Sev Fowles, part-time Dixon resident and Columbia University professor, wanted to upgrade his septic tank on his Dixon Plaza property. The backhoe was called in and digging began. The mechanical digging was abrubtly halted however as it became clear that the ground was saturated with loads of good stuff.

Turns out, the parking lot used to be dumping grounds reaching back to at least the mid 1700s. Thousands of pot shards, animal bones, food bits and household items were turned up in a 3 ft by 10 ft hole. Take a look: