Artifacts in the Presidio collection number in the hundreds of thousands. These diverse items offer clues to how people lived and worked at the Presidio over time.

Some typical Presidio artifacts include hand-painted majolica ceramics, ordinance and ammunition, obsidian projectile points, children’s toy figurines, and terracotta roof tiles. Some items were found underground while others come from crawl-spaces, wall cavities, and attics. Maps, field notes, and other documentation are also part of the collection.

Conserving artifacts involves several steps. First, recovered objects are assessed to determine their condition. Some fragile artifacts require conservation in the field. Others are brought to the Lab, where they are cleaned and sorted by type. Artifacts are then identified, catalogued, and added to the collection database. Finally, the object is analyzed by researchers to increase understanding of the Presidio’s past.