Introduction
In October 2002 and June 2003, archaeological
survey and testing was conducted at the original site of the Town Hall School,,
in Pittsfield Township. In 1987, the 1895 Town Hall School building was relocated
from this site to the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where
it serves as a museum and educational facility. The original Town Hall School
Site has recently been acquired by Pittsfield Township and is currently a moderately
vegetated property with no standing structures.
Site History & Architecture
The history of the Town Hall School presented below is largely derived from
the 1996 ÒDown the Myrtle Path: the history and Memories of the Town Hall
SchoolÓ by Hannah Geddes Wright.
History
Construction of the first schoolhouse
to be located on the southeast corner of Thomas and Morgan Roads was begun
in September of 1852. Records of town meetings document discussions as to
the need of a new schoolhouse for the district starting in 1847. At that time
the District 7 (later renumbered to District 3) schoolhouse was a frame building,
constructed before 1838 and located on the southwest corner of Textile and
Campbell Roads. On September
29, 1851 a unanimous vote decided that the new district school would be constructed
on the William Geddes farm. A contract with A.I. Eggleston to work
on this schoolhouse was dated August 4, 1852, and in September of the same
year the foundation was laid. As director of the school, William Geddes kept
memoranda of cost of materials and of labor as well as the names of individuals
contributing to their time and toil. For example, stonework for the foundation
and three porches cost $11.62. Payment for 32,400 bricks for main walls and
gables came to $33.50. A man named Terry Òplastered the ChimneyÓ for two dollars,
while Horace Carpenter furnished one thousand feet of white wood lumber for
ten dollars. In 1853 and Õ54, William Crab did the necessary painting. John
Tyler charged $1.75 for hauling timbers and scaffolding poles. Samuel A. Morgan
hauled mortar, water, and bricks, and Leonard Tyler received $13.00 for Òattending
the bricklayersÓ. (Wright 1996:9)At
the 1853 annual board meeting a decision was made to Òfinish the schoolhouseÓ
and build privies (Wright 1996:19). Between 1852 and 1853, $565 was paid for
building costs. Then in 1855, a vote was passed to build
a woodhouse with two privies, and $90 was raised for this purpose.
ÒA History of Town Hall School,Ó
held within the records of the Pittsfield Township Historical Society contains
the following information on the 1852 schoolhouse:The
second school building was built around 1852. It stood about 5 or 6 feet away
from the east fence. It was made of brick. The desks were made by carpenters.
The seats were five feet long and made to hold two children. There were three
rows of seats. The children had to carry water from the neighbors. [from McCallaÕs
on Morgan Road.] [sic]The
stove used three-foot wood. Then they got a round stove. It used shorter wood.
They didnÕt have a big bell so they used a small hand bell instead. The school
used small alarm clocks to tell time. The first blackboards were not of slate.
(Wright 1996:103)The 1852
brick Town Hall School served District 7 until a new frame schoolhouse was
constructed in 1895. In that year $677.50 was paid for the new schoolhouse
and the older brick school was demolished. The new frame Town Hall School
served its district until its closure in 1957. In
1987, the schoolhouse was moved to the campus of Eastern Michigan University
in Ypsilanti where it was restored and renovated and now serves as a museum
and educational facility.
Research
Design and Methodology
Research Design
The research design of this archaeological
study draws from previous research conducted by the author on the archaeology
of country schools (See Gibb and Beisaw 2000). This research has shown that previously
excavated schoolhouse sites tend to produce a limited artifact assemblage
which consists mainly of architectural debris (nails and glass) with limited
education related artifacts (slate pencils, etc.) and domestic refuse (generally
glass fragments). Artifacts and
features related to play areas of the schoolyard are often sought but prove
to be difficult to identify.
Figure 3. Second
(1895) Town Hall School in 2003.
These characteristics of the archaeology of school sites contributed to the
approach presented in Gibb and Beisaw (2000), which advocates that archaeologists
use archival and architectural data to extract patterns from the limited artifact
assemblage. A review of historic School Inspector and related State Education
reports can provide information on the size and value of the schoolhouse along
with attendance statistics, teacher pay rates, and construction events.
