Come Play in the Dirt!

Mark your calendars for this autumn's History Beneath Us weekend. On September 22 & 23, archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis will be joining us to continue excavations on Lew's reflecting pool.

Anne Moore measures the dig site

Visitors will be able to observe archaeologists at work and learn about their methods. Anyone wishing to help with excavations is welcome to do so. Maybe you'll be the next person to find one of Old John's horseshoes. Or you might uncover pieces of window glass, a marble, or even animal bones!

Dr. Chris Moore of the University of Indianapolis and Anne Moore, along with U of I students, will be performing field work here at the Study most of the day Saturday and Sunday. We open at 10, and the archaeologists usually go to lunch sometime around noon. Then they'll be back in the afternoon until 4. Sunday's dig will have the same hours. This event goes on rain or shine, so come prepared for the weather!

This is a great time for scouts to work on badges. We've had several Boy Scout troops come on past weekends. This is also a great family activity. We'll have a kid's area set up where younger children can learn about archaeology while making "discoveries" of various (planted) items.

For more information about History Beneath Us, email us at study@ben-hur.com or call 765-362-5769.

Fall Events at the Study

Happy September! We have a busy fall planned. We'll blog about all of these events in more detail later, but for now, here's a quick overview of important dates at the Study in September and October. Visit our website for a printable PDF version of this schedule.

Sept 12 - 7 p.m. - "From Daguerreotype to Digital: Dating and Preserving Family Photographs" Genealogy Lecture - FREE at the Carriage House

Joan Hostetler of Heritage Photo and Research Services will discuss photographic processes and formats from the 1840s to the present, as well as clues for dating photos and techniques for preserving them. Bring your own family photos to learn more about them. Please RSVP.

Sept 21-22 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - History Beneath Us Archaeology - FREE on the Study grounds

Assist archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis as they continue excavations on Lew Wallace's reflecting pool. Join in the fun by digging and sifting for artifacts. Great for the family or scout troop!

Sept 29 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Smithsonian Museum Day Live - FREE with Smithsonian pass

Free admission to the Study with printed pass from Smithsonian Magazine. See the Smithsonian Magazine website for more information.

Oct 3 - 7 p.m. - "Writing Your Family History" Genealogy Lecture - FREE at the Carriage House

Ramon and Trisha Arredondo will speak about the process of writing their book Maria's Journey, a family story about immigration, the rise of the unions, the Great Depression, World War II, and more. Please RSVP.

History Beneath Us Day 1

Some interesting things have been found so far on the first day of the spring History Beneath Us.  A marble, horseshoe, and a hip bone from a small mammal have all been found in Unit 10, one of the units that contains part of the reflecting pool.  A group of boy scouts have been assisting with the dig.  They are getting closer to the top of the wall of the reflecting pool so should be finding more artifacts.  Archaeologists will be here until 4:00 p.m. today and from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.  Come out and help unearth this piece of history!

Exciting Archaeological Find!

Dr. Chris Moore (right) explains the find to his students and
members of the public participating in History Beneath Us.

Unit 12 (the unit that was opened near the Carriage House) has proven to be interesting.  Yesterday, the archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis found flat glass (like what is used in window panes), coal, a piece of yellow ware and square nails.  Both the yellow ware and the square nails date to Lew Wallace's use of the property.  Today they uncovered a feature of dark, ashy soil that could be left over from a chimney.  They have also found more square nails in this feature which dates it to Lew!



The dark soil in the upper left corner of the unit contains the
dark, ashy soil and could be the remains of a chimney.

Archaeologists in Training

More pictures of archaeology on the grounds today.  Kids are uncovering some great finds in the Archaeologist Training area and helping out at the reflecting pool, too!

History Beneath Us

The archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis are here and have started working.  They have already opened up a new unit between the Carriage House and the south wall and have found some window glass, coal and bricks.  They have also started opening up new units around the reflecting pool to continue uncovering the top layer of bricks.  This will allow us to see the original shape of the pool and how it relates to the Study building.

 

Come out and assist in the dig, sift for artifacts, check out the Archaeologist Training area or just observe the archaeologists at work! 

History Beneath Us This Weekend at the Study

The History Beneath Us archaeology program returns to the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum on September 22-23 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day to revisit the excavation begun in General Wallace’s backyard in September and to break some new ground.

The previous archaeological excavations on the grounds were so popular that our partner organization, University of Indianapolis, is coming back to reopen units in the General’s reflecting pool, and to investigate recently discovered evidence of a building near the Wallace’s Carriage House. During the spring History Beneath Us program, Dr. Chris Moore from the University of Indianapolis took soil core samples and found deposits that could be left over from a cistern, privy or possible outbuilding.

