INDEPENDENCE MALL. Around 250,000 visitors — tourists and locals
alike — watched as archaeologists sorted through the President's
House site at Sixth and Market streets over the past few months.
The site will be covered back up today with dirt to protect the
findings from the elements as a task force debates how to
integrate the history of slavery found at the site into a
planned memorial. Jed Levin, the National Park Service's
supervising archaeologist for the project, spoke to Metro about
why the findings need to be covered up and what Philadelphia has
gained from seeing its history uncovered. Why does the site need
to be covered back up with dirt? It's a preservation measure.
The archaeological ruins cannot be left exposed to the weather
for any length of time, otherwise they will begin to
disintegrate, decay. Things like heavy rains will cause
erosions, which could undercut foundation walls and lead them to
collapse. Very dry weather could [hurt] the ... mortar used in
the 18th-century walls, which could