Lazaretto Quarantine Station, Essington, PA
At Ecotech, we believe that the successful preservation of historical artifacts is critical to the success of any project. Ecotech recently completed a fascinating project at the Lazaretto quarantine station located in Essington, PA. The origin of this amazing historical site runs back to the 1790s when it was constructed in response to devastating yellow fever epidemics that were sweeping across the countryside. These fever outbreaks were so severe that their presence forced the newly formed American government to flee Philadelphia (the nation’s capital at the time).
The Lazaretto site was built on ten acres along the banks of the Delaware River in Tinicum Township. The quarantine complex included a hospital, offices, and living quarters for both staff and patients. The complex was also used as a processing point for ships, cargo, and passengers on their way to the Port of Philadelphia.
Because of the sensitive historic nature of this project, an archaeologist was onsite in an effort to preserve any uncovered items—historical artifacts or even human remains. Only historical artifacts were unearthed during this project. The design of the building made reaching the basement impossible with traditional excavation equipment.
This is where Ecotech used remote excavation to solve the accessibility problem! The Ecotech team was able to run a remote excavation hose which easily ran into the basement area. Our team used the flexible hose to remove the soil in preparation for renovations and expansions.
Specifically, the job at hand was to lower the subgrade of the floor by one to two feet. We ran a six-inch hose from one of our trucks through an egress window into the basement. A rototiller was then lowered through a bilco door and used to break up ground while we vacuumed the material out of the building and into the remotely parked truck.
Do you have a project that you may have dismissed due to lack of site accessibility? Are you dealing with sensitive work areas that need excavation without fear of disruption? Ecotech has the tools for you! Find us at goecotech.net or give us a call today at 1-855-GOECOTECH.
