In 2001, PAF was hired by Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects and Cornell University to conduct a Phase I archaeological reconnaissance survey on Cornell's west campus. The survey was initiated by the University's West Campus Residential Project. During the survey, archaeologists identified a Map Documented Structure (MDS) in a wooded lot on the east side of University Avenue. Shovel testing in the area indicated that the lot contained a relatively undisturbed domestic sheet midden rich with nineteenth century artifacts. The area was designated the E. Cornell Site, as the property had once been owned by Cornell University's co-founder and namesake, Ezra Cornell.

   A Phase II site examination was conducted in November, 2001 to determine if the E. Cornell Site had sufficient research potential to warrant eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The excavation of 14 units was accompanied by research into the property's history and occupants. The results showed that while Ezra Cornell may have owned the parcel, the house itself was occupied by a family of Irish-Catholic tenants headed by Christopher Carney. The excavations yielded thousands of artifacts from the Carney occupation. In addition, stratigraphic analysis showed that portions of the site contained a layer of dense organic midden. The majority of the midden was buried under a layer of sterile fill. Research showed that the site had been undisturbed since the MDS was razed at the turn of the century. Based on these results, the E. Cornell Site was declared eligible for the National Register.

  A Phase III data recovery was conducted in the summer of 2002, and was accompanied by additional historic research. An additional 30 units were excavated to sample the site, with particular emphasis placed on the areas of organic midden and rich artifact deposits. In all, over 18,000 artifacts were recovered from the E. Cornell Site. This website outlines the history of the site, the excavations, and presents some of the results of the project.