Highlighting Hoosier Archaeological Sites: North Central

An archaeological site south of Delphi in Carroll County gives an excellent portrait of what life was like in the early to mid-nineteenth century, as well as a glimpse into a late nineteenth and early twentieth century dairy farm.

Dr. Christopher Moore and students from the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) investigated the site, named Baum’s Landing, from 2013 to 2017. The location was home to the Daniel Baum family farmstead, according to early to mid-nineteenth century remains found on the site. Late nineteenth and early twentieth century artifacts and structural remains document the use of the site by the Thomas Smith family as a barn lot for the Smith Dairy Farm. These remains include a road bed constructed by the Smiths and a portion of the Peru-Lafayette interurban line. 

The family of Daniel Baum, his wife Ascenith, and their children was one of the first to settle Carroll County, arriving at the mouth of Deer Creek by keel boat on April 30, 1825. The Baums traveled with four other families, all of whom camped on the bank of Deer Creek, and immediately set about planting 4 acres of corn. Daniel Baum purchased the land at the General Land Office in Crawfordsville the previous December, and over the next six months the Baums constructed their house and improved their farm.

Located along the Wabash River and crossed by the heavily traveled Lafayette Trail, the Baum farmstead soon became a focal point for the early Carroll County community. The first store was opened in one of Baum’s cabins by Dr. Daniel F. Vandeventer in the spring of 1827, and a small shantytown occupied by travelers and prospective settlers grew up on the property in the mid-1820s. When Carroll County was officially organized in 1828, Baum’s residence was selected as the site for the first courts. Daniel Baum was elected county treasurer and coroner that same year.

Archaeological investigations at Baum’s Landing included mapping with a digital total station, surface survey, the systematic excavation of shovel test probes, and the excavation of several 1 x 2 meter excavation units. Unfortunately, much of the site was heavily disturbed by construction of Thomas Smith’s Dairy Farm, a railroad, the Peru-Lafayette interurban, drainage ditches and a trail system. The upper levels in every unit contained disturbed fill and mixed sediments from these later uses of the Delphi bottoms; however, several units yielded an intact buried ash layer containing both burned and unburned artifacts and animal bones dating to the 1830s and 1840s. This ash layer, thought to be the remains of a burned structure, perhaps a summer kitchen, provided archaeologists with a wealth of knowledge regarding the Baum family. 

A wide variety of early nineteenth century ceramics was found among the artifacts in the ash layer, including blue edge-decorated and transfer-printed pearlware and whiteware plates, a variety of dipped ware vessels and redware and stoneware crocks. The presence of transfer-printed vessels and early stoneware confirms historical evidence that the Baums were a family of means. Small artifacts provide insight into the Baums’ personal lives and include buttons, straight pins, a hand-blown perfume bottle, clothing clasps, utensils, pipes, buckles, and furniture tacks. Recovery of both hand-wrought and cut nails are consistent with the structure being one of the earlier buildings built on the site, while flat glass confirms that it had windows, and the presence of reddened earth, brick, and fire-cracked stones suggests a chimney or hearth. 

Daniel Baum died in 1857, and his son Daniel sold the farm to William Stranathan in the late 1860s. Thomas Smith purchased the property in the 1880s. Archaeological investigations at Baum’s Landing documented the remains of the Smith Dairy Farm, which operated from 1888 to 1953, when it was purchased by Sunshine Farms in Lafayette.

The Smiths built a large barn with a silo at the site, the foundations of which are still present. Excavations indicated that the Smiths modified the land by constructing an elevated road and platform upon which they built their barn. They also filled low areas around the barns and leveled the barnyard. This process of cutting and filling disturbed many Baum era deposits, as all levels containing Smith Dairy artifacts also contained early to mid-nineteenth century domestic artifacts from the Baum occupation. Artifacts that could be associated with the Smith Dairy Farm include agricultural implements as well as jars and bottles found near the barn foundations and in a distinct Smith Dairy refuse disposal area at the edge of the site. A number of early twentieth century liquor bottles were found near the barn, hinting at the use of alcohol by the farmhands.

