Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Archaeological Reports Anthropology 1998 20-Historical Archaeology in Battle rC eek, Michigan: The 1996 ieldF Season at the Warren B. Shepard Site (20CA104) Nicole Kuemin Christine McMillan Michael S. Nassaney Western Michigan University Carol Nickolai William Sauck See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/archaeological_reports Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Report Number: 20 WMU ScholarWorks Citation Kuemin, Nicole; McMillan, Christine; Nassaney, Michael S.; Nickolai, Carol; Sauck, William; and Sayers, Daniel, "20-Historical Archaeology in Battle rC eek, Michigan: The 1996 ieF ld Season at the Warren B. Shepard Site (20CA104)" (1998). Archaeological Reports. 22. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/archaeological_reports/22 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Archaeological Reports by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Nicole Kuemin, Christine McMillan, Michael S. Nassaney, Carol Nickolai, William Sauck, and Daniel Sayers This report is available at ScholarWorks at WMU: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/archaeological_reports/22 Historical Archaeology in Battle Creek, Michigan The 1996 Field Season_ at the Warren B. Shepard Site (20CA104) edited by Michael S. Nassaney Contributions by: Nicole Kuemin, Christine McMillan, Michael S. Nassaney, Carol Nickolai, William Sauck, and Daniel Sayers Archaeological Report No. 20 Department of Anthropology WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN The 1996 Field Season at the Warren B. Shepard Site (20CA104) edited by: Michael S. Nassaney Contributions by: Nicole Kuemin Christine McMillan Michael S. Nassaney Carol Nickolai William Sauck and Daniel Sayers Presented to: The Miller Foundation 310 Wahwahtaysee Way Battle Creek, MI49015 and The Historical Society of Battle Creek 165 N. Washington Avenue Battle Creek, MI49016 Archaeological Report No. 20 Presented by: Department of Anthropology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5032 1998 Cover illustation: The Shepard house as it appeared in the early 1930s (from Roberts 1932: Figure 89). © 1998 Department of Anthropology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, M 49008-5032 Al rights reserved This study was conducted in part through funding provided by The Miller Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan. 11 ABSTRACT An intensive archaeological survey was conducted at the Shepard site (20CA104) in Battle Cr�ek, Michigan from April 29 through July 12, 1996. Historical background research had indicated that the site was the location of Native American activity until the 1830s when it was settled by the town's first school teacher, Warren B. Shepard. In the early 1850s, Shepard constructed a large, brick Greek Revival house on the site that stands to this day. The house and its associated landscape have been the focus of our investigations. Documentary evidence suggested the presence of various outbuildings and other landscape features that were typical components of a mid-19th century farmstead. The purpose of the survey was to identify and evaluate material traces of buildings and activity areas in the vicinity of the house and interpret their changes in a political economic framework. Toward this end, a team of archaeologists and geophysicists from Western Michigan University conducted a walkover survey, interviewed local residents, and employed geophysical methods followed by subsurface investigations. The purpose of this work was to locate archaeological materials that have the potential to yield information about the site occupants, pioneer history, and the changing organization of space during the transition from agriculture to industry that characterized much of late 19th-century America. Investigations exposed artifacts and features in undisturbed contexts from the mid-19th century through the present. Although the site has experienced disturbances throughout its history and especially in the recent past, excavations have shown that there are many material deposits with contextual integrity. It is our opinion that the site is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historical Places. Changing artifact frequencies and spatial relationships have allowed investigators to discern several different land-use patterns that correspond with changes in site function and activities, as well as the social roles and statuses of the occupants. In short, our findings demonstrate that the archaeological record at the Shepard homelot is sensitive to transformations in the lives of the occupants; the cultural landscape is a material microcosm of broader changes that characterized American society. Further work is recommended to refine our preliminary models of spatial organization by identifying the locations of outbuildings and other 19th century refuse deposits. This should include more intensive excavation near the house, to recover a larger artifact sample for comparative purposes, as well as more extensive surveys of broader areas to identify the full range of social roles and relations that contributed to the spatial organization of the landscape during each period. 111 ACKNOWEDGEMENTS A number of individuals and institutions have contributed to making our initial investigations of th� Shepard site a success. This project would not have have been possible without their interest and support. We begin by thanking the Historical Society of Battle Creek for inviting us to conduct this study. Bonnie Robinson, Mary Butler, Zoe Stannard, Randy Case, and Norm Davis were particularly supportive. Arthur Angood and the Miller Foundation provided financial assistance that made possible the geophysical survey, an extended field season, specialized analyses, and report production. A number of local landowners and former residents of the Shepard house expressed a deep interest in our work and provided helpful information, particularly Felix Fliss, Mary Hume Kline, Ray Ret, and Gary Thorngate. Most of the background research and systematic field work were conducted by personnel affiliated with Western Michigan University. We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from such a talented group that includes Eric Drake, Mike Fleharty, Jason Lapham, and Karl Schultz. Others who aided our search for documentary information are the employees of the record office of the Calhoun County Courthouse in Marshall, the Battle Creek Circuit Court office, and the Western Michigan University archives. We are also thankful for the facilities, equipment, and supplies provided to the project by Western Michigan University through the Anthropology and Geology departments. We especially appreciate the efforts of Dr. Robert Sundick, Chair of the Anthropology Department, in facilitating a successful 1996 archaeological field school and helping the senior author secure the external support to expand the scope of the project. We often relied on the analytical and editorial expertise of others to help us interpret and articulate our findings. Diana Lynn, Paul Demers, and George L. Miller helped us to identify most of the specimens in our ceramic assemblage. Ors. Dean Anderson and Jan Brashier served as cheerful and constructive discussants for a symposia on the Shepard site that we presented at the annual meeting of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters in which many of the ideas expressed in this report began to take form. A special thanks to Tony Sayers whose expertise in computer database engineering has been of great benefit to this project. Finally, Mary Butler, William Cremin, Dean Anderson, Elizabeth Neumeyer, Jason Lapham and Diana Lynn carefully read and commented on an earlier draft of this report which has greatly improved its readability and historical accuracy. A special thanks to Mary Butler for her research assistance in various stages of the project and her continual interest in the history of Battle Creek. We remain responsible for the interpretations of our findings and the contents of this report. lV TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMEN'is ......................................................................................... i V LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES............................................................ ............................................ vii Chapter 1. IN1RODUCTION................................................................ ........................................... 1 Michael S. Nassaney Chapter 2. SITE DESCRIPTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.............. 5 Michael S. Nassaney, Daniel Sayers, and Carol Nickolai Chapter 3. RESEARCH DESIGN: INTERPRETING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES.............................. ............................................................ 25 Michael S. Nassaney, Daniel Sayers, Carol Nickolai, and William Sauck Chapter 4. RESEARCH FINDINGS: FEATURES AND LAND-USE PATTERNS..................................................... ........................................... 51 Michael S. Nassaney, Daniel Sayers, and Nicole Kuemin, Chapter 5. RESEARCH FINDINGS: MATERIAL OBJECTS...............................