Hidden Revolutionary War bake house is uncovered after spending centuries underground

Archaeologists digging in the New London County town uncovered the bake house earlier in June.

Pictures from the excavation show the exposed bake house foundation, as well as various small artifacts.

Relatively few artifacts were found at the site, said Sarah P. Sportman, Connecticut state archaeologist - but one discovery in particular stood out.

Many of the excavation's other finds were more routine and reflected different periods of the site's history.

"As we got a little deeper, we found some older [pieces]... [plus] late 18th-century ceramic fragments, a few pieces of animal bone, clay smoking pipe fragments and older bottle glass."

She said that "overall, though, the number of artifacts was quite low."

Sportman said historians had long believed a French bake oven stood on the town green, with the suspected location marked by a commemorative plaque.

"As far as anyone knew, that 1896 exploration was the only excavation ever carried out at the site and our work bears that out," she said.

"We were unsure if the 1890s dig might have damaged the foundation, but it appears largely intact and filled in with a great deal of stone rubble."

The structure was apparently meant to be "semi-permanent," Sportman added, as the encampment in the area lasted several months.

"The foundation is not very robust and doesn't exhibit tightly built stonework," she said.

"However, it is certainly more permanent than the earth ovens that troops on the move used for a couple of days at a time... It looks as though it used stone as a base and brick for much of the actual oven portion."

The oven's discovery doesn't mean the investigation is over. Sportman said researchers are still working to identify the structure's style and better understand the surrounding site.

"We hope that additional testing in the fall will clarify some of those features and help us better understand the site."

Experts have identified "numerous sites related to 18th-century militia training and the possible location of the French hospital, demonstrating the scale of Revolutionary War activities in Lebanon," she said.

"It is an important reminder that the American victory required significant help from our French allies - and such partnerships have always made us stronger."