East Lyme — Teams of people painstakingly dug through dirt at the grounds of the historical Thomas Lee House on Saturday morning in search of hidden artifacts that could offer clues to years past.

They knelt near a grid of 3-by-3-foot dirt pits and used trowels to search for objects, uncovering items from a shard of pottery to a horseshoe to a piece of a shovel.

It was all part of a simulated archaeological dig organized by the East Lyme Historical Society to teach participants about local history and the process of excavating artifacts.

"It gives them a window to the past: finding things from previous lives and learning about the people who inhabited the area," East Lyme Town Historian Liz Kuchta said.

The 14 people participating in the dig set aside potential artifacts in plastic bags and logged the objects on a clipboard. They emptied buckets of dirt unto screens to sift through their findings. 

"You never know what you're going to find," said historical society board member Rod McCauley, an expert on metal detection.

During the dig, Vivian Brooks, assistant municipal historian for Waterford, and Larry Butterfield of Niantic tried to determine the identity of an unknown object Butterfield had uncovered.

Was it a rock — or could it be an old tool or a stone used for scraping?

James Littlefield, a local author and former teacher, advised them to hold on to an object whenever in doubt.

Sometimes the identity of an object can't be determined until it has been cleaned, he explained.

Brooks said the event gave her an appreciation of what an archaeological dig entails.

"It's enlightening to know how much work goes into trying to find things out here," said Brooks. 

When you read in the newspapers about archaeologists discovering an entire community, the work likely began with a single trowel, she said.

Nancy Pennington of East Lyme and Cheryle Cassidy of Salem were busy Saturday discovering objects, including a scrap of leather, a shard of pottery, pieces of charcoal and a small ball that could be a marble or an old bullet.

Pennington, who always had an interest in history, said Littlefield had inspired her to participate in the dig. As a teacher in East Lyme, she used to stop by to observe Littlefield's classes at East Lyme High School in which he led students on archeological digs.

Cassidy's daughter, who was taught by Littlefield, is now an archaeologist.

Littlefield has written a book about the archaeological experiences and discoveries with his students, entitled "History Matters: Tales of New England That Still Echo Today."

He and Wil Reed, a teacher who took over the program, said the digs of the local area have uncovered a myriad of objects from toys to rings and jewelry.

These items help piece together the history of who the people of the area were and what their life was like, Reed said.

Littlefield noted that the field of archaeology has shifted from an emphasis on the monumental to a focus on the lives of common people and community.

Jen Vigen of Old Lyme said she brought Dakota Fox, her 10-year-old son, to the dig for the appreciation of history. Dakota found a horseshoe Saturday.

Vigen grew up in a historical home and worked as a curator for the Stanton House Museum in Clinton.

She said Dakota loves digging for artifacts in the backyard of her parents' home, and she always looks for opportunities to be outside and learn about history beyond the textbook.    

At the end of the dig, participants ate homemade ice cream prepared by Carolyn Stearns of S.T.E.A.M. Ice Cream in Storrs.

Janet Carlson of the historical society said that when professional archaeologists conduct a dig, typically the public can only watch. She said the historical society wanted people to have the opportunity to experience a dig themselves.

"We've made this so everyone can be successful and have fun," Carlson said.

More information about the circa 1660 Thomas Lee House and the East Lyme Historical Society is available at www.eastlymehistoricalsociety.org.

k.drelich@theday.com