Visitors to the grounds will be able to observe the archaeologists at work, examine the findings as they are uncovered, and participate in parts of the process by scraping dirt with trowels and screening for artifacts alongside the excavation crew.  For families with smaller children, the Archaeologist Training area offers them the chance to dig in a separate area where they will be sure to find "artifacts."

This is a great event for the whole family, so come out and make a day of it!

Upcoming Events at the Study

Fall is going to be a busy season for the Lew Wallace Study!

We will also be participating in Ask A Curator Day on Twitter with @Wallacestudy, so if you have questions you want to ask, you can Tweet them Wednesday, September 19, with the hashtag #askacurator.

September 22 brings a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the Bohumir Kryl Project, presented in cooperation with the Wabash College Visiting Artists Series.

September 22-23 are also our History Beneath Us days, when archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis continue excavations on Lew's reflecting pool. Visitors can join in and help!

September 25 we have a short program on Estate Planning and Planned Giving, presented by Phil Purcell, Vice President of the Ball State University Foundation.

September 29 is Smithsonian Museum Day Live, when visitors get in free to the Study if they present a Smithsonian pass.

October and December also bring exciting events. If you want to download a PDF flyer of upcoming events, click here.

History Beneath Us





Archaeologists Dr. Chris Moore from the University of Indianapolis and Anne Moore, together with U of I students and members of the public are working on uncovering the outline of Lew Wallace's reflecting pool this weekend.  Past excavations have revealed the far edge of the pool.  They are now hoping to reveal the top layer of bricks for the entire outline of the pool. 



Core sample



Dr. Moore also took a core sample from an area to the southwest of the carriage house and found evidence of a burn zone.  This could be promising for a future excavation site.  It could be left over from a historic structure or area that was present during Lew Wallace's occupation of the grounds.



Interesting Finds in Lew's Reflecting Pool!

The archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis have made a couple of interesting discoveries this afternoon during their excavation of Lew Wallace's reflecting pool.  What do you think they could be?

These are two glass pieces being held together.  A drinking glass from long ago, perhaps?

This is a small, perfectly round and completely intact piece of mica.  What would that have been used for around the turn of the century?

The digging will continue in our "History Beneath Us" program on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum tomorrow from 1:00-5:00 p.m.  Drop by and watch us make more exciting discoveries!

So What Did You Find?

So what did we find this weekend during this spring's History Beneath Us excavation? Probably the most dramatic find was the metal vessel - bowl, pot, chamber pot, pitcher, whatever. The crew removed it from the ground and have taken it back to the lab at the University of Indianapolis for analysis and some conservation to stop the metal corrosion. We located the builders' trench, which is the ditch the builders dug to stand in while they laid the brick wall of the reflecting pool. When they were finished, they filled it with a dark soil (the the right in the photograph above), which contrasts with the lighter brown clay soil mottled with worm holes (the the left). This trench, Feature 3, didn't get excavated this time, but it will be the focus of future projects. Because it dates to the building of the reflecting pool, the fill and any artifacts in it date to Lew Wallace's time. We also found a pipe! In Unit 3, we knew workers in previous decades had dug through to install a drainage ditch and pipe. We thought the pipe was in the northern half of the unit (the right side of the photo above), but clearly we were wrong! This modern pipe is still in use and is within 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) of the bottom of the pool. In an effort not to disturb it too much and to get a larger picture of the bottom of the pool, we shifted efforts to the north half of the unit where we found... ...another part of the wall! This was one surprise of the weekend: this low part of the wall is largely intact, it follows the curve of the wall uncovered in another unit, and perhaps most surprising is that the chunk of the wall higher in the next unit appears to be in its original place, or in situ. The low part of the wall doesn't seem to be damaged to the extent that one might expect if it were blasted through while installing the drainage. One theory is that Lew Wallace purposely designed it low for a gate or spillway from the pool - quite possible since Wallace had several such structures at his summer home, Water Babble. We also surveyed the grounds to get a topographical map . The crew surveyed the western half of the grounds, and will map the rest of the property later. Several young visitors found plenty at the Archaeologist Training area! The "artifacts" included nails, a doorknob, pieces of tea cups, and an axe head. What we didn't find (yet) was Old John. The search for the horse's grave is off to a good start, but the crew didn't get down far enough in the short time. More to dig next time! The next excavation is planned for the last week of May, when UIndy students and faculty will hold a field school here on the Museum grounds. The public will be invited to observe and talk with the archaeologists, but the actual digging will be reserved for the students. The next public History Beneath Us program is slated for September 2011. Depending on what the find in May, we may be able to find other things related to the Wallaces' life, like a cistern, privy, or kitchen midden. We hope you can join us!

Talk Us Through It

Check out the Museum's YouTube channel for exclusive interviews with the crew of History Beneath Us!

