Boylston Street Fishweir
Encyclopedia
In archeological literature, the name Boylston Street Fishweir refers to ancient fishing structures first discovered in 1913 buried 29 to 40 feet (12.2 m) below Boylston Street
in Boston, Massachusetts. Reports written in 1942 and 1949 describe what was thought to be remains of one large fishweir, 2,500 years old, made of up to 65,000 wooden stakes distributed over an estimated two hectare
s (about 5 acres) of the former mud flat and marshland in what is now the Back Bay section of Boston. A different interpretation of these findings is offered by new evidence and contemporary archeological research techniques.
s, wooden fence-like structures built to catch fish, are used in tidal and river conditions as a passive method to trap fish during the cycle from low to high tide, or in river flow. Fish weirs built in places of large tidal change, 12-20 feet between ebb and flow, are built with 4 to 6 in (101.6 to 152.4 mm) vertical support poles holding woven nets. Fish weirs in shallow estuaries water, or in small streams, may be built with 1 to 3 in (25.4 to 76.2 mm) vertical stakes and the horizontal structure, called wattling, made of brushwork to form a rough barrier at mid-tide depth.
Fish weirs have been used in coastal areas by indigenous peoples in all parts of the world. Fish weirs have been discovered dating back to 7,500 years BP
, and in some locations are still being built and used today. Along the coast of developed areas of North America and Europe permits are now required in order to build a fish weir. Depending on fish populations in an area, and local maritime use, fish weir construction may be prohibited entirely. This has been an issue of concern to Native American
tribal groups along the New England coast.
Fish weir discovery continued in 1939, with archeological investigations led by Frederick Johnson during foundation excavation for the New England Mutual Life Building. Long sequences of wooden stakes, buried under tidal silt and an additional 15-20 feet of 19th-century Back Bay fill, were found passing through the site and continuing on under surrounding streets. Maps were drawn that described a fish weir covering more than 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of the former marshland below Boston's Back Bay - suggesting the existence of one very large fish weir with over 65,000 wood stakes. The imagined scale of this fish weir lead scholars to speculate that it was built at one time by a community of appreciable size. This fish weir was described as the earliest known large scale engineering effort in North America. Drawings and models were made based on the findings and show the fish weir built in deep water, maintained by men working from mishoons (log canoes). This interpretation may have been informed by the type of fish weirs known to be still in use in the 1940s by Native peoples in the Canadian Bay of Fundy
.
Archeological research continued in 1946 during the construction of the John Hancock Building
. At this site, 2 inches (50.8 mm) vertical wood stakes, three to four feet long, were found in parallel linear orientations. Researchers thought they were seeing remains of long wooden structures built across streams on ancient tidal flats. This evidence suggested weirs built to trap seasonal spawning fish in shallow water tidal areas. Harvest of fish was now thought to have been done by hand, by wading out from shore, or waiting until low tide to collect the stranded fish.
, refined pollen sample analysis
, and accurate surveys allowed the fish weir stakes to be understood to straddle many different stratigraphic layers. Rather than one large weir built at one moment in history, this new evidence suggests that fish weir remains discovered in this and previous excavations were parts of many smaller weirs, built in different locations, over a 1,500-year time span. Lead archeologist Dena Dincauze describes the fish weirs being short 100–150 ft (30.5–45.7 m) structures designed to harvest herring and other small fish that spawn in the late spring in the gentle waters of the intertidal zone. These weirs were most likely built and used by family clans of 35 to 50 people, who each spring would migrate from inland hunting camps to the coast, following the best seasonal food resources. The harvested fish were used for both food and to nourish the soil prior to planting
.
, hickory
, dogwood
, beech
, oak
and alder
- changed with the climate fluctuation. Analysis of tree rings and bark of recovered fishweir stakes reveals that the wood was often cut in the late winter and construction work on the weirs undertaken in the spring.
During the time during which the fish weirs were in use the difference between high and low tide was only about three feet, allowing easy construction and maintenance of the wooden structures, and direct access to the trapped fish by walking from the shore. The most accurate radiocarbon dating of these weirs suggests that the earliest were built almost 5200 years BP, and then rebuilt time and again, essentially maintained for over 1500 years. By about 3700 years before present, the daily tidal height change and water flow had increased, and the ocean level had risen to the point that tidal weirs made of small size wood stakes were no longer effective in the Back Bay location. The Native people remained, developing other fishing and planting methods. The descendants of these early people may be members of the Massachuset tribe today.
, an annual public event on Boston Common
, honors the early history with the construction of a fishweir within two blocks of the still buried fishweir remains.
Boylston Street
Boylston Street is the name of a major east-west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Another Boylston Street runs through Boston's western suburbs....
in Boston, Massachusetts. Reports written in 1942 and 1949 describe what was thought to be remains of one large fishweir, 2,500 years old, made of up to 65,000 wooden stakes distributed over an estimated two hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (about 5 acres) of the former mud flat and marshland in what is now the Back Bay section of Boston. A different interpretation of these findings is offered by new evidence and contemporary archeological research techniques.
Fish weir description and use
Throughout the world fish weirWeir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
s, wooden fence-like structures built to catch fish, are used in tidal and river conditions as a passive method to trap fish during the cycle from low to high tide, or in river flow. Fish weirs built in places of large tidal change, 12-20 feet between ebb and flow, are built with 4 to 6 in (101.6 to 152.4 mm) vertical support poles holding woven nets. Fish weirs in shallow estuaries water, or in small streams, may be built with 1 to 3 in (25.4 to 76.2 mm) vertical stakes and the horizontal structure, called wattling, made of brushwork to form a rough barrier at mid-tide depth.
