What do a bottle of chloroform, a pile of bones, and a decapitated doll’s head have to do with the Reher Center?
Since the inception of the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History just over twenty years ago, two phases of archaeological digs have taken place onsite–one in 2012 and another in 2023–both conducted by Matthew Lesniak of Hartgen Archeological Associates. Together, these excavations have given us glimpses into the everyday lives of the families who lived and worked at 101 Broadway and the surrounding area long before the building became the Reher Center. The artifacts found, from coal ash and ceramics to buttons, toys, and a porcelain doll’s head, reveal the domestic rhythms of life in a bustling riverside neighborhood shaped by immigration and industry.
When you step into the buildings of 99-101 Broadway today, it’s easy to be captivated by the old bakery or the art on display in the upstairs gallery. Yet, beneath the surface (literally), there’s another layer of history waiting to be told.
A Living Site: 101 Broadway and Its Early Inhabitants
1914 Rondout Postcard by Kingston Souvenir Co.
To understand what was uncovered underground, it helps to know who was above it.
In the late-19th century, 99-101 Broadway sat squarely in the heart of Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood—a working-class, immigrant-rich community known for its brickyards, canals, and industry. The two buildings were constructed in the late-1800s, around the time when the area was booming with economic activity tied to the Delaware and Hudson Canal.
One of the earliest known businesses to operate at the site was a soda water and sarsaparilla plant run by Edward Cloonan and Andrew Eubank from 1868 to 1877. They likely bottled their beverages on site, perhaps even in some of the stoneware bottles recovered during the digs. Cloonan and Eubank’s didn’t just bottle drinks, they helped shape the up-and-coming Rondout neighborhood and may have operated a grocery at the site.
A new chapter began when Frank Reher, Jewish immigrant from Austria-Hungary (present-day Poland), moved into the building with his second wife, Ade, and their children. In May 1908, Ade bought the building from Bessie Mones for $3500 with a $3000 mortgage. The Rehers opened a bakery in the storefront that later became a cornerstone of Kingston’s Rondout community. The bakery operated into the 1980s and the building remained in the family until Hyman Reher’s passing in 2004.
Ade Aduchefsky (ca. 1890-1900)
Digging Deeper: The 2012 Excavation
The first archaeological studies took place in 2012, prompted by a large-scale rehabilitation project funded by New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (through their Environmental Protection Fund), with plans to stabilize the historic buildings. The study focused on the courtyard area, where a garage once stood. In May 2012, a shovel test carried out in phase one of the survey encountered a 19th-century brick feature that was suspected to be a probable cistern. Once the dilapidated garage was demolished from the site, a more comprehensive dig took place in the fall of 2012. What the team found was a treasure trove of material history and evidence of the many families who lived and worked in the building over time.
the cleared out courtyard
the partially excavated cistern
Among the larger discoveries made during this phase were a five foot deep oval cistern, two catch basins, seven drain structures, and ten stone walls. Within the fill of the cistern, the team found a variety of late 19th-century or very early 20th-century materials, including a peg clothespin, lamp chimney glass, sixteen wire nails, parts of a metal can, and a glass sugar canister.
One of the most striking artifacts found was a stoneware jug fragment stamped “E. CLOONAN,” offering a direct connection to Edward Cloonan and his 1870s soda business. Another interesting find was a small pale aqua glass tincture bottle, embossed "KEMPS BALSAM". Manufactured around 1883, the tincture found within this bottle was considered “an old household remedy for coughs, colds, bronchitis, asthma, grip, influenza, whooping cough and all throat and lung diseases.” In 1908, a bottle of Kemps Balsam cost only 25 cents. It’s main active ingredient? Chloroform.
In total, the team recovered over one thousand objects most dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 444 of these artifacts were cataloged, including:
- A painted porcelain doll’s head with cherubic curls and painted red lips (ca. 1890-1910)
- Several glass bottles, possibly once containing beer, soda, or medicines (and a healthy dose of chloroform)
- A fragment of a cutlery handle made of copper alloy, with a leaf molded decoration, and an impression reading "... BAR...". (ca. 1883)
- Large mammal bones, likely remnants of meals, showing signs of being butchered or burned
- An incomplete porcelain plate broken into two fragments with seal at the base reading "MADDOCK'S/LAMERTOWN/WORKS/ROYAL PORCELAIN" (ca. 1893)
The archaeologists encountered a jumbled mix of soil layers and fill material—what they call “redeposited deposits.” In plain terms, that means the area had been disturbed by construction or household activity over time, and historic trash was mixed in with later fill. Still, the richness of the material gave a clear message: people lived full, complex lives here.
2023: More Layers, More Lives
Prompted by the Reher Center’s second rehabilitation funded by New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, another phase of the archaeological study began over a decade later in early 2023. This new study offered a chance to expand on previous findings and added new context to the Reher Center’s understanding of its site and those who once inhabited our building.
This time, archaeologists explored two excavation units and several test pits in the rear courtyard of 101 Broadway. Based on previous findings at the site, they expected to discover a large privy that was never found. What they did find was that the cistern, originally found in 2012, appeared to have been built for residential use and was filled in gradually.
glassware unearthed during the dig
a shot of the dig in progress
This smaller dig unearthed interesting artifacts that echo some of the earlier discoveries, but with even more personal touches. These included:
- Clay tobacco pipe fragments, a common household item of the time.
- Fragments of toys, including a miniature teapot and porcelain doll’s chin
- A curved plastic comb: potentially a celluloid hair clip
- Ceramic shards from teacups, plates, and crocks with red or blue transfer-printed patterns popular throughout the 1800s
- Buttons, leather scraps, and a piece of felt, all hints of garment repair and domestic work
- Stoneware and glass bottle fragments, including one marked “E. JACKS,” likely a consumer item unrelated to the Cloonan business
There were also more utilitarian finds: hand-cut nails, window glass, bluestone fragments, and coal ash–all reflecting the everyday upkeep and heating of the home. In total, over 400 artifacts were inventoried during the 2023 dig. A detailed breakdown showed a clear majority of domestic items, indicating that this was a place where people lived their lives, not just worked in or passed through.
A Community Reflected in Fragments
So, what do a bottle of chloroform, a pile of bones, and a decapitated doll’s head have to do with the Reher Center? Every one of these artifacts tell a story–stories of adaptation, of routine, and of belonging. A ceramic shard here, a child’s doll there–these are not “treasures” in the traditional sense. Yet, when viewed together, they help recreate the rhythm of daily life in a working-class immigrant neighborhood.
These objects remind us that history doesn’t just happen in headlines or grand buildings. It happens in kitchens and courtyards, in children’s games and evening meals. It lives in what people used, what they fixed, what they broke, and what they eventually threw away. History continues to be made here at the Reher Center, not just in exhibitions and research, but in our ongoing commitment to telling the stories of the people who shaped our community.
