Protecting Michigan State's Material Culture
CAP took the last two weeks off of work due to the holiday and a lack of major construction needing our presence as we prepared to start the major accessioning project we are currently working on. However, at the tail end of last week, we …
While digging the newly recovered structure by Ag Hall last week, we came across an old pipe that was covered in a fabric material. We were immediately concerned that this material was asbestos. Even though we were on a tight time crunch (the construction companies …
This week I have been working to pull together my notes from the University Archives building construction and use of space on campus. Though this is not the focus of my project this year (this topic has been addressed by previous CAP researchers Eve Avdoulos and Sabrina Perlman), I believe there are some threads here that could be easily tied to my sustainability research. For example, in speaking with Archives researchers, I have heard that the earliest structures on campus were made of locally sourced bricks and stone. If Anyone has a reference for this or could point me in a direction where I could find more information, I would appreciate it! Since it is well-documented that the first cohorts of students were just as much laborers as scholars, it would be interesting to know what role students played in the construction of campus buildings.
In its present design, Michigan State University’s campus is impressively expansive. The campus began as a small cluster of buildings set in swampy wooded land which necessitated much clearing. The radiation of campus growth projected from this initial cluster, but not in an even concentric fashion from the center. Buildings in the center of campus (now only a “center” in metaphor alone) are now historical landmarks just as much as they are functioning university structures. Initially, college buildings all faced the center of campus; now, with growth of the institution, the buildings all face away from the center (even though the physical structure remains unchanged). Some shifts in building design reflect a temporary need for accommodation (e.g. facilities needed to teach in and house students after war).
Archaeological data illustrate the university response to growth in all arenas (e.g. need for increased food production/sourcing in response to greater enrollment, need for reevaluation of campus planning in response to changing transportation technology, and need for adoption of modern energy technologies in response to greater campus-wide usage). For example, during a 2012 CAP excavation, the remains of a boiler house were discovered in what is currently the middle of a road. Archival documents show that the university was under pressure to provide energy for the campus that was outgrowing the technology infrastructure. The boiler house, seen archaeologically as an abandoned technology, was the last effort prior to the adoption of an integrated system.
This semester I will continue to visit the Archives to fill in some gaps regarding food, energy, and transportation practices on the historic campus. While I think as this point I have exhausted the material from the President’s Papers and student diaries, I am going to investigate the Annual Reports to the Board of Agriculture next week.
Author: Amy Michael
During this month, our Campus Archaeology Commander-in-Chief, Katy Meyers, went abroad to pursue her personal research in Central England. While she was gone I had the privilege to take her place as supervisor during what I can simply describe as an eye-opening two weeks. I am here …
You may have noticed a large amount of construction going on around Beal Street and Michigan Avenue, in fact there are three different construction projects going on. Two of these have already begun around the Beal Street Entrance to campus, and are of major interest …
We’ve found some interesting artifacts on campus, some of which can be a little difficult to identify, and others that are a little bit weird. There are random chunks of metal, bent and rusted until identification is impossible. Old bottles that have lost their labels and have weird embossing that make determining function hard. We’ve even found human hair! Many artifacts we find are more industrial and relating to building construction- items that we don’t run into on a daily basis. Others are things no longer used by our society such as parts of slate pens or inkwells. Usually, with a little bit of cleaning, research into potential artifacts and imagination we can come up with at least an idea of use or function.
I’m totally stumped on this one. This large circular hunk of concrete was given to us by construction workers putting in new steam pipes south of Beaumont Tower. The concrete has a horseshoe embedded in it, that appears to be some type of handle. There’s even a nail still in one of the horseshoe holes. They said it was a sump pump cover, but that doesn’t really make sense. It might be from an old cistern. It is definitely more homemade or make do. The thing is quite heavy show it would be a great cover for something that needed protecting. One suggestion from the department it that its an early version of a kettleball… Not too sure about that one.
Any thoughts?
Author: Katy Meyers Emery
About three weeks ago we learned that MSU Landscaping was going to be re-doing the sidewalks above Saints’ Rest, the first dormitory on campus. While we’ve had a number of excavations near this area, we never got the opportunity to see what was underneath these …
Construction: a word dreaded by most individuals, especially during these summer months when it seems to be the most prevalent. Like many other people, archaeologists dislike construction for the fact that it makes it extremely difficult for us to get to work; however, construction can …
Navigating campus this summer has been an adventure. While Construction Junction has posed some challenges for drivers and pedestrians alike, we at Campus Archaeology love these opportunities to excavate alongside construction crews: surveying under sidewalks is made considerably easier with their helpful removal of pavement, and on occasion they even backfill for us (the archaeologist’s least favorite activity)!
