North Front Street Study Likely to Reveal Interesting Archeology and History

As details about the funding on the north Front Street study come out, it is interesting to consider the archeological details which will complicate it. (In good ways mostly!)

Lots of photos taken from here

One of the biggest is a millrace that ran along Division and turned the corner north onto Front Street. It's under there somewhere!

Millrace on Front Street
(Salem Library Historic Photos)

You can see its course on the 1895 Sanborn map (click to enlarge), photographed from the mill at top and building in pink on the map below.  At the time the map was drawn the race was planked. The photo shows it exposed.

Planked Millrace on Front Street
(1895 Sanborn, LOC)

Here's a picture of the mills clustered at the mouth of the creek.

Three mills (looking east, north on the left)
(Salem Library Historic Photos)

In addition to the millrace, some of the foundations might still be around. This is south of the Truitt site, and is where a nursing home type facility is planned.

Other mill photos:

• The Capitol Flour Mill (on right above and top image detail)
  
• The oldest mill (on left above)

There's also this tremendous view looking east from a mill building, and you can see the Jason Lee House (since moved) and Boon's (still right there!).

Jason Lee House and Boon's
(detail, Salem Library Historic Photos)

There's also one of Salem's oldest bridges, maybe absolutely the oldest, but right there with the Union Street Bridge, over a century in age now. Presumably with any reconfiguration to Front Street, and since it is likely at the end of its reasonable and expected structural life, that bridge will be rebuilt.

ODOT Historic Bridge Field Guide

There's probably more under the land and street. The archeology will relate to and extend what was found in the investigation before the Police Station was built, and perhaps also what was found in the Jason Lee House dig.

There are many story lines for the project, not just for transportation and street design, and it will be so very interesting to follow over the next two or three years.