newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
Construction workers were recently caught working on a $9 million water main replacement project in downtown New Orleans. Remnants from centuries ago A fire that destroyed a once historic city.
The artifacts, unearthed in the French Quarter, were discovered on St. Peter Street between Chartres and Royal streets in early November, NOLA.com reported last month.
The findings were disclosed in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) document shared with city and state officials.
The artifacts were discovered in November, but FEMA did not share the results with state agencies until Dec. 23.
The discovery consisted of approximately 1,000 objects and layers of burnt clay.
The artifacts discovered under St. Peter Street are believed to be related to two historic fires that devastated New Orleans in the late 1700s. (St. Petersburg Library of Congress)
The excavator also recovered pewter buttons, nails, brass pins, copper coins, broken bricks, broken glass, and other items belonging to British soldiers in the late 1700s. bronze buckle.
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
These artifacts are associated with two devastating fires in New Orleans history: the 1788 Fire and the 1794 Fire.
“Evaluation is still ongoing,” the FEMA document states. “However, previous interpretation suggests that the burnt layers represent the 1788 and 1794 fires.”
A fire in 1788 destroyed more than 800 buildings and destroyed much of the French Quarter. (Library of Congress)
According to FEMA, these artifacts will help experts gather more information about the “intensity and level of destruction of the fire along the 600 block of St. Peter Street,” as well as details of post-fire reconstruction efforts.
Test yourself with our latest lifestyle quiz
The water mains being replaced date back more than 115 years.
The report said the recently discovered geological formations had been “heavily disturbed by previous utility work,” but there were clear formations that “represented two fire events.”
The discovery highlighted New Orleans’ long history and the layers of past destruction beneath its modern streets. (St. Petersburg)
A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the artifacts have been moved to a laboratory and archaeologists are preparing the necessary analyses.
Additional information is unknown at this time.
Click here for more lifestyle stories
According to NOLA.com, the 1788 fire devastated New Orleans, then a boomtown, destroying more than 800 buildings, about 80 percent of the structures in the French Quarter. A fire in 1794 destroyed more than 200 buildings.
This isn’t the only archaeological discovery the Big Easy has made headlines in recent months.
Known for its deep and complex history, New Orleans continues to make archaeological discoveries. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
It was excavated in October by a New Orleans couple. mysterious roman ruins In their backyard, the investigation into its origins began.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Daniel Monteverde, editor of Preservation in Print, told FOX News Digital that New Orleans is “a newstown with so much history and color that there are very few surprises…but… [Roman artifact story] teeth the most unique story I met you. ”