Construction is proceeding at a fast and furious pace, with most projects on – if not ahead of – schedule. This presents us with some unique challenges that are, as David Ives would say, “all in the timing”. With multiple projects all across campus, all moving ahead at their own rates, one of the main responsibilities of the Campus Archaeologist is to monitor these changes – in some cases, even before they occur – so that these publicly-funded construction projects can proceed as smoothly as possible. So: how does she do it?
A: lots of meetings, lots of e mails, and daily tours of campus.
1. Construction Junctions. Everyone – MSU student, employee, fan, or neighbor – is invited to attend the monthly meetings about campus construction projects. (Anyone who knows why ‘Construction Junctions’ is a fantastic name for this joint venture gets a high five from this archaeologist.) Along with those monthly meetings are weekly emails, summarizing major changes in traffic flow. At these meetings we find out about upcoming projects (and get to see all the best new campus additions), and can ear-mark both upcoming fieldwork and archival research: hearing about the demolition of the State Police Depot – including the stables and police lodgings – gave us some great research ideas (did you know that the police lodgings had a pool?).
2. Unit Cost Projects. While large projects (like steam tunnel removal) are the focus of Construction Junctions updates, for those every day “small” projects – drain replacements, sidewalk removals, new loading docks – the Unit Cost are some of the fastest moving projects on campus. We receive updates detailing the work ahead, and the priorities for the upcoming week. A sidewalk removal may be replaced later that day (remember, we can’t excavate under it until it’s been removed!) so frequent visits to key points of interest, and remaining in close contact with project managers, are key.
3. Archival research. Just because someone, somewhere on campus, is building, demolishing, or redoing something doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll find Campusu Archaeology at work there. The campus landscape that we see today has a number of hidden, below-ground dimensions that have altered the land beneath. While the steam tunnels are a perfect example of this, street lighting, sewers, and communication tunnels are just three examples of what lies beneath the placid tree spaces and busy sidewalks of campus. And as much as we appreciate having street lights and sewers, where these are found Campus Archaeology is not going to find much else. To save ourselves from accidentally “discovering” electrical lines and sewers, we constantly consult maps of campus. In this example, construction between Eustace-Cole and Marshall-Adams has opened up an area that we rarely see.
At first we were quite interested – The buildings are well over 100 years old – but then we looked at the maps from the MSU Physical Plant, and found this:
Electrical, communication, and power lines. As much fun as it is to excavate, in this example excitement is nullified by 1) the realization that we already know what we will find – i.e., electrical lines, and 2) the visualization of putting a metal shovel through one of these electrical lines.
We chose not to investigate that area further – although we do continue to peak through fences into new and widening construction holes. Just in case.
4. Campus walk-abouts. The final way we keep tabs on upcoming and ongoing field work is also why, if you’re ever lost on campus, it may be wise to ask the archaeologist. One of the best parts of this job is the daily walks around campus. (I try not to think of it as “surveying my domain”.) Sometimes maps, photos, and descriptions just aren’t as useful as looking at something yourself. The route varies but in June has tended to follow West Circle Drive to Chestnut Lane, the steps of the Hannah Administration Building (all of the previous on foot), over to the dorms on the East side, then a look in at Spartan Village.
All this, and PhD research too? The Campus Archaeology Program has a lot of work on its hands. Thankfully, MSU employees are some of the most knowledgeable University fans, and helpful suggestions and resources come our way with gratifying frequency. Last Friday an unknown campus pedestrian stopped to ask us about our conclusions regarding this 1×2 m test excavation:
Lots of 19th century building material, used as fill. But filling what?
The inquiring visitor came by again ten minutes later, this time with a period photo of the area, and pointed out the pond visible in just that location… Many thanks to our mystery historian!
If you have some MSU history to share, or are curious to see what we’re learning, stop by our excavations!
Author: Charlotte Cable
You may have noticed that there is some major work being done on West Circle Drive over the next few months at MSU. For most of May and June, Campus Archaeology is going to be working with the construction teams to make sure that this …