NATCHEZ &045;&045; Archeologists working with the National Park Service spent the weekend excavating at the site of Fort Rosalie on Canal Street.

The work is in anticipation of the park service’s seeking bids to tear down the properties it owns on the site, said Keith Whisenant, director of the Natchez National Historic Park.

&uot;They were trying to find any artifacts in the upper layer of soil,&uot; he said.

Long-term plans for the site call for a park-like green space along Canal Street, but the park service does not own all of the property yet.

&uot;The original planning done years ago dealt with the entire site,&uot; Whisenant said. &uot;We only own a small portion of it now.&uot;

Once those buildings &045;&045; save the historic Steton-Roth house &045;&045; are torn down, the park service will likely create a picnic area there, Whisenant said.

&uot;People will be able to walk their dogs, have picnics, walk around a bit,&uot; he said.

The purpose of this weekend’s efforts was to protect any underground resources that might be impacted by the upcoming demolition, park service officials said.

A crew from Baton Rouge used metal detectors and doing limited excavations under the supervision of archeologist Bob Moses of the NPS Southeast Archeological Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

However, it is not legal for anyone else to use metal detectors or to remove archeological materials from a National Park site.

Anyone who is interested in obtaining a bid package for demolition of the houses may inquire at the park headquarters, 640 South Canal St.