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Fort St. Joseph
Archaeological Project
Annual Report, 2009

Prepared
by:
Michael S. Nassaney, Principal Investigator
Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University
December 2009
Introduction
Over the past year (September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009)
participants in the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project
(hereafter the “project”) continued field work, analysis,
publication, public education, and outreach in an effort to
engage the community in the pursuit of a better understanding
of the fur trade and colonialism in southwest Michigan. The
project remains guided by the philosophy of community service
learning in which students provide a community service and
learn through civic engagement. Fort St. Joseph is becoming a
household name in the region thanks to the publicity and
promotional activities that are designed to encourage public
involvement. The project continues to attract partners,
sponsors, and community interest due in no small part to
Western Michigan University’s (WMU) ongoing and steadfast
support and the tireless efforts of the Fort St. Joseph
Archaeology Advisory Committee (FSJAAC), the body responsible
for recommending and promoting the course of action for site
development. The culminating events of each year are the field
investigations, conducted in conjunction with the Department
of Anthropology’s annual archaeological field school; the
summer camps for middle/high school students and credit/noncredit
adults sponsored in conjunction with the Fort St. Joseph
Museum; and the annual open house. In May we launched our new
website at www.wmich.edu/fortstjoseph to increase our
visibility and educate a wider audience. The purpose of this
report is to summarize the activities conducted over the past
year and highlight the contributions of various supporters who
make the project possible. (Appendix A lists our sponsors and
supporters; Appendix B presents a summary of the project
outcomes; and Appendix C details our expenses and funding
sources.)
Recent
Developments
The 2009 field season began the second decade of site
investigations and public interpretations at Fort St. Joseph.
The annual archaeological field school has been regularly held
in Niles since 2002. Over 100 University students have
participated in the program along with just as many
middle/high school students, teachers, and continuing
education adults. Excavations continue to reveal new
information about 18th century life from the numerous
artifacts, features, and subsistence remains that are
recovered each year. Efforts to market the site as a cultural
heritage destination are beginning to pay off; nearly 7,000
visitors have come to Fort St. Joseph to learn more about our
activities since 2006. Members of the project team and
volunteers are active promoters of the site to local,
regional, national, and international audiences. This past
year, we delivered scholarly and public presentations at the
Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference (Indianapolis;
October), the Kalamazoo Living History Show (March), and the
Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology (Toronto,
Ontario; January). In addition, materials from the excavations
were exhibited at the Michigan Historical Center and the State
Capitol (Lansing), Ford Field (Detroit), Waldo Library
(Kalamazoo), and Education Days (Niles), among other
venues.
Field
Investigations
Fieldwork was conducted under the auspices of the Fort St.
Joseph Archaeological Project during the 2009 season for six
weeks during July and August in conjunction with the 34th annual
WMU archaeological field school, the only annual field school
in the state of Michigan and one of the longest running
archaeological programs in the Midwest. Members of the field
school included 15 undergraduate and four graduate students
under my direction. Several students who had previously worked
at the site received stipends and served in staff positions as
field assistants, public education coordinator, laboratory
coordinator, and site photographer. In addition to the
University students enrolled in the program, we also provided
opportunities for public involvement through three weeklong
youth and adult summer camps.
As
in previous field seasons, excavations began on the terrace
above the fort in an area known as the Lyne site (20BE10)
where previous work identified 18th-century remains that are
now seen as associated with the Fort St. Joseph (FSJ)
community. Limited excavations to familiarize students with
the site and proper archaeological procedures led to the
recovery of a number of pre-contact and post-contact artifacts
and features. Particularly notable was another concentration
of carbonized corncobs, which we interpret as a smudge pit.
This represents the third concentration that we have
identified at the site along the margins of the terrace
overlooking the floodplain where the fort was first
discovered. Their association with 18th century artifacts
establishes that these pits are contemporaneous with the FSJ
site. Although this area was plowed in the 19th century
and artifacts of all ages are generally confined to the plow
zone, excavations continue to reveal the presence of
subsurface features (albeit truncated by the plow) that can
tell us about the spatial relationships of 18th century
activities that were associated with the people who called the
fort their home.
In
mid-July we shifted the focus of our field investigations to
the floodplain below the Lyne site where our 1998 survey had
located 18th century subsurface deposits submerged
beneath the water table. After many years of excavation
conducted with the help of a diesel-powered pump, this season
we employed a new electric dewatering system. Thanks to the
City of Niles for underwriting the electrical installation,
the dewatering process is now cleaner, quieter, more efficient
and cost effective. With the system in place, we expanded
excavations in areas where we had previously identified
architectural features and sub-surface anomalies to gain a
better understanding of site structures and associated
activities. A total of 6-1 x 2 m and three 1 x 1 m units were
continued or newly excavated to obtain further information on
the locations and spatial relationships of artifacts and
buildings.
Using
standard procedures, we remove the upper 25 cm of recent
alluvium as a single unit since this layer contains only a few
modern artifacts (post-1930s). The underlying late 19th and
early 20th century plow zone is dug in 5 cm levels and
all soil is collected by trowel and wet-screened using 1/8”
mesh to recover a representative sample of artifacts, seeds,
and animal remains. Soil samples are also taken from selected
levels and all feature contexts for flotation at the
laboratory. Beneath the plow zone are undisturbed soil
horizons that were deposited or occupied in the 18th century.
Excavations just began to explore the top of this occupational
zone as the field season came to an end. It is likely that we
will return to several of these locations to conduct further
investigations in 2010.
In
our excavations we recovered a number of artifacts and
important architectural evidence that continue to inform on
the appearance of the site and the activities conducted there.
