The Old Scots Burying Ground: A case study in the archaeology of religion (New Jersey)

The Old Scots Burying Ground in Marlboro, New Jersey is the site of the first Presbyterian congregation in New Jersey and possibly the New World (ca. 1692) and the site of the ordination of the first Presbyterian minister in the New World (1705). This dissertation details the results of a four-year long archaeological project undertaken to locate and examine the earliest meetinghouse of these first Presbyterians and the activities, both sacred and secular, that occurred at the site. The research design for the project was intended to specifically answer a number of questions related to the sub-topics of historical archaeology and cultural landscape studies. My intention throughout this project is to use archaeology to clarify, correct and expand the historical record, while drawing a comprehensive profile of the people whose material culture we attempt to interpret, and the environmental conditions that greeted them as they laid claim to their share of a region predicated upon religious freedom and tolerance.; This dissertation is a combination of three integrated components. First, the environmental setting of the region and the project area will be discussed to gain insight into the geomorphological conditions, and the events, both natural and man-made, which modified the landscape of Monmouth County prior to the arrival of the Presbyterians in the late seventeenth century.; Second, an historical overview of the Presbyterians, from the origins of the faith during the Reformation in Europe to the establishment of the first Presbyterian settlement in New Jersey is provided. In addition, the symbols and rituals utilized in Presbyterian dogma will be examined. It is essential to the identification and interpretation of artifacts from a religious site to have a thorough understanding of the symbols and rituals of the subject group, and the ways, if any, they were manifested in the physical record.; The third component focuses on the results and interpretation of the archaeological fieldwork and laboratory work. In addition, the artifact analysis within the context of the site history is discussed.