Old Main Project
May 2009
Proposal
James M. Skibo
Professor of Anthropology
Gina L. Hunter (de Bessa)
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
One of us (JMS) looks at the ground when he walks; it is a hard to break habit after three decades in archaeology.
Since the Fall of 1992 JMS has been walking over the ruins of one of the most significant archaeological sites in the
State of Illinois. Each day when he passes he notices fragments of its proud past, broken pieces of glass, ceramic
sherds, ceramic pipe stems, and small pieces of metal and brick. Where others see only a flower bed and concrete,
he sees clues to part of an untold story of Old Main, the first building of Illinois’ first state university. When the
coauthor (GLH), a cultural anthropologist, walks past the flower beds of Old Main, she doesn’t see artifacts but she
wonders about the unrecorded stories of those who walked Old Main’s halls, including those of her own
grandmother. Old Main was razed in 1957 and one might think that its story is left in pictures, documents, books
etc., but that is just one part of the story. A little known and long forgotten excavation at the site in 1981 (Barr 1983)
in front of an electric line trench dug across the quad told us that there was much more. Some findings of that
excavation include:
--An intact first (basement) floor
--A cistern filled with alcohol and patent medicine bottles (Yes, the historical documents tell us that this
was a dry campus, but the archaeological evidence has a way of getting to a deeper truth)
--A foundation wall less than two feet below the flower bed soil
--An intact whole room that was somehow missed by the demolition crew
Given the intriguing evidence and the historic importance of Old Main to our university and to the State of Illinois,
we propose a multi-phase “Old Main Project” that will combine the efforts of the anthropology faculty, graduate and
undergraduate students. This research and teaching endeavor will investigate and preserve Old Main’s history
through the collection of oral histories, an archaeological excavation and analysis of the site and the collection and
digitization of important documents, photographs and artifacts. Outcomes of the project will include research
opportunities for ISU students including: graduate students in our expanding MA program; new scholarship about
the university and occasions to generate community awareness of ISU’s past; building bridges to emeritus faculty
and staff; and prospects for improved public and alumni relations through the research process itself (i.e., oral
history), public dissemination of the results and a website chronicling the progress of the project and campus
excavations.
Phase I: Oral History Collection and Analysis
Each day 1,500 WWII veterans die taking with them their stories, so too with each year one can estimate that the
story goes silent for hundreds of students, faculty and staff who worked, lived, and played in Old Main’s hallowed
halls. It is, therefore, critical that we implement immediately the oral history component of this project. Gina Hunter,
Co-Director of the Ethnography of the University Initiative and trained ethnographic interviewer, will coordinate
Phase I. She will direct two Graduate Assistants who will conduct oral histories of former students, faculty and
staff. The Graduate Assistants will also scan any personal photographs and other documentary evidence that these
individuals would like to donate to the project. Jo Rayfield, University Archivist, will work with us so that collected
data are properly curated. Data collection should begin in the Fall of 2009 and continue for two years, though
interview transcription may continue beyond the two years. These will be open-ended interviews and we anticipate
that there will be much new information learned about the building’s history (recall the last excavation recovered
alcohol bottles secretly tossed away in the buildings abandoned cistern).
Phase II: Analysis of Previously Collected Archaeological and Historical Evidence
The excavation in 1981 recovered hundreds of artifacts, now housed in 60 plus boxes at the Illinois State Museum.
The initial excavation was done well but much more can be learned from the artifacts. We anticipate that the
reanalysis of the material can serve as data for one or perhaps two MA Theses from our department. These students
could also collect all the photographs and documentary sources from our on-campus archives and from the oral
interviews. This information will be digitized and made available for researchers for years to come.
A significant feature from Old Main will also be re-excavated as part of Phase II. Possible features include the stairs
near the front of the building, foundation corners, or parts of the cistern. We will choose a feature that exists in the
current flower-bed to minimize impact to the quad. Ideally, the excavated feature (stairway, foundation wall) could
be left exposed and be integrated into the design of the flower bed, serving as a visual reminder of ISU’s buried past.
The exposed feature would advertise our current project and provide a preview to the next phase—excavation.
Phase III New Excavation
There are precedents for on-campus excavations. At some universities (see especially Mullins 2008;
http://www.iupui.edu/~anthpm/survey.html; http://www.iupui.edu/~anthpm/ransom.html) the research unearthed
new information about the campus and served as a centerpiece for active teaching and learning. Since a small
section of Old Main was already excavated 1981, new excavations on the quad in Phase III will only begin after the
oral history and documentary research has been collected, which will serve as a guide for problem orientated
research. The floor plan of the basement was described by Principal Hovey in his first report to the Board of
Education. Among other things, the first floor consisted of a janitor’s living quarters (parlor, kitchen, cellar, three
bedrooms), chemical lecture rooms, and “boys’ and girls’ playrooms” (Barr 1983: 17). It would be fascinating to
excavate, for example, the janitor’s living quarters and perhaps leave a portion of the excavation exposed to serve as
a permanent display. Phase III will be directed by James Skibo but the excavation will serve as training ground for
students and the recovered data will be used for MA research and theses. Thousands of students, faculty and
university guests will pass the excavation daily and it will serve as a highly visible and public example of faculty
and student research collaboration at Illinois State University.
Phase IV John Wesley Powell Collection
The top floor of Old Main served for a time as one of the best Natural History Museums in the country, and the
collections (ethnographic, archaeological, geological, biological and botanical) became the corner stone for the
newly founded Smithsonian Institution. John Wesley Powell took much of the collection with him to Washington,
D.C when he became the first Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology. Through his work at that institution he
helped to create North American Anthropology and Archaeology and he is one of our discipline’s founding fathers.
Although much of the collection now resides at the Smithsonian, some of it is still here in our community. Illinois
Wesleyan University has the largest collection (mostly archaeological and ethnographic ceramic vessels) but there is
also a good deal of material at our campus as well. These priceless objects and invaluable research specimens should
be recorded and digitized so that they can be made available to researchers.
Request
This project can be initiated with minimal costs to the university while at the same time provide a tremendous
benefit to our students, faculty, and our university community. Phases I and II can be done with university support
alone while Phases III and IV will require outside funding. The oral history interviews and reexamination of artifacts
and documentary evidence can be done with two full-time Graduate Assistants and about $4,000 per year to cover
costs. We are asking that the University supply these funds, which will not only kick off a project that could provide
enormous educational benefits, but also serve as seed money for grant proposals.
Summary of Project Benefits and Outcomes
--Support of a growing MA Program. Our MA Program in Archaeology is growing and we will soon propose
expanding our program to include all anthropology faculty. The Old Main Project