Researchers dig up evidence of Revolutionary War prison camp in PA after decadeslong search
The Revolutionary War prison camp is believed to be the last remaining in the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Researchers who have been trying to determine the exact location of a Revolutionary War prison camp finally hit their mark this week and believe they have discovered the site's exterior perimeter.
The location of Camp Security was thought to have been on land acquired by the local government in York, Pennsylvania, nearly a decade ago. On Monday, an archeological team working there located what they believe to be the prison camp’s exterior security fence.
Fieldwork at the site, which also includes the lower-security Camp Indulgence, has gone on for decades, but the exact spot of Camp Security — where prisoners from the 1781 Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, were kept — had been unknown until a telltale pattern of post holes in a foot-deep trench was uncovered.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The newly discovered camp was believed to have housed 1,000 English, Scottish and Canadian soldiers for 22 months during the Revolutionary War, beginning with a group of soldiers captured after they surrendered at Saratoga, New York, in 1777.
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In this photo provided by John Crawmer, Jane C. Skinner excavates post holes at the bottom of the stockade trench in York, Pennsylvania on Thursday. (John Crawmer via AP)
The camp was closed in 1783 following the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Researchers had been combing the area and narrowing down the search site with exploratory search trenches. They say they hope to determine the full scope of the site and search for artifacts next spring.
"This has been a long project, and to finally see it come to fruition, or at least know you’re not nuts, that’s wonderful," said Carol Tanzola, who, as president of Friends of Camp Security, led fundraising for the project.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In another photo provided by John Crawmer, Jane C. Skinner excavates post holes at the bottom of the stockade trench in York, Pennsylvania on Thursday. (John Crawmer via AP)
Historians confirmed local lore about the general location of Camp Security and Camp Indulgence after a 1979 archeological study of a small portion of the property produced buckles, buttons and other items associated with British soldiers of the period. That survey also found 20 coins and 605 straight pins that may have been used by prisoners to make lace.
Camp Security is thought to be the last remaining Revolutionary War POW camp in the country, the York Daily Record reported, adding that 1,500 prisoners are believed to have died from disease during the camp's two-year run and are buried at the site.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this third photo provided by John Crawmer, Jane C. Skinner excavates post holes at the bottom of the stockade trench in York, Pennsylvania on Thursday. Researchers say they have solved a decades-old riddle by finding remnants of the stockade and therefore the site of a prison camp in York that housed British soldiers for nearly two years during the American Revolutionary War. (John Crawmer via AP)
"It’s a very significant find," lead archeologist John Crawmer told the outlet. "It’s what the Friends of Camp Security have been looking for for years now. We thought it would be easier to find."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.