Objects that reflect the military, religious, commercial, and
domestic functions of the site include musket balls and lead
shot; gunflints and gun parts; French, English, and Chinese
ceramics; glass container fragments and beads; structural
remains such as hand-wrought nails, daub, and dressed stone;
objects of personal adornment such as finger rings; and
objects of religious devotion, including two crucifixes. One
brass crucifix was particularly notable in its detail. On one
side was the body of Christ, while the reverse depicted two
cherubs crowning Mary as she ascends into heaven! Excavations
in the vicinity of the stone fireplace designated as Feature
14 provide further information on its size and orientation. We
were able to define the northern extent a trash midden
(Feature 11) by excavating two units in proximity. Finally,
investigations of Feature 7, a large pit first identified in
2002, indicated that the pit is much larger than expected
causing us to question whether or not this feature is actually
a well as previously thought. All of the excavation units were
open for the public to view and discuss with students during
our annual open house that culminated our field season in
early August.
Public Education and Outreach
The community service learning components of our public
archaeology program are best exemplified by our public
education and outreach efforts that provide students with the
opportunity to interact with various members of the community.
Public education at Fort St. Joseph gained statewide
recognition when we received the 2007 Education Award from the
Historical Society of Michigan in September—a strong
validation of our work in educating the public about the
archaeology and colonial history of Niles. In 2009 we
sponsored three weeklong public training programs including a
week for non-credit adults, a week for educators to earn
college credit, and a week for 11 middle school students.
Andrew Beaupré continued as our public education coordinator
with the support of the Fort St. Joseph Museum. As in previous
years, students in the program learned how to excavate
properly, take field notes, and identify artifacts, in
addition to gaining an appreciation for the importance of
archaeological materials in the interpretation and
reconstruction of history and culture. In addition, several
local volunteers and members of Support the Fort (STF) who
were previously enrolled in the camps (Mary Ellen Drolet, Tom
Lister, Fred Rogers, Larry Simpson, and Diane Williams)
participated in the dig in various capacities. Thanks to
Andrew Beaupré’s efforts, we expanded our interactions with
the community through weekly meals generously provided by
several members of STF, other community members (Martha
Wyszynski), and service groups (Dowagiac Rotary Club).
The Project also initiated a summer archaeology lecture
series sponsored by the Anthropology Department in partnership
with the Niles District Library. Four Wednesday evenings in
July were devoted to speakers who discussed various aspects of
the history and archaeology of Fort St. Joseph to an
appreciative audience of 40-50 attendees in the library.
Refreshments and a casual atmosphere encouraged mingling among
the students, team members, and the public and provided the
opportunity to share information on the latest finds. Students
were awed and enlivened by the level of community interest, a
precursor to the excitement that the open house would bring.
We also initiated site tours on Fridays in advance of the open
house and invited the public to visit us in the field.
The annual open house, organized by Darlene
Jackson, was held the weekend of August 1-2. As has become
traditional, the media and special guests were invited to the
site two days prior. Media day was marked by a number of
special events, including addresses by State Senator Tom
George; Treasurer of the Society for Colonial Wars, Dr. Frank
Welsh; and the Consul General of France in Chicago, Jean-Baptiste
Main de Boissière. Long-time benefactor Randy Peyser unveiled
the new logo for the FSJAAC, which he commissioned and helped
to design. Mayor Michael McCauslin designated the weekend as
Peyser Family Days. He also presented Michael Nassaney with
the key to the city and proclaimed July 30, 2009 as Dr.
Michael S. Nassaney Day in the City of Niles. Others present
included members of the FSJAAC, Society for Colonial Wars, the
WMU College of Arts and Sciences, STF, Niles City officials,
the field school students, and other groups and individuals
who support our activities. Television and newspaper media
from throughout the region provided coverage of the event,
which helped to promote the open house and ensure a large
crowd. Over 1,500 visitors attended the open house to view the
excavations, interact with archaeologists, listen to
presentations, and learn about Fort St. Joseph and its role in
the fur trade. The theme of this year’s open house was
“The Jesuits in New France. ” Two new permanent
informational panels highlighted the theme along with the
presence of a Jesuit re-enactor, completely donned in period
attire including a replica of the 18th century cilice
recovered from FSJ in 2004. (A cilice is an object of
self-mortification that devout Catholics wore to emulate the
suffering of Jesus and attain a state of grace.) Sales of
T-shirts, DVDs, VHS tapes, medallions, and books were brisk;
donations and sales amounted to approximately $1,900 that will
help to offset some of the event and project costs. Dorilee
Schieble, Director of Development for the College of Arts
& Sciences, sponsored a meal on Saturday evening for
approximately 50 open house participants, volunteers, students
and their families that was greatly appreciated by all who
attended.
Our public education and outreach
activities remain important vehicles for communicating the
importance of the site to the public and demonstrating how
much the public cares about the history and archaeology of the
fort. As we begin the second decade of work in Niles, these
programs continue to raise interest in the site and provide
the opportunity for the public to share their pride in
community history. Maintaining, promoting, and investing in
this important heritage tourist destination and the role of
FSJ in public education, scholarship, and economic development
remain the focus of the project and the FSJAAC. We continue to
expand on the partnerships that we have developed and invite
participation from any individuals and groups who share our
vision of the importance of heritage for building community.
Our connections to the community are among the most important
assets of the project. They provide a solid foundation for us
to develop this national historic treasure to benefit Niles,
WMU, and various stakeholders who see the potential of
bringing history to life.
For a Complete Copy of this Report with all
Appendices; please email the City
Administrator's Office. |