4. Foley Square-Five Points

During the 19th century, the area of Foley Square–Five Points was an infamous slum. In 1991, the construction on a new courthouse at Foley Square revealed the rough life of poor Easter European and Irish immigrants who occupied the area. The excavation done by John Milner Associates, Inc. provided nearly 850,00 artifacts from 14 historic properties revealing the squalid, overcrowded living conditions of poor immigrants.

Despite the unsanitary conditions, the site showed residents did their best to offset their difficult conditions with set tables, imported ceramics for tea drinking, decent amounts of meat, multiple kinds of medicine, and apartment decorations. The excavation of this working-class neighborhood further informed the tough lives of struggling immigrants determined to create a better life for themselves, while still maintaining their ethnic roots.