A comparison of the known school architecture, especially from historic
photographs, to school plans that were commonly recommended by State officials
can also reveal changes in site use.
The purpose of a Phase I archaeological survey is to determine if archaeological
deposits exist within a project area. No direct evidence of the existence of
archaeological deposits on this site had been previously documented. Therefore
the Phase I survey consisted of surface survey and systematic subsurface testing
in the form of regularly placed shovel test pits (STPs) to determine the presence
and density of archaeological deposits in this area.
The purpose of a Phase II archaeological site evaluation is to evaluate the
significance and integrity of identified archaeological deposits. As the original
Town Hall School was demolished, there was a high potential for remnants of
the original building, including the portions of the school foundation, to
exist on the property. The Phase I survey revealed stratified deposits within
the probable foundation area. Therefore the Phase II survey focused
on this area and consisted of the stratigraphic excavation of three large
excavation units (EUs).
Methodology
Background and Archival Research
Background research consisted of a review of historical information previously
compiled by Hannah Geddes Wright (1996), a visual survey of extant one-room
schools of Pittsfield Township, a interior and exterior inspection of the
relocated 1895 Town Hall School, and discussions with local informants including
Hannah Geddes Wright, Thomas Gwaltney, and Marcia Ticknor.
This information was used to evaluate the types of archaeological deposits
likely to be encountered at the Town Hall School site and to guide the development
of the initial work proposal.
Prior archival research on the history of education in Michigan and
Washtenaw County, by April M. Beisaw, is included for regional and local context.
Field and Laboratory Research
Archaeological survey began with the establishment of a 20-foot (6.1-meter)
grid across the Town Hall School property. This interval was selected with
the knowledge that 19th century one-room schools tended to be constructed
with dimensions of approximately 20-feet (Barnard 1876).
A total of sixteen (16) shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated along
the site grid.
All STPs were approximately
12-inches in diameter and proceeded until sterile soil was encountered.
Excavated soil was screened using 1/4-inch hardware mesh and all recovered
artifacts were collected. The exception to this was when large quantities of
brick, coal, mortar, or stone were encountered. In these cases a sample of each
material was collected by focusing on fragments of 3/4-inch in diameter and
greater.
The soil stratigraphy, including soil
color, type, and depth were recorded for each STP. Some STP locations were moved
slightly off the grid to avoid obstacles such as large tree roots.
Based
on the results of the shovel test pit survey, the locations for three 5 by 5-foot
excavation units were selected. Two units were placed within an area of demolition
debris and one unit was placed within an area of a coal deposit. Each unit was
excavated by hand with shovel and trowel and continued until sterile soil was
encountered.
Excavated soil was screened using 1/4-inch hardware mesh and
all recovered artifacts were collected. The exception to this was when large
quantities of brick, coal, mortar, or stone were encountered. In these cases
a small sample of each material was collected.
The soil stratigraphy of each excavation unit was documented
using Munsell Soil Color Charts (Munsell 2000).
All collected artifacts were washed, catalogued, and packaged according to
general artifact curation standards. The artifact catalog is presented as Appendix
A. The artifact assemblage will
be retained by Pittsfield Township for educational and exhibit purposes.
Results of Archival and Background Research
Regional
Context
Due to the nature of the Town Hall School Site, the regional and local context
presented here will focus on the history of education in Michigan, Washtenaw
County, and Pittsfield Township.
No known evidence exists of the operation of schools in Michigan
until around 1755. Under the French, education was a function of the Church
as there was no semi-independent local organizational structure, like the towns
of New England, to provide management and support for schools (Putnam 1904:2).
Subscription and Select
Schools The first ÒschoolhouseÓ in Michigan
is believed to have been the Detroit residence of Jean Baptiste Roucout who
conducted classes there, on St. Jacques Street, after 1760 (Reigle 1971:154).
