory responsibilities, is expected to help future researchers of the historic site to see its history through a new lens.