Old York cares for 16 buildings, 20 properties, more than 20,000 artifacts, 50,000 archival objects in the library, and serves thousands of people annually through tours, educational programs, exhibitions, and special events.
Description
Begun as a family homestead in 1642, the Abraham Preble Site was later fortified to serve as a militia garrison and place-of-refuge during King William’s War (1688-1697), a destructive frontier conflict that pitted the English Colonists against the native Wabanaki and their French allies. Intensive archaeological excavations in 2021 and 2022 revealed at least nine buildings stood in and adjacent to successive palisade lines, marking the site’s evolution. Cofelice summarizes the results of the 2021-2022 Phase III excavations, providing historical context and focusing on the physical layout of the site. She discusses the architectural evidence for the buildings that stood within the complex, an area that housed not only the Preble family, but the militia garrison and as many as 100 refugees from nearby farmsteads.
Date & Time
Wed, Feb 25, 2026 6:00 PM