The grounds of the old Marine Hospital in Vineyard Haven will one day be home to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. From April 18 through April 22 archaeologists from the Public Archaeology Lab were on site excavating and analyzing land that will be disturbed by museum construction. While nothing was discovered that will disrupt any of the museum’s plans, archaeologists did find evidence that the land was used as a camp site by Native Americans for thousands of years.

The Marine Hospital was built in 1895 on a piece of land overlooking Vineyard Haven Harbor. It continued to be used through World War II as a hospital for soldiers and sailors and their families. Later it was home to a summer camp until it was purchased by the museum in 2011.