While the excavation data have provided archaeologists with a wealth of information about the site and how it was modified over time, ongoing investigations by University of Indianapolis students will continue to reveal the site’s secrets for years to come. UIndy faculty and students are studying the Baum era pottery to learn more about site formation processes and the Baum’s social status and economic position. Analysis of nails will help archaeologists better understand the kind of structure that is represented by the ash layer, zooarchaeological analysis will reveal what kinds of animals were butchered and eaten by the Baums, and the study of buttons and clasps should provide insights into the kinds of clothing the Baums wore. Much more remains to be learned about the Baums and the early settlement of Carroll County from this amazing collection.

References

Moore, Christopher R. (2018). Early Pioneers of Carroll County, Indiana. University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana

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The Havilah Beardsley House (site 12E442), on the northwest corner of Beardsley Avenue and Main Street in Elkhart, is a symbol that represents the commercial development of the city. The land at the confluence of the Elkhart and St. Joseph Rivers was long occupied by indigenous people who made use of the plentiful natural resources. The alluvial soil is good for various plants, the moving water can be used for transport, and animals are attracted to both. The Beardsley mansion marks a change in the scale of exploitation.

Havilah Beardsley was the son of a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He married Rachel Calhoun, a first cousin of Vice-President John C. Calhoun, in 1823 in Ohio, where he practiced medicine. The family left Ohio in 1830, after hearing promising things about northern Indiana. They traveled west by horseback to Chicago, then settled in Elkhart County on the way back. Within a year, Beardsley paid $1,500.00 to Pierre Moran, a chief in the Potawatomi tribe, for 570 acres of land. The deed was approved by President Andrew Jackson in 1832, making Beardsley the first white landowner in what is now the city of Elkhart.

On that land, Beardsley and his family built a series of domestic dwellings and commercial ventures, including a sawmill. Soon after, Beardsley had a dam built on Christiana Creek. A canal was also constructed from the creek to the St. Joseph River. The development led to an oil mill, a flour mill, and a paper mill. His efforts were dramatically changing the physical landscape of the area but also the local economy. A paragraph from the Indiana Gazetteer stated “Elkhart, a flourishing town in the county of the Indiana Gazetteer stated “Elkhart, a flourishing town in the county of the Indiana Gazetteer stated “Elkhart, a flourishing town in the county of the Indiana Gazetteer stated “Elkhart, a flourishing town in the county of the same name, … contains a very valuable merchant mill, … a distillery, … drug store, one grocery, two taverns, and about 120 houses and 500 inhabitants. Most of the produce of the county is shipped here, and town will ultimately be an important one. Dr. H. Beardsley was the proprietor” (Chamberlain 1848:217-218). Beardsley’s mills soon attracted many settlers to the area, and Elkhart grew in response.

With the money earned from his mills and other properties, Beardsley constructed the first brick house in Elkhart (Figure 1). Dated to 1848, the structure is in Italianate style, and when it was finished had interior decorations that must have arrived via the St. Joseph River. Railroads had not yet made their way to the local area. The two-story building is of solid double brick construction, and the central portion is structurally the same as when it was built. Two wings were soon added, the west sometime soon after the original construction and the east around the 1890s. 