The Wall Continues

Unit 3 still has not yielded the bottom of the reflecting pool, but the crew did find another part of the brick wall. The most recently uncovered portion is much lower than the other sections, which raises the question of why. Did workers decades ago cut through it to install a drainage ditch and pipe? Was it always that low so that Lew Wallace could have a spillway to let water out of the reflecting pool? Hmmm...

It's a bowl! It's a pitcher! It's a chamber pot!

The metal object in Unit 4 seems to be a vessel of some kind. It looks like it has a handle, and it's not very deep (note the small silver spot where they've uncovered the bottom). We're currently gathering guesses about what it is.

Are you there, John?

The crew and public started excavating what may be Old John's grave. The late start due to morning rain held up progress a little, but the crew still opened two units and in the screens found glass and nails. This is one of the most active areas for members of the public to participate - who wouldn't want to help dig up the horse? History Beneath Us continues on the Museum grounds Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and we will also celebrate Lew's Birthday with additional activities and free admission from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Come join the fun!

History Beneath Us UPDATE

Two University of Indianapolis Archaeology students discover something made of metal buried in the old reflecting pool at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum grounds. The work continues as we speak and will be ongoing all day on Sunday, April 10 from 10 AM until 5 PM. The public is invited to participate and there is a dig going on for the kids as well! Got a question for the volunteers and staff at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum? Call 765-362-5769! Stop by and visit us at 200 Wallace Avenue in Crawfordsville, IN 47933.

History Beneath Us Saturday, April 9, 2011

University of Indianapolis students are beginning to uncover objects on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum. While the work is in its earliest stages, you never know what is just a few inches or feet beneath the top soil! We appreciate our University of Indianapolis students and hope that the general public seizes the opportunity to join them this weekend as we explore the History Beneath Us! Thanks to the Archaeological Program at the University of Indianapolis and to the fine students working in the rain and now the sunshine this weekend!

Sharpen Your Shovel

The crew from University of Indianapolis is here preparing for this weekend's History Beneath Us public archaeology program! One group of UIndy students are removing the backfill from the initial excavation of the reflecting pool so that they can begin digging where they left off in September. Dr. Christopher Moore, who is leading the student crew, hopes to uncover more of the brick wall, the builders' trench from when the masons laid that wall, and the bottom of the pool.

Another group of students are marking off the 2x2 meter unit over the "horse anomaly" - the geologic disturbance that may be the grave of Lew Wallace's horse, Old John. They will break ground in this area later today to have everything ready for public participation Saturday and Sunday.

Join us from 10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday to help trowel and screen for artifacts. Families can dig in the Archaeologist Training area, where kids are sure to find "artifacts," and Sunday afternoon we will also celebrate Lew's Birthday with activities, refreshments, and free tours of the Study.

The Exciting Conclusion

Some of the artifacts found in the screens include pieces of bottles (round pieces in the middle), fragments of plates (bottom left corner), nails (upper right corner), and a squirrel vertebrae (top).

Anne Moore of Weintraut and Associates excavates a feature. An archaeological feature is like an artifact, but it is part of the site and cannot be removed without destroying it. This small trench was filled with gravel, a very different fill from the surrounding soil.

In another unit, students carve out the dirt around remnants of bricks from the reflecting pool wall. In more recent years, drainage pipes ran through this area, so these pieces may have broken apart while installing those pipes.

The final shot of the wall. This section is clearly made of bricks, which prompts the question: where are the stones that rimmed the edges of the pool? Someone suggested that the worker hired to fill in the pool agreed to do so in exchange for the stonework. Hmmm...

At the end of the excavation, archaeologists backfill the site with the dirt they removed. While it seems funny to cover up everything they just dug out, backfilling helps to protect what they found and fills in the holes so visitors to the grounds don't get hurt.

So, over the course of the weekend we found one wall of the reflecting pool, more evidence for a location for Old John's grave, and some surprising artifacts. We had a good turnout of community members coming to help. We also raised more questions than answers, and never did find the bottom of the pool. As sometimes happens, we were just getting to "the good stuff" when it was time to leave. Based on this first program, we are excited for another edition of History Beneath Us, and started making plans before the archaeologists left on Sunday! Stay tuned for more details.

How Low Can You Go?

The archaeologists devoted one unit to finding the bottom of the reflecting pool. A probe indicated that the bottom of the pool is about 55 cm below the bottom of the unit when this picture was taken. That's going to take a lot of digging! Because this is not an artifact-rich area, and they wanted to get through the soil quickly, they dug with shovels rather than trowels.

Every 10 cm is a new level. To know how deep they are, the students must measure from a level line. They measure at least two corners and in the center of the unit to get an accurate reading for the entire unit.