Fish weirs have been used in coastal areas by indigenous peoples in all parts of the world. Fish weirs have been discovered dating back to 7,500 years BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
, and in some locations are still being built and used today. Along the coast of developed areas of North America and Europe permits are now required in order to build a fish weir. Depending on fish populations in an area, and local maritime use, fish weir construction may be prohibited entirely. This has been an issue of concern to Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribal groups along the New England coast.
History of discovery in Boston
In 1913, subway workers tunneling under Boylston Street to extend Boston’s early subway system discovered wooden stakes in the blue gray glacial clay, 32 feet (9.8 m) below street level. Workers destroyed many of the stakes, but enough evidence was gathered at the time that researchers thought they had found one large fish weir, thought to have been built 2,000 years earlier. This discovery was first described in a report by the Boston Transit Commission in June, 1913.Fish weir discovery continued in 1939, with archeological investigations led by Frederick Johnson during foundation excavation for the New England Mutual Life Building. Long sequences of wooden stakes, buried under tidal silt and an additional 15-20 feet of 19th-century Back Bay fill, were found passing through the site and continuing on under surrounding streets. Maps were drawn that described a fish weir covering more than 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of the former marshland below Boston's Back Bay - suggesting the existence of one very large fish weir with over 65,000 wood stakes. The imagined scale of this fish weir lead scholars to speculate that it was built at one time by a community of appreciable size. This fish weir was described as the earliest known large scale engineering effort in North America. Drawings and models were made based on the findings and show the fish weir built in deep water, maintained by men working from mishoons (log canoes). This interpretation may have been informed by the type of fish weirs known to be still in use in the 1940s by Native peoples in the Canadian Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
.
Archeological research continued in 1946 during the construction of the John Hancock Building
John Hancock Building
Three different buildings in Boston, Massachusetts, have been known as the "John Hancock Building". All were built by the John Hancock Insurance companies. References to the John Hancock building usually refer to the 60-story, sleek glass building on Clarendon Street also known as the John Hancock...
. At this site, 2 inches (50.8 mm) vertical wood stakes, three to four feet long, were found in parallel linear orientations. Researchers thought they were seeing remains of long wooden structures built across streams on ancient tidal flats. This evidence suggested weirs built to trap seasonal spawning fish in shallow water tidal areas. Harvest of fish was now thought to have been done by hand, by wading out from shore, or waiting until low tide to collect the stranded fish.
A new interpretation
New research started in 1985 during excavations for the construction of a building at 500 Boylston Street suggest a different understanding of the previous fish weir evidence. Radiocarbon datingRadiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
, refined pollen sample analysis
Palynology
Palynology is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments...
, and accurate surveys allowed the fish weir stakes to be understood to straddle many different stratigraphic layers. Rather than one large weir built at one moment in history, this new evidence suggests that fish weir remains discovered in this and previous excavations were parts of many smaller weirs, built in different locations, over a 1,500-year time span. Lead archeologist Dena Dincauze describes the fish weirs being short 100–150 ft (30.5–45.7 m) structures designed to harvest herring and other small fish that spawn in the late spring in the gentle waters of the intertidal zone. These weirs were most likely built and used by family clans of 35 to 50 people, who each spring would migrate from inland hunting camps to the coast, following the best seasonal food resources. The harvested fish were used for both food and to nourish the soil prior to planting
Three Sisters (agriculture)
The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of various Native American groups in North America: squash, maize, and climbing beans ....
.
Climate change in Boston area
Research on climate change and evidence from study of fish weirs and sediments under the Back Bay indicate the ocean level in the Boston area has risen more than ten feet in the last 6,000 years. Wooden stakes uncovered during the 500 Boylston Street excavation show the fish weirs were located close to the changing shoreline edge. These weirs were rebuilt seasonally at increasingly higher locations, as the ocean level continued to rise. Dendrochronological research documents that the wood species used for these weirs - sassafrasSassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
, hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
, beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
- changed with the climate fluctuation. Analysis of tree rings and bark of recovered fishweir stakes reveals that the wood was often cut in the late winter and construction work on the weirs undertaken in the spring.
During the time during which the fish weirs were in use the difference between high and low tide was only about three feet, allowing easy construction and maintenance of the wooden structures, and direct access to the trapped fish by walking from the shore. The most accurate radiocarbon dating of these weirs suggests that the earliest were built almost 5200 years BP, and then rebuilt time and again, essentially maintained for over 1500 years. By about 3700 years before present, the daily tidal height change and water flow had increased, and the ocean level had risen to the point that tidal weirs made of small size wood stakes were no longer effective in the Back Bay location. The Native people remained, developing other fishing and planting methods. The descendants of these early people may be members of the Massachuset tribe today.
Future research
New building construction in Boston’s Back Bay will most likely uncover more fish weir evidence. Collected samples of weir stakes, and survey information exists from archeological work in 1985 and from earlier efforts. More research is needed to assemble a complete a comprehensive study of the fish weir history and to more fully understand the life of the early people who lived for thousands of years in what may be thought of as the place we now call Boston. The Ancient Fishweir ProjectAncient Fishweir Project
Ancient Fishweir Project is a collaborative group that creates an annual public art installation on Boston Common. In the spring of each year, members of the Massachuset and Wampanoag Native American tribes work with students, educators and artists to construct a fish-weir in honor of the people...
, an annual public event on Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
, honors the early history with the construction of a fishweir within two blocks of the still buried fishweir remains.