The home is still standing, making it the oldest existing house in the city. It was occupied by members of the Beardsley family until 1913. Subsequent owners include a series of other doctors (Kopkowski 1999), probably due to the interior design related to physicians’ home offices. The mix of professional and private in a domestic space was a common occurrence in early twentieth century medical practice (Adams and Burke 2008). House calls turned to home offices, and the design of the Beardsley House allowed doctors to see patients effectively. Plus, the size and relative wealth invested in the house limited the number of potential owners. The economic and social class of the owners also led to the preservation of the house over generations. The property is currently owned by Ruthmere Foundation, Inc. and operated as a historic museum. Visitors can tour the property and learn of the lives of its occupants as well as the growth of the city for which it serves as a landmark. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Indiana University South Bend conducted several seasons of archaeological excavations at Beardsley House in the early 2010s, coinciding with extensive restorations of the exterior of the building. Material culture was present in every excavated unit (VanderVeen 2012; VanderVeen and Myers 2013). Portions of chert lithic projectile points were recovered, but they cannot be associated with any time frame more specific than precontact period. The typical artifact classes at the site were related to the domestic lives of the historical period residents (Figure 2) or the construction and maintenance of the house. Heavy amounts of brick and nails were recovered, as well as some window glass and a few pieces of possible metal hardware. Also found were ceramic sherds of food production and serving vessels, small bits of bottle glass, most notably of medicine and perfume bottles likely related to the professional and private lives of the occupants, and a significant number of butchered animal bones. The property to the north of the house is nearly entirely paved over, and it serves as the parking lot for museum personnel and visitors. The southern portion of the property, facing the street and the river, remains the public face of the structure. Almost no artifacts were recovered there, as one would expect because of regular cleaning and landscaping tasks. Most of the material culture was found on the west of the building, in what may have once served as a kitchen garden and access for deliveries. With the exception of brick, the heaviest concentration of material overall was coal or its byproducts.

Beardsley House is an integral part of Elkhart’s history, as it is one of the earliest standing structures in the county and was built by the founder of the city. Likewise, it is part of the region’s future since it is a component of the local historical museum campus. Information found at the site, and later displayed there within the museum can help introduce archaeology and historic preservation to the public. The house is more than old bricks, glass, and nails. Questions remain about the lifeways of the early white settlers of the St. Joseph River valley, as well as their relations with other peoples in the area, and a well-protected site like Beardsley House has the potential to yield answers. 

References

Adams, Annmarie and Stacie Burke (2008). A Doctor in the House: The Architecture of Home-offices for Physicians in Toronto, 1885-1930. Medical History 52(2):163-194.

Chamberlain, E. (1848). Indiana Gazetteer, or Topographical Dictionary of the State of Indiana. E. Chamberlain, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kopkowski, Dana (1999). National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Dr. Havilah Beardsley House. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, South Bend, Indiana.

Kopkowski, Dana (1999). National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Dr. Havilah Beardsley House. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, South Bend, Indiana.

VanderVeen, James M. (2012). Report on the Preliminary Scientific Investigations at the Havilah Beardsley House (12 E 0442). Indiana University South Bend, South Bend, Indiana.

VanderVeen, James M. and Sarah Myers (2013). Final Report on the Scientific Investigations at the Havilah Beardsley House (12 E 0442). Indiana University South Bend, South Bend, Indiana.

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Out of the thousands of archaeological sites on record for the Upper Wabash drainage basin, the All Seasons site (12MI225) stands out. The site was discovered and investigated in the 1980s by the Archaeological Resources Management Service (ARMS) of Ball State University prior to the development of a 20.63 ha (51 acre) industrial park and construction of the All Seasons manufacturing plant. A surface survey revealed Late Woodland triangular points and ceramic sherds in a 4.85 ha (12 acre) portion of the development area. Soils information showed that the property had the potential for buried land surfaces due to flooding by Prairie Ditch, a channelized creek. During flooding episodes, as Prairie Ditch exited the uplands and entered the Wabash Valley, the water spread across the landscape, depositing fine-grained sediment in a fan-shaped landform called an alluvial fan. A subsurface reconnaissance of the whole 20.63 ha (51 acre) property found buried archaeological deposits to a depth of 1.4 m within a 2.83 ha (7 acre) portion of the site. The presence of buried archaeological deposits in the All Seasons site established its significance and eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Subsequently, the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) required mitigation of a 1.61 ha (4 acre) portion of the 4.45 ha (11 acres) site and allowed the construction of the All Seasons manufacturing plant to proceed on the remainder. Given that funding for the mitigation was low, a plan was developed to employ archaeological field schools and public archaeology volunteers to systematically investigate and recover a sample of the buried archaeological deposits (Burkett et al. 1984; Cochran 1984; Cochran and James 1986; Klabacka 2010).

Sites with buried archaeological remains are a mixed blessing. The data they contain is invaluable for archaeological research in central Indiana (Smith 2010), but accessing those data can be extremely difficult. The subsurface reconnaissance of the whole industrial property had demonstrated that buried archaeological deposits were present in the site, but the vertical and horizontal extent of those deposits within the 1.61 ha (4 acre) portion of the All Seasons site itself was not established. This was accomplished in 1985 by the systematic excavation of backhoe trenches within that portion of the site. The natural stratigraphy generally consisted of alluvial sediment deposited in six layers parallel to the site surface. More complex deposits from the meandering channels of Prairie Ditch were also recorded. The alluvial sediments consisted of sand, clay and silt, all fine grained deposits associated with low energy deposition. These sediments were also neutral or alkaline, which enhanced preservation of animal and plant remains. Given the fine grained sediments indicating low energy sedimentation, any rocks larger than pebbles were considered manuports, or rocks brought to the site by people. Sediment zones extending to a depth of ca. 2 meters were documented but an attempt to excavate deeper encountered unstable sand, and no trenches were extended below two meters (Cochran and James 1986).

During excavation of the backhoe trenches, 28 archaeological features were recorded as being distributed between the six sediment layers. The features consisted of charcoal concentrations, fire-cracked rock filled pits, animal bone concentrations and midden. Radiocarbon dates from the features established repeated occupation of the site from about 1600 B.C. in the most deeply buried features, and to the historic era at the surface. Artifacts and radiocarbon dates established an archaeological record from the Late Archaic/Transitional Archaic through Early, Middle and Late Woodland into the Late Prehistoric periods (Figure 1). The most intensive occupations were associated with the Middle and Late Woodland components and, most important, included ceramic sherds from both periods. While the ceramics from All Seasons were important in defining the Woodland occupations, the ceramics were not characteristic of specific ceramic types or traditions. Sites with ceramics are rare in the region drained by the Wabash River above Logansport, and locating these sites remains a regional problem (Cochran 1985; Smith and Klabacka 2009:189).

Given the difficulties of excavating buried features, the 1986 season was devoted to excavating one 6-meter block centered on one feature in each of the sediment layers documented in the 1985 investigation. The excavation blocks amounted to only one excavated sample from each of the sediment zones. While this sampling/mitigation strategy was less than ideal or adequate for recovering a representative sample of the archaeological data in the site, the approach was dictated by funding. During these excavations, additional features and data related to occupations at the site were recovered. After the 1986 excavations, artifacts and other materials were processed and catalogued but a final written report was never completed. Because of low funding for the project, graduate student research was anticipated to complete analyses of site data, but none was accomplished prior to the Klabacka (2010) thesis. Artifacts and other data associated with each of the excavated blocks offer important information for investigating regional research problems (e.g., Klabacka 2010), and the 1985 and 1986 excavations reinforced the potential of sites in similar landforms in the Wabash and other river valleys in Indiana.

The All Seasons site is unique in the Upper Wabash drainage because of the horizontal and vertical extent of buried archaeological remains and the Woodland era pottery found there. While other alluvial fans are evident in the Wabash Valley as well as other river valleys in Indiana, they have not been systematically investigated for archaeological remains. The All Seasons site demonstrates the potential and value of sites on alluvial fans. In central Indiana, the lack of sites with Woodland ceramics remains a major problem and deterrent to developing models of Woodland settlement and subsistence. Middle Woodland habitations with ceramics are particularly noteworthy by their absence in both the Upper Wabash drainage and adjacent Upper White River drainage basins (McCord and Cochran 2014). The All Seasons site exemplifies a landform that is critical to investigations of Woodland settlement in central Indiana. Although the potential of the All Seasons site has not been completely realized, the site can serve as a catalyst for further investigations of precontact settlement in central Indiana. 

References

Burkett, Frank, Diana Conover and Donald Cochran (1984).  Archaeological Investigations at the Peru Industrial Park. Reports of Investigation 17. Archaeological Resources Management Service, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Cochran, Donald R. (1984). Proposal: Excavation of 12-Mi-225, The All Seasons Site. Archaeological Resources Management Service, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Cochran, Donald R. (1985). Ceramics from 12-We-240 and Ceramic Sites in the Upper Wabash Drainage. MS on file at the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Cochran, Donald R. and Mary Lou James (1986). Interim Report: 1985 Excavations at the All Seasons Site. Reports of Investigation 20. Archaeological Resources Management Service, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 

Klabacka, Rachel (2010). Social Cohesion During the Late Woodland Period Investigated through the All Seasons Site (12-Mi-225). Unpublished Master’s thesis, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.   

McCord, Beth K. and Donald R. Cochran (2014). Redefining the New Castle Phase. Indiana Archaeology 9(1):137-156.

Smith, Andrew (2010). Predicting Buried Sites: Analysis of the Tipton Till Plain Region of Indiana. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Smith, Andrew and Rachel Klabacka (2009). Archaeological Investigations in the Upper Wabash River Valley: A 2009 Survey in Huntington, Miami and Wabash Counties, Indiana. Reports of Investigation 74. Archaeological Resources Management Service, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

The Old College archaeological site (12SJ228) is located on the University of Notre Dame campus. The first campus buildings stood in this location when Father Sorin founded Notre Dame du Lac on November 26, 1842. The site contains a rich archaeological record that can provide information about Notre Dame’s founding and history that is not in the written record. The site once contained a chapel that was built in 1830 by Father Stephen Baden as part of his mission to the Potawatomi and a larger log chapel built by Sorin (Schlereth 1976). The first brick building, Old College, was built in 1843 with bricks thought to be produced on campus from a marly clay found on the eastern side of St. Mary’s Lake. The characteristic light yellow bricks of Old College established the campus architectural aesthetic that continues to this day.

Through the years, the site went through extensive changes and had many different functions. In the winter of 1856/1857, the Sorin chapel was destroyed by a fire. A replica of the original building, named the Log Chapel, was built to replace it between 1904 and 1906. Throughout the nineteenth century, according to Sanborn fire insurance maps, the area of the Old College site served as the core of the university farm (Sanborn Map Company 1885, 1893, 1899, 1917). By 1900, the farm had moved elsewhere as the academic campus of Notre Dame expanded. With the construction of the Lemonnier Library (now called Bond Hall) on the former site of farm sheds, the conversion from farm to academic campus was complete by 1917.

Archaeological investigations of the Old College site began in 1985 when a Notre Dame archaeology class excavated a single 1 x 1 m unit near the Log Chapel to investigate an area where historic artifacts were uncovered during utility work. Field schools in 1991 and 1993 further explored the archaeological deposits near the Log Chapel, finding stratified deposits with abundant historic artifacts between Old College and the Log Chapel (Schurr 2010). A magnetic survey conducted on the east side of Old College found a large, strong magnetic anomaly. A test unit determined that the anomaly was produced by construction debris (concrete, brick fragments, nails, and tiles) from the late nineteenth century.