At the same time, many other ÒsubscriptionÓ or ÒselectÓ
schools were held in the homes of teachers across the region.
What made RoucoutÕs the first schoolhouse
was the fact that church trustees had purchased the building in 1765 Òwith the
provision that it should be used as a school building.Ó (Reigle 1971:154). Roucourt
was granted free lodging there as long as he continued in his educational duties.
To
establish a subscription school, teachers would obtain a subscription for their
employment.
A subscriber would
then pay a type of tuition to send students, usually to the teacherÕs residence,
for education. Students furnished their own books and were often asked to supply
firewood and/or candles.
Territorial Schools
In 1809
the legislative Council for the Territory of Michigan passed the first law to
establish a school system in the territory.
This act called for each district to layout school districts within its
boundaries and established a tax system to fund them.
However, there is no evidence of districts or schools being organized
under this act (Putnam 1904:5).
The start of the War of 1812
hampered many attempts to form the organized educational system that was envisioned.
In August of 1817 the Territorial government
passed an act forming the University of Michigan and a complete school system
for the territory. Under this system the University and a governor appointed
board controlled the schools, the public involvement was limited to paying taxes.
Some primary schools opened in Detroit, Monroe, and Mackinaw under this
act (Putnam 1904:7).
An 1821 statute transferred the authority
to establish and manage schools away from University faculty and to a board
of trustees. However, the provision for a general tax to support schools was
also repealed, leaving school funds to come from lands devoted to education
and private donations.
(Putnam
1904:9).
After several failed attempts to remedy the situation,
in 1823 Governor Lewis Cass asked Congress to reorganize the governing body
of the Michigan Territory. The new legislative council met in Detroit on June
7, 1824. As a result of this meeting, Section 16 of every township, previously
set aside by an act of Congress in 1804, was to be leased. All money raised
from the lease of Section 16 was to be used to support public schools (Reigle
1971:160).
This 1827
law established common schools in the Territory and made these schools independent
from the University. (Putnam 1904:11). ÒThe statute of 1827 was essentially
a reproduction of an early school law of the Massachusetts colony, with some
features borrowed from New York, and was not well adapted to the condition of
the Territory or the habits of the people.Ó (Putnam 1904:12). The Act required
townships of more than 50 families to support a school. Education in either
French or English was allowed and school was to be in session for 6 months duration.
Townships with 100 or more students were required to provide 12 months of school.
Townships with more than 150 students were required to hold primary school for
6 months and advanced school for 12 months with an English-speaking teacher.
Townships with over 200 students were required to employ a grammar school master
to teach French, English, and Latin for 12 months. As such, Grammar school was
equivalent to an academy or high school of moderate grade and offered secondary
education including University preparation. (Putnam 1904:12).
The
1827 law was not mandatory as townships could vote annually not to comply, and
they did. (Putnam 1904:12).
Primary and Union Schools
Despite
these advances towards an organized school system, many townships failed to
organize school districts even as late as 1835.
In 1835, John D. Pierce, often referred
to as the Òfather of the Michigan school system,Ó was appointed to office as
the first Superintendent of Public Instruction. Pierce traveled through the
eastern United States, to study its established school systems.
Upon returning to Michigan he wrote a report that presented his plan
for the organization of schools, including detailed building plans for the school
buildings.
PierceÕs plan gave each
school district the power to erect and furnish school buildings and a library
and to levy taxes for these purposes (Reigle 1971:165).
The township was given power to elect
a board of school inspectors whose responsibility was to inspect the schools
and teachers, divide money received from the Primary Interest fund and taxes,
conduct teacherÕs examinations and grant teacher certificates, and to make an
annual report to the superintendent of public instruction (Reigle 1971: 166).
An 1846 school code allowed townships to form a single district from two
or more to create a union district school. The pooling of resources that these union
schools allowed for lead to the establishment of several such schools in Michigan
between 1846 and 1850. The pace
of their creation slowed in 1849 when an amendment to the code required districts
to have at least 100 students before becoming union school. (Putnam 1904:77).
This slow implementation of PierceÕs plan is further
evident by the Michigan Constitution of 1850. Article XIII Education Section
4 states that ÒThe legislature shall, within five years from the adoption of
this constitution, provide for and establish a system of primary schools, whereby
a school shall be kept without charge for tuition, at least three months in
each year, in every school district in the State: and all instruction in said
schools shall be conducted in the English language. Section 5 stated ÒA school
shall be maintained in each school district at least three months in each yearÓ
(Putnam 1904:30-31).
Mandatory Education
In 1871 the State Legislature
passed a law entitled "An act to compel children to attend school"
which required all children between the ages of 8 and 14 to be sent to public
school for at least 12 weeks per year, 6 of which must be consecutive. To enforce
this law, parents or guardians were to be fined $10 for the first offense and
$20 for each additional offense.
Enforcement
of this law was fairly uncommon, as is documented in the School Inspector Reports
for each district.
Changes in 1883
and1885 increased required attendance to 4 months, and forbade employment of
children under the age of 14 unless they attended the required school term,
violation of the law was also now a misdemeanor. (Putnam 1904:124).
Pedagogy and School Architecture
The changing school laws of states were influenced by international discussions
among educators and philosophers about the benefits of universal education,
pedagogy, and the physical plants in which students were taught. In most cases
these teaching styles, and to a large extent the subject matter taught in schools,
are reflected in the architecture, furnishing, arrangement, and landscaping
of schools.
With the publication and wide distribution of Henry BarnardÕs School Architecture
in 1842 school and county boards of education nationwide
considered BarnardÕs position that Òthe great object of all regular school
arrangements should be to wake up the spirit, and begin the work of self-culture
as early and widely as possibleÓ (Barnard 1842[1970]:78).
In the introduction to BarnardÕs reprinted book, the editors summarize BarnardÕs
approach and its implications for researching educational history:Architectural
designs for schools are among the best sources, short of direct observation,
for discovering what actually happens in a classroom. Any well-designed school
should embody what is to go on within it. The designer takes into account
the number, age, and character of the students and the instructional techniques
the teacher will probably employ; hence the differences between individualized
instruction, group recitation, the monitorial system, and departmentalized
schooling are palpably exposed in the layout of classrooms designed for their
use (McClintock and McClintock 1970:1-2).In Michigan the earliest schoolhouses
of most rural districts were constructed of logs. The small and often unheated structures
were replaced with brick or frame buildings once sufficient money was raised
or the log building became infested, dilapidated, or simply burned down. In
his 1850Popular Education, Ira Mayhew
advocated the consultation of BarnardÕs book prior to the construction of
schoolhouses:
ÒThis excellent treatise embodies a mass of most valuable information
in relation to school-houses and apparatus. It contains the plans of a great
number of the best school-houses in various portions of the United States, and
should be consulted by every committee before determining upon a plan for the
construction of a valuable school-house.Ó (Mayhew 1850:382)
Interestingly,
Barnard had cited MayhewÕs 1847 report on the condition of Michigan Schools
as an example of the poor conditions of schools:
Extracts
from " Annual Report of the Superintendent (Hon. Ira May hew) of Public
Instruction of the State of Michigan, submitted December 10, 1847.""In
architectural appearance, school-houses have more resembled barns,sheds
for cattle, or mechanic shops, than Temples of Science,-windows are
broken-benches are mutilated-desks are cut up-wood is unprovided-out-buildings
are neglected-obscene images and vulgar delineations meet the eye without and
within-the plastering is smoked and patched-the roof is so open as to let in
a flood of water in a storm, sufficient to drown out a school, were not the
floor equally open." To help school districts
construct adequate buildings the State began issuing "standard" plans
for schools in the 1896 Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Education.
Additionally, in 1914 the Michigan Department
of Public Instruction issued specifications on the size of the school lot and
the types and quantities of furnishings and apparatus that schools should contain.
Local Context
Washtenaw County
In 1867, John D. Pierce became the
Washtenaw County Superintendent. A brief article from the June 29, 1867 issue of a local newspaper,
the Ypsilanti Commercial provides a report of his initial impressions and plans;
ÒWe have a communication from the County Superintendent,
John D. Pierce. We give the gist. His duties began the 1st of May.
A hercuiian task is imposed in such a thickly populate county as Washtenaw.
200 schools to be visited ¾ condition of school-buildings¾libraries
to be noted¾lectures to be given, and institutes to be
organized. The Superintendent is determined to disebarge to the letter his
duties. 50 schools have been visited. And with only four exceptions the schools
are in better condition than he anticipated. There is an evil in the multiplication
of classes. In one instance, 13 in arithmetic, one in each. This evil arises
from the diversity of books. We hope the Superintendent will succeed in correcting
this evil. Our children have not finished a class book, much less familiar
with it, before a new book appears on the stage, and the parent is commanded
to buy it. We believe teachers are renumerated for every change. If not, they
are often-times sadly cheated. It is an outrage. Teachers and parents the
victims of publishers and booksellers.
He proposes to visit the schools in the Eastern
part of the county during the summer term, and during the year to hold in
different parts of the county three TeacherÕs institutes.Ó
Having
the Òfather of Michigan educationÓ as the Washtenaw County Superintendent may
have lead to the glowing review of the county schools that can be found in the
Everts and StewartÕs 1874 atlas of Washtenaw County.
The atlas contains the following history of schools in the county:ÒWe have not given a full picture of the past
of Washtenaw County until we have briefly sketched the history of her educational
interests, for which she stands pre-eminent. The first facilities the County enjoyed in
this direction were Òselect schools,Ó like that which Miss Hope Johnson taught
at WoodruffÕs Grove in 1826-7, ¾generally the assembling of a few small children
in the teacherÕs own house. A school was opened in Ypsilanti in 1825, and Miss
Olive Gorton (now wife of Lyman Graves) was its first teacher. The first school-house
proper was the one erected at Ypsilanti in 1829, and known as ÒThe Brick.Ó Five
years later a ÒYoung Ladies SeminaryÓ was opened in the same place, in a room
over VanderbuiltÕs shop. The pioneer school-houses were mostly constructed
of logs, during the decade of 1830-40. The first in Sharon, near ÒRowÕs Corners,Ó
erected in 1832, was one of the earliest frame school buildings in the County.
The first school in Freedom Township dates from about the same year. In 1834,
AugustaÕs first pedagogue officiated in their primitive log district school-house.
That of Lydon was erected in 1837, in which John Yocum held the first licensed school of that town, although Miss Angelina Green taught in a private
house prior to that date. The first school-house in Ann Arbor was built about
1827, and Miss Sallie Clark taught in it.ÉThe present status
of the common school system in this county may best be gathered from the following
facts, furnished us by the County Superintendent, Mr. G. S. Wheeler. There are
166 districts in the County and over 10,000 children attend the schools held
in nine stone, forty-seven brick, one hundred and twelve frame, and five log
school-houses. The County now has provisions for seating nearly 13,000 pupils.
The value of school property is $368,054. There is also in the County seven
graded schools. To carry on these schools ninety-six male and two hundred and
eighty-five female teachers are employed. Total expenditures for the school
year of 1872 were $131,229.26. (18)
Pittsfield Township
The
History
of Washtenaw County (1881) presents the following history of Pittsfield
schools:To Pittsfield belongs the honor of having erected the first school-house
in Washtenaw county. It was erected in the summer of 1825 and was built of logs.
In 1876 several of the old logs were lying upon the lot where the house once
stood. They were taken, sawed up, and converted into canes, many of which are
now owned by men and woman, who, as boys and girls, received their regular floggings
in connection with and as part of their education in that old school-house.
On the completion of the new building, a Sunday-school and a week-day school,
instituted by Miss Harriet Parsons, was transferred from the shades of a venerable
oak that had withstood the storms of a hundred years, to the new school-house.
The settlement of boundaries of school districts was one of the most difficult
things to adjust. A movement in one part of the town would interfere with the
prospects in other parts, thus setting in motion the diversified interests of
all. The question finally became settled, resulting in the formation of three
whole and six fractional districts. (1881:1255)
This claim of
the Pittsfield having the first county schoolhouse contradicts the history presented
in the 1874 atlas (quoted above). The atlasÕ account suggests that the Pittsfield
schoolhouse was that of a Òselect schoolÓ and therefore not the first true public
schoolhouse in the county.
By 1845 the school districts of Pittsfield
were well organized as is evident from the following report in the May 12, 1845
issue of
The Signal of Liberty (a local
newspaper):
PITTSFIELD SCHOOL MEETING
At a meeting of delegates from the several
school districts of the township of Pittsfield, held pursuant to a resolution
unanimously adopted at the last annual meeting of said township, for the purpose
of selecting suitable books to be used uniformly in all the schools in the
town; the following were with great unanimity recommended, viz:
SanderÕs Spelling Book, The
ChildÕs Guide, ColburnÕs
Intellectual Arithmetic, AdamÕs New do., KirkhamÕs Grammar, Mitchells Large Geography and Atlas, Do. Small do., ComstockÕs
Philosophy, WebsterÕs Dictionary, GoodrichÕs
History of the United States with
Emersons Questions, ParkerÕs Composition, The
New Testament, daily, Constitution of
the United States, Do. Of this State, Declaration of Independence.
It was also recommended, that each district
furnish as appendages to the School, a Map of Michigan, a Map of Washtenaw
Co., WebsterÕs Large Dictionary, The Teachers Manual, and a large Black-board.
Resolved, That the above be published in the several
papers printed in this County
A.
H. MARKHAM, Chairman.E.
L. Aiken, SecÕy.
Results of Field and Laboratory Investigations
Surface
Reconnaissance
A 20-ft grid was established
across the Town Hall School property site, aligned to magnetic north.
Due to the lack of another permanent (or semi-permanent) reference point,
a datum was installed to provide a reference point for the grid. The datum consists
of a cement encased metal spike and is located approximately 20-feet south of
Morgan Road and 115-ft east of Thomas Road. Upon establishment of the site grid
a thorough surface examination of the site was conducted. Surface artifacts,
including coal, glass, and metal, were relatively common and therefore not collected.
Site Map
The site map (Figure 5) illustrates the extent of archaeological excavation
in reference to the current boundaries of the Town Hall School property and
newly installed datum. Circles identify shovel test pit locations. Circles
with ÒXÓ marks indicate STP locations that were skipped due to obstacles.
Small squares indicate locations of the three excavation units.
Figure 5. Site map showing the extent of testing.
Shovel Testing
Soils were fairly consistent across the site, generally composed of 2 to
4 inches of a very dark gray sandy loam followed by 5 to 7 inches of brown
silty clay, followed by light brown silty clay. STPs on the eastern portion
of the site encounter subsurface brick of various sizes while STPs on the
southern portion of the site encountered coal. Figure 6 illustrates the distribution
of subsurface finds encountered during shovel testing. A complete catalog
of STP finds is included as Appendix A.
Figure 6. Materials encountered below the ground surface during shovel
testing.
Summary
Shovel test pits on the eastern portion of the site encountered brick and
mortar of varying size and density. STP 3 and 4 encountered the most complete
bricks, in association with mortar (Figure 12), strongly suggesting that remnants
of the original brick school remained on-site and in that location. The density
of coal increased towards the southeastern corner of the site, suggesting
the location of a coal pile behind the brick school. General artifact density
(glass, ceramics, metal) also increased along with the coal. Gravel was encountered
in the northwestern area of the site (STP16, 17). This is the known area of
a historic gravel driveway. The driveway and associated gravel may also be
responsible for the lack of artifacts in this area.
