Schurr, Mark R. (Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame)
EXPLORING THE FOUNDATIONS OF NOTRE DAME: THE 1991 ARCHAEOLOGY
FIELDSCHOOL
November of 1992 will mark the sesquicentennial of the founding of the University
of Notre Dame. As part of the sesquicentennial celebration, the Department of
Anthropology at Notre Dame conducted an archaeological fieldschool in May and
June of 1991 at the site of the Old College (12 SJ 228) on the Notre Dame Campus.
Limited test excavations conducted at the Old College in 1985 found a stratified
deposit of abundant historic remains that lay over a buried soil surface (paleosol)
which produced prehistoric artifacts. This year's excavations at the Old College
were intended to further characterize the nature of archaeological deposits in
the area and to provide information that could enhance our understanding of the
historic events surrounding the founding of Notre Dame and the subsequent growth
of the University from a wilderness college to a modern international institution.
The Old College site now consists of the Old College building (the first brick
building constructed on campus) and the Log Chapel (a reproduction of the original
log chapel which stood at this location in 1842). The site (as defined here) consists
of these two buildings and the surrounding lawn which is bounded by roads and
walkways. This location was once the site of a Jesuit mission named Ste. Marie
des Lacs established by Father Allouez in 1686. The precise location of the mission
building, which may have been little more than a bark hut, is unknown. A substantial
log chapel was erected here in 1830 by Father Stephen Baden. This chapel, a few
sheds, and a clearing of about ten acres were located on this site when Father
Edward Sorin arrived on November 26, 1842 to found Notre Dame du Lac. The Old
College was built in 1843 and is the only structure that survives from the first
decade of Notre Dame's history. Through the years, this building served as a community
house, convent, bakery, farmhouse, house of studies, band headquarters, studente
dormitory, and retreat house. Archaeological evidence from any or all of these
activities was expected at the site.
Three-meter square test units were placed to sample three different areas within
the Old College site. One unit was placed between the Log Chapel and Old College.
This unit was quickly reduced to a one-meter square when abundant tree roots,
telephone wires, and historic artifacts were encountered. A stratified historic
deposit almost one meter thick was once again found to lie over the paleosol discovered
in 1985. The 1985 and 1991 excavations provide clear evidence for significant
intact archaeological deposits in the area between the Old College and the Log
Chapel. The prehistoric occupation associated with the paleosol appears to date
to the Late or Terminal Archaic period. The historic deposits probably span most
of the 19th century.
A Fluxgate gradiometer, operated by Stephen Ball of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory,
Indiana University, was used to make a map of magnetic anomalies in a 240 square-meter
area to the west of Old College. Two excavation units were located within the
area surveyed by the gradiometer. These units were placed to evaluate the significance
of the magnetic anomalies revealed by the survey. One unit was a control unit
which produced scattered historic debris. The second unit uncovered a thin but
dense stratum of construction debris which appeared on the gradiometer map as
a clearly delineated rectangular anomaly. In combination, the excavation data
and the gradiometer survey make it possible to map the distribution of these debris.
They may represent the remains of a farmhouse that once stood here when the Old
College site was the heart of the University farm.
A diverse array of artifactual materials were recovered during the excavations.
These include numerous bone fragments from both domesticated and wild animals,
abundant architectural debris, religious artifacts including two crucifixes and
a votive candle holder, and domestic artifacts such as crockery, tableware, a
pearlware chamber pot, bottles for wine and spirits, and a hand-carved antler
fork which may be one of the earliest artifacts from the site. Other artifacts
testify to the use of this area as a farm which nourished the University during
the later 19th century. The collected artifacts are now being analyzed and already
provide the basis for two student research projects.
The 1991 fieldschool at the Old College site demonstrated that this location of
the campus contains intact archaeological deposits which provide a record of the
growth of the University throughout its 150 year history. During the 19th century,
Notre Dame participated in the overall transition of American society from a pioneer
society to an urban one. These changes are reflected in the archaeological deposits
at Old College, which are the products of a dynamic institution in a dynamic society.
The archaeological investigations at Old College provide a unique record of these
changes. The continuing analysis of these materials will allow the discipline
of archaeology to provide its own distinctive contribution to Notre Dame's sesquicentennial
celebration. [return to 1991 abstracts menu][continue to next]