Revolutionary War artifacts unearthed at site of infamous colonial American heist: ‘Very surprised’

In this year ofAmerica’s 250th anniversary,archaeologists and college students recently discovered artifacts dating back to the American Revolution — including one infamous 18th-century robbery.

The dig took place in Newtown, Pennsylvania, some 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia, as local outlet WFMZ reported.Students from Bucks County Community College worked alongside employees from theMercer Museumduring the excavation.

Though it seems an unassuming plot of land in suburban Pennsylvania, the site was once home to colonial-era town buildings, including the county prison and courthouse.

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The excavation, which took place from March 23 to March 28, focused on the area where the treasury building once stood.

Images showarchaeologists and volunteersworking around the open excavation pit, as well as various small 18th-century artifacts that were uncovered, including coins.

Researchers say the site played a role in a 1781 robbery involving the Doan Gang, when thousands in colonial currency were stolen from the Bucks County treasury.A scene involving the Doan Gang is pictured right.(Mike Cipher, Bucks County Historical Society;Wikimedia Commons)

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The dig took place on land steeped in Revolutionary War history, according to Clint Flack, an exhibit specialist at Bucks County Historical Society.

com/travel/two-revolutionary-war-letters-reunited-fort-ticonderoga-250-years-apart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Revolutionary War era,which were used to spark gunpowder in muskets.

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The historian said they also found a small set of keys — either used for furniture or a padlock — as well as a Dutch copper coin called a duit and a New York penny from 1737.

Artifacts recovered from the dig include coins, pottery and musket-related items dating back more than 200 years to colonial America.(Mike Cipher, Bucks County Historical Society)

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Excavators also found a large amount of porcelain, pottery and glass that had been beneath the soil for over 200 years.

The team was “very surprised,” said Flack, to find the treasury’s foundation hidden just below the surface as well, which he described as being in good condition.

“The gang unlocked the door to the treasury, but had to break open a locked desk by prying the drawers open with knives.”

The foundation was a key find, as the building was the setting of an infamous robbery by the Doan Gang, a group of Quaker Loyalists who stole thousands in colonial currency in 1781.

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The robbery happened just three days after theBritish surrendered at Yorktown, Flack related.

Artifacts uncovered during a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, excavation include a small set of keys, coins, and metal objects dating back to the Revolutionary War era, according to researchers.(Mike Cipher, Bucks County Historical Society)

The historian added that some of the outlaws held Hart hostage, while the other half of the gang robbed the treasury, just half a mile away.

The excavation offers new insight into a historic Bucks County property with ties to both military activity and criminal history.(Mike Cipher, Bucks County Historical Society)

He said the treasury was used to store gunpowder in the early days of the American Revolution — and Continental Army soldiers were campedthroughout Bucks County.

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“Some of the Hessian [mercenaries] taken prisoner at the Battle of Trenton were imprisoned in the jail next to the treasury,” Flack noted. 

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“Multiple members of the Doan gang were imprisoned in the jail next to the treasury.”