Raven's Ridgetop Excavations Yield 5,000 Prehistoric Artifacts

Archaeologists recovered approximately 5,000 artifacts from a mountain ridge outside Perryopolis during recent road construction.

The items include tools and fire features used by prehistoric people close to 7,000 years ago.

Kristin Scarr, an environmental manager for PennDOT, described the discovery as a major archaeological find during a public presentation Saturday at Washington Run Park.

The excavation took place on Raven's Ridgetop, a site selected for study because construction would alter the area. The work supported the building of a road leading to a new bridge over the Youghiogheny River in the Fayette County village of Layton.

Bryan Cunning, a senior archaeologist with Michael Baker International, noted that the area was covered by a glacier lake roughly 100,000 years ago. Sediment from that lake remains in the region, stretching from the Youghiogheny River in the south to the Kiski River in northern Westmoreland County.

The physical digging began in 2023, though test borings into the ridgetop started as early as 2014. Initial small holes revealed flint flakes, sandstone tools, and a belt axe from the 1800s.

Cunning observed that finding artifacts buried so deeply is rare. The team also located evidence of 20th-century use, including charcoal briquettes and a cooking grill.

The site is now gone, having been excavated away during construction. The $56 million project involves replacing a single-lane bridge over Washington Run, rehabilitating another bridge, and removing the existing Layton Iron Bridge and tunnel. PennDOT expects the entire project to finish in 2029.

In addition to prehistoric items, archaeologists found previously undocumented pottery and brick manufacturing sites from the 1800s in Layton. These sites are located at Hazelbaker's Canoe Rentals along Layton Road. The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office agreed that these areas merit listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lisa Buchina, a member of the Perryopolis Parks and Recreation Authority, said the dig site likely sits on land once owned by George Washington. A plaque at the Perryopolis Borough Building records that Washington purchased 1,673 acres there and surveyed the town, which was laid out in 1814.

The Perryopolis Area History Museum is set to receive some of the artifacts, likely in the coming year. Joanne Cushman, a retired history teacher from Frazier High School, attended the Saturday presentation with a group of about 20 local residents.