An archeological dig has wrapped up and construction will soon begin at the site of a future gym and multi-purpose space in downtown Brantford.

Officials with Wilfrid Laurier University and the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford say nearly 400,000 items have been unearthed on the south side of Colborne Street since three blocks of it were demolished at the start of the decade.

Archeologists are now sorting through and cataloguing the various artifacts.

Among the items found at the site are an Upper Canada coin dating back to the 1820s, relics from early European settlers in the Brantford area, and a pegged shoe believed to have been buried for more than 100 years – and in great shape for its age, according to people working on the project.

“The discoveries made at the site are exciting, and add a new and important dimension to this project,” Brian Rosborough, the senior executive officer at Laurier’s Brantford campus, said in a statement.

“They tell the story of the people who have called this area home from as far back as 500 BCE to the 21st century.”

Plans are being developed to make some of the most interesting artifacts available for public display.

Archeologists working at the site have claimed that it represents the biggest archeological find in Ontario in nearly 30 years, Rosborough said.

With the dig over with, site preparation work is now underway along Colborne.

Construction on the new YMCA/Laurier facility – which will include a pool, a large gymnasium, and many other rooms and spaces – is expected to start in the spring and be complete by late 2017 or early 2018.

The total project cost is estimated at $66 million.