Archeological dig at Nurse Homestead brings history to foreground

For the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, a whole new world is within reach — all it will take is a bit of elbow grease, a dozen or so trowels and a keen eye for detail.

July marked the beginning of a summer-long archaeological field school that is taking place at the homestead, a 25-acre plot of land famous for its association with major events particular to the Salem witch trials.

The field school is the result of collaboration between the Danvers Alarm List Company, which owns the homestead, the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy and the Summer Session at Phillips Academy. The field school’s dig, which began with preliminary testing last summer, has all participants anxious to see what more will turn up in the soil in depths of up to 70 centimeters beneath their feet.