Archaeology
In 2007, a volunteer fell through rotting floorboards in a yard 2 building formerly used as the Prison officers recreation area and tea room. Underneath the floor were found the remains of a previously unknown building which resulted in a two year archaeological investigation. It had long been suspected that South Australia's first settlers had camped somewhere along the River Torrens while waiting for the city to be laid out. The investigations revealed that this site may have been that original camp site. The archaeological dig revealed five distinct levels.
Level one Pre 1836: shows evidence of hunting, fishing and camping by the indigenous inhabitants before settlement. Objects found include stone tools and weapons.
Level two 1836 to 1840: evidence of the tents and mud huts of the first settlers. Objects found include animal bones, ceramics, glass, metal, buttons and a child's tooth. As the settlers had no sheep, a sheep bone confirmed that there was contact between the states.
Level three 1840 to 1847: evidence of the area being used as a work site. The builders of the Gaol, Borrow and Goodiar employed 200 workers who camped nearby. Objects found include scraps of metal, iron, broken bricks, mortar, buttons and animal bone from the workers meals.
Level four 1847 to 1900: the original floor of the building. The building was the same shape as it is today but had a wooden floor divided into six cells which were in use by female prisoners from 1847 to 1867 when the building was converted to work rooms and a Matron's room. The Matron's room contained a fireplace with the coke to fuel it stored beneath the floor of the room opposite. A wall outside of the Matron's room had traces of coke on both sides but may have been from a forge used during the earlier construction. Found in the cracks of the floorboards were needles, pins, thimbles, oakum, string and buttons.
Level five 1900 to 1988: the current building. Used as a recreation area and tea room by the time the gaol closed, the underfloor area showed use as a bathroom, laundry and kitchen with two concrete reinforcing slabs probably laid during the 1920s to support copper boilers. Objects found include cutlery, tea bags and sugar sachets.
The excavations have been left open for public viewing and some of the retrieved items are on display in the building.
Read more about this topic: Adelaide Gaol