Archeological investigation of water-well at Charles Leopold Bell School proposed

A proposal has been made to excavate and investigate the contents of the historic well discovered during demolition works at the Charles Leopold Bell School in Cole Bay. Once approved, the excavation will be led by Sint Maarten archeologist, Dr. Jay Haviser.

Teams from the NRPB’s Fostering Resilient Learning Project, and the Environmental and Social Department joined the onsite supervision company ILACO this morning, for a briefing from Dr. Haviser about requirements for a safe, successful archeological excavation and some recommendations on how to preserve the well once the excavation is complete.

Most importantly, the well and any significant artifacts found will be preserved according to the project’s Cultural Heritage Management Plan which ensures historical finds are protected. During the excavation, pumps will manage groundwater while teams will carefully examine the well, its structure and document and collect any artefacts found.

Dr Haviser says, “It’s going to be exciting work, digging out wells can however be messy work!” He believes the well dates back to the late 1800s and hopes to learn more from the excavation. Field work is expected to last from a week to 10 days depending on what is revealed when the well is drained.

Excavation, upon approval of the proposal, is scheduled to begin in mid-November.

NRPB’s Cultural Heritage Management Plan is part of the Environment and Social Management Framework (ESMF) which can be viewed here https://lnkd.in/etgG9_Aa. This activity is funded through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is financed by the Government of the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank.