A New Season Posted June 1, 2018 Site almost ready to begin excavation for the season The end of May brings rain, flowers, insects, and archaeology. While next year will be the 60th anniversary of archaeology at Michilimackinac, this year is the 60th season. We will be back for our eleventh season of excavation at House E of the Southeast Rowhouse. Over the past eleven summers we have excavated the south wall, a root cellar, and chimney collapse, and found thousands of artifacts used by the fur traders who lived here. Highlights can be seen in previous blog posts, and include many types of ceramics, personal adornment items such as cufflinks, buttons and rings, an intact rosary, an intact pocket knife, and two shutter hinges. This summer we plan to excavate deeper in the cellar and expose more of the interior wall exposed last summer. Nail, straight pin, and window glass recovered from slump Over the past week, we have removed the straw and plastic that protected the site over the winter, re-established the grid strings we use to map the site, and cleaned up dirt that slumped from the wall of the excavation pit during the winter. Excavation will be taking place seven days a week, weather permitting, from June 5 through August 25. Admission to Colonial Michilimackinac includes the opportunity to watch history being discovered.
Jaw Harps Posted March 31, 2018 Jaw harps excavated at Michilimackinac Some of the more interesting artifacts excavated semi-regularly by archaeologists at Michilimackinac are jaw harps. These small musical instruments, also known as a mouth harp or Jew’s harp (although they have no particular relation to Jewish people or Judaism), were common trade items at Michilimackinac in the 18th century. (more…)
Archaeology Update: Winter Finds Posted March 23, 2018 Artifacts drying on trays in lab Although excavation ended at Michilimackinac in August, archaeological research continues year-‘round. All of the artifacts recovered during the field season must be washed, labeled with a number identifying the context from which they came, identified, counted or weighed, and stored in the Petersen Center. All of the catalog information is entered into the ARGUS collections database. These steps all take time. Washing and labeling, which begins on rainy days in the summer, was completed in October. Cataloging and data entry were completed in February, and storage in March. (more…)
Archaeology Update Posted October 13, 2017 Pewter Button The second half of the field season was even richer in artifacts than the beginning. Gunflints and buttons continued to be found throughout the excavation. (more…)
Archaeology Update Posted July 14, 2017 MSHP staff member Alex excavating in the root cellar. We have reached the halfway point of the 2017 Michilimackinac archaeology field season. We have known since the project began that this was a fur trader’s house, and the numerous trade artifacts recovered this summer confirm that. We have found over a dozen gunflints, four trade gun caliber musket balls, several fishhooks, fragments from two Jesuit rings and glass beads in many colors and sizes. These have mostly come from the interior of the house. (more…)
Mr. Michilimackinac: Jim Evans’ 47 Years Posted June 30, 2017 Jim Evans isn’t a stranger to attention. Entering his 47th season as a historical interpreter at Colonial Michilimackinac, Jim is a fan-favorite among visitors and employees alike. However, Jim is known for his soft-spoken, friendly demeanor and isn’t one to boast about his accomplishments. A native of Mackinaw City, Jim has always been fascinated by his hometown’s rich history. (more…)
A Change of Seasons Posted May 19, 2017 With the coming of spring, MSHP archaeology staff has wrapped up their winter work and are turning their thoughts to the new field season. Site packed for end of the 2016 field season. (more…)
2016 Archaeology Season in Review Posted September 9, 2016 The end of August saw the close of another archaeological field season at Colonial Michilimackinac. This was our ninth season of excavation at House E, one of the units of the Southeast Rowhouse. Historic maps and records indicate that this was the house of Charles Desjardins de Rupallay de Gonneville by 1749 (and probably earlier) through at least 1758. By 1765 it was an English trader’s house. Our excavations indicate that it remained civilian housing throughout the fort’s occupation. (more…)
In the field again… Posted June 15, 2016 After a productive winter in the lab, the archaeology team is back in the field. This is the 58th season of archaeology at Michilimackinac. It is our ninth season at House E of the southeast rowhouse. This was a fur traders’ house, housing first the French-Canadian Gonneville family, then later an English trader. (more…)
2015 Archaeology Field Season in Review Posted October 16, 2015 The field season at Michilimackinac is over and as we dive into the winter lab work routine, there is time to reflect on what we learned this summer. Of course the most notable find of the summer was the intact rosary . We will devote some time this winter to trying to answer some of the questions it raised. Why does it have “extra” beads – is it a Brigittine rosary or are they for some other devotion? Was it made in France? How costly would it have been? Other questions will have to wait for further excavation next season. The rosary was found in the tenth-of-a-foot level above an as-yet-unidentified clay feature. The clay is surrounded by cobbles and a plank. It extends into an adjacent quad, which was partially excavated this summer. (more…)