Field schools returned to Old College in 2015 as part of the Summer Scholars program, offering an opportunity for high school students to participate in an archaeological project for two weeks. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted on the lawn north of the Log Chapel (Figure 1), and excavation units were used to ground-truth the GPR data. Findings determined that a dense deposit of archaeological debris covered the manicured hillside, sloping down toward the lake to a depth of up to a meter (Schurr 2016a, 2016b). Just as in the early 1990s, the excavations produced a large sample of historic period artifacts that included yellow Notre Dame bricks, other construction debris (mortar, concrete, and innumerable cut nails), historic pottery sherds, and fragments of glass (container and window), yet the source of these debris remains obscure. Pottery sherds of styles dating to the early nineteenth century when Notre Dame was founded, such as pearlware and transfer prints, are generally small and many are burnt, suggesting they are secondary refuse. Larger sherds and bottle fragments tend to date to the late nineteenth century. A photograph of Old College in the University Archives shows that the hillside between Old College and the Log Chapel was a hog pen, so the soil would have surely been disturbed by the rooting of the resident hogs, and this ground surface was later covered by artifact-rich soil from an unidentified source.

From 2017 to 2019, the Summer Scholars excavations moved to the east side of Old College to investigate the location of a farmhouse depicted on the aforementioned Sanborn maps (McLeester and Schurr 2020; Schurr 2018; Schurr et al. 2019), and the likely source of the construction debris found in 1991. The farmhouse appears in a photograph from the University Archives (Figure 2). The image shows a building that is consistent with the Sanborn maps of the farmhouse.

 Based on this image and the Sanborn maps, GPR, magnetic and soils resistivity surveys were conducted on the hillside lawn in the suspected location of the farmhouse. In 2019, a GPR survey identified linear features that are consistent with the approximate location of the farmhouse and interpreted as part of the farmhouse’s foundation. An excavation unit opened in 2018 found a concentration of yellow hand-struck bricks, and in 2019, this brick concentration was found to be a linear feature that correlated with the linear GPR anomaly. Another unit placed within what would have been the footprint of the farmhouse produced fill containing scattered historic artifacts dating to the late nineteenth century. Artifacts from the excavation include pottery and glass items manufactured in the late nineteenth century, and other items that give clues about construction features of the farmhouse, such as electrical insulators used with uninsulated wires (suggesting the building was wired for electricity at a very early date) and slate tile fragments consistent with the use of slate roof tiles on a yellow brick building, architectural elements still widely employed on campus.

Overall, archaeological projects at the Old College site have produced artifacts that provide a window into campus life. In addition to architectural debris and domestic artifacts from the nineteenth century, the site also produces a wide range of artifacts that demonstrate the changing, yet regular use of this campus site over time. For example, several rosary parts reflect Notre Dame’s Catholic tradition. Some artifacts, like the one or two spent bullets or cartridges found each excavation season, are more surprising finds that illustrate significant changes to campus life. A far cry from the modern campus where firearms are barred, the ammunition is a reminder that nineteenth century Notre Dame was a rural community which still engaged in rural practices involving firearms.

With excavations still ongoing, field schools at the Old College site continue to combine education with exploration of the earliest buildings on campus in order to reveal the unknown and unique history of the University of Notre Dame.

References

McLeester, Madeleine and Mark R. Schurr (2020). The 2019 Archaeological Investigations at the Old College Site (12 SJ 228) at the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame, Indiana. Archaeology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Sanborn Map Company (1885). University of Notre Dame. South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." Sanborn Map & Publishing Co., New York.

Sanborn Map Company (1893). University of Notre Dame. South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." Sanborn Map & Publishing Co., New York.

Sanborn Map Company (1899). University of Notre Dame. South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." Sanborn Map & Publishing Co., New York.

Sanborn Map Company (1917). University of Notre Dame. South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." Sanborn Map & Publishing Co., New York.

Schlereth, Thomas J. (1976). The University of Notre Dame: A Portrait of its History and Campus. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schurr, Mark R. (2010). Exploring the Foundations of Notre Dame: Archaeology at Old College. In Beneath the Ivory Tower: The Archaeology of Academia, R. Skowronek, & K. Lewis (Eds.), pp. 36-51. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

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