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Construction crews find remnants of devastating 18th-century fires beneath iconic American city

18 Jan 2026 By foxnews

Construction crews working on a $9 million water main replacement project in the heart of New Orleans recently uncovered centuries-old remnants of fires that once devastated the historic city.

The artifacts, which were uncovered in the French Quarter, were found in early November on St. Peter Street between Chartres and Royal streets, NOLA.com reported last month.

The finds were disclosed in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) document shared with city and state agencies.

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Though the artifacts were uncovered in November, FEMA did not share the results with state agencies until Dec. 23.

The discovery consisted of about 1,000 objects and a layer of burnt clay.

Excavators also found a pewter button belonging to a British soldier in the late 1700s - as well as nails, brass pins, a copper coin, brick fragments, pieces of glass and bronze buckles.

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The artifacts are tied to two devastating fires in New Orleans history: the Fire of 1788 and the Fire of 1794.

"Assessment is still ongoing," said the FEMA document. "However, the interpretation thus far is that the burn layers represent the Fire of 1788 and the Fire of 1794."

The artifacts will help experts glean more information about the "intensity of burn and level of destruction along the 600 block of St. Peter Street," according to FEMA, as well as details about reconstruction efforts in the fires' wake.

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The water mains that are being replaced date back more than 115 years.

The recently uncovered layer was "heavily disturbed from previous utility work," but there are clear strata showing that "two burn events are represented," according to the report.

A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Digital the artifacts have been removed to a laboratory, where archaeologists are preparing required analysis.

No additional information is known at this time.

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The Fire of 1788 devastated the then-young city of New Orleans, destroying over 800 buildings that represented around 80% of the French Quarter's structures, according to NOLA.com. The 1794 fire destroyed more than 200 buildings.

This isn't the only time that the Big Easy has made headlines for archaeological discoveries in recent months.

In October, a New Orleans couple unearthed a mysterious Roman relic in their backyard, setting off an investigation into its origin.

Preservation in Print editor Daniel Monteverde told Fox News Digital that New Orleans is "a news town with so much history and color that little is surprising… but the [Roman artifact story] is the most unique story I've come across."