Excavation Units
Two 5 by 5-ft excavation units (Figure 5) were judgmentally placed within
the shovel test pit grid to further test the demolition debris the area around
STP3, and the dense coal area around STP5. A third 5 by 5-ft excavation unit was
placed 20-feet to the east of STP4 in an attempt to delineate the eastern
boundary of the brick school. This location was chosen based on the observation
of slight changes in ground surface topography.
All three-excavation units were excavated by hand with shovel and trowel
as appropriate. All soils were screened with 1/4Ó hardware mesh and artifacts
were collected by provenience.
Diagnostic
Artifacts
Nails: Site Wide
A mixture of machine cut (square)
and wire (round) nails occur across the site. Commercial production of wire
nails in America began in 1880 in Kentucky (Wells 1998:86). Wide scale production
and use of wire nails began in the late 1880Õs and early 1890Õs. By 1920 machine
cut nails consisted of 8% of the nail market (Wells 1998:87).
Metal Hinge: EU3 ST3
This metal hinge (Figure 27) is
a small square 2-part butt hinge (Priess 2000:60). Butt hinges are commonly
used to attach a door to the doorframe. The small size of this butt hinge
suggests that it may have been part of a cabinet or school desk.
Tobacoo Pipe: EU3 ST3
This small portion of a kaolin clay
tobacco pipe (Figure 27) contains a few diagnostic elements. The presence
of a heel on the base of the bowl suggests a pre-nineteenth century manufacture
date. The pipe was obviously made in a mold, as the seam is quite visible
along the edges of the heel. The only possible intentional manufacturing mark
on the specimen is a small raised U or O on the side of the right heel.
It was common for papermakers to put their first initial on the left
side of the heel and the initial of their last name on the right side of the
heel (Bradley 2000:116). Unfortunately only the right side of the heel is
present on this specimen and as a result the mark on the right side is not
definitely an initial. The mark is similar but not identical
to a mark on the English Type 23, pipe in Hume (1969:302). Hume assigns an
associated manufacture date of 1820-1860 to Type 23.
Owens Suction Scar: EU3 ST2
One amethyst glass bottle base bares
an Owens suction scar. This mark is made when the glass is in the mold used
for commercial production of these containers. The Owens machine was used
for narrow and wide-mouth containers between 1904 and the late 1940Õs with
a height of production around 1917 (Miller & Sullivan 2000:172).
Dr. KilmerÕs Swamp Root Bottle:
EU3 ST3
Fragments of one medicine bottle
contained portions of an embossed label identifying it as a product of Dr.
Kilmer, Binghamton, NY. Fortunately the Kilmer line of patent medicines contained
distinctive labeling which allowed for these fragments to provide the most
dateable artifact from this archaeological survey.
Dr.
KilmerÕs Swamp Root Kidney, Liver, and Bladder Remedy was marketed as a general
cure-all. One 1898 ad for the ÒmedicineÓ reads ÒGeneral Weakness, Constitution
all run down, loss of ambition, and a disinclination to all sorts of labor.
Guarantee-Use contents of One Bottle, if not benefited, Druggists will refund
you the price paid.Ó Ingredients of Swamp Root (which is still available today)
included Buchu leaves, Oil of Juniper, Oil of Birch, Colombo Root, Swamp-Sassafras,
Balsam Copaiba, Balsam Tolu, Skullcap leaves, Venice Turpentine, Valerian Root,
Rhubarb Root, Mandrake Root, Peppermint herb, Aloes, Cinnamon, sugar, and approximately
10.5% alcohol (Golley ND).
As a result of the Pure Food and
Drug Act of 1906, which prohibited Òadulteration and misbranding of food and
drugsÓ, the word ÒCureÓ was changed to ÒRemedyÓ on Dr. KilmerÕs Swamp Root
labels. In 1917 ÒRemedyÓ was changed to ÒMedicineÓ (Wald 1998:17) and bottles
were no longer embossed but adhered with a paper label. A 1917 ÒSwamp Root
AlmanacÓ contains an advertisement showing the new paper label. Therefore,
the Dr. Kilmer bottle from this site was manufactured between 1907 and 1917.
Discussion
The archaeological testing of the
Town Hall School site has provided a small window into the one hundred years
of education related activity that has occurred on the site. This project
was successful in delineating the exact location of the original brick structure
and recovering some architectural and educational artifacts from both the
1852 and 1895 schoolhouses.
With
this new information additional fieldwork can be targeted to identifying the
probably locations of the 1852 schoolhouseÕs main features including the main
entrance or entrances. Notes from the construction of the building do not indicate
the number of doors on the structure but a reference to Òthree porchesÓ suggests
that more than one did exist. Often schoolhouses were equipped with one or two
main entrances and sometimes also contained a side or rear doorway that lead
out towards the privies. A
small number of slate pencils and slate tablet fragments were recovered, primarily
from the demolition debris and the coal deposit. While the pencil and slate
from the demolition debris is almost certainly from the 1852 school those from
the coal pile can be from either schoolhouse. Ongoing research on the evolution
of the slate pencil by James G. Gibb has is revealing the variety of manufacturing
methods and sources of slate pencil and may soon be able to add information
regarding these artifacts.Fragments
of ceramic and glass vessels, including at least one likely medicine bottle,
were recovered from what should be the rear of the schoolhouse. These artifacts
were noticeably absent in the more northern section of the site, towards the
assumed front of the schoolhouse. This difference in distribution of artifact
types suggests that additional fieldwork that samples the demolition debris
might be able to provide information on the use of space within and immediately
around the schoolhouse.The
area of the coal deposits, behind the 1852 school, contains a wide variety of
artifacts. The area behind a building tends to be a dumping area as appears
to have been at the Town Hall School. Nails and larger metal artifacts may be
from a variety of building and modification episodes and may not relate to the
demolition of the brick schoolhouse as little mortar or brick was found here.
Instead many of the artifacts appeared slightly melted or burned which suggest
that the area was a regular active disposal location where hot (or at least
warm) coal was dumped with broken ceramics and glass.Within
the coal pile several fragments of at least 3 medicine vials were recovered.
Beyond stories of Castor Oil, little record of the regular use of medicines
exist in the vast collections of one room school reminisces. As such, this topic
is of significant interest to archaeologists as even small fragments of embossed
medicine bottles can provide the vital clues to identify the original contents.
In the case of the Town Hall School the only identifiable medicine bottle recovered
from this fieldwork was a ÒDr. KilmerÕs/Swamp Root/Kidney Liver/and Bladder
Remedy/Binghamton NYÓ. This ÒmedicineÓ was marketed as a cure all and its high
alcohol content may have ÒsettledÓ the students or teacher, one way or another.
While the coal deposit is an artifact
rich area, it obviously contains a mixture of artifacts from different time
periods. While few indications of different dumping episodes were observed
during excavation of EU3, analysis of the stratigraphic profile remaining
in the walls of the unit suggest that with careful excavation some additional
separation of stratum may be possible. Additional fieldwork in this area should
proceed slowly and preferably be undertaken by an experienced historical archaeologist.
Summary
and Recommendations
A shovel test pit survey and subsequent excavation of three 5 by 5-ft units
resulted in the documentation of several subsurface features including the
eastern wall foundation of the 1852 brick school, associated demolition debris,
a coal pile/midden, and a prehistoric lithic scatter. The coal deposit, immediately
south of the original brick school was rich in architectural artifacts as
well as personal items and school furnishings. Diagnostic artifacts recovered suggest
late 19th to early 20th century date for the coal deposit.
The brick and mortar deposit or demolition debris on the eastern portion
of the site contained few diagnostic artifacts beyond machine cut nails.
Additional archaeological field and laboratory analysis is recommended for
the property to:1)
Further delineate the foundation of the 1852 brick school, 2)
Further test the coal pile/midden to determine relative dates of the
deposits, 3)
Test the are of the 1895 frame school which was not sampled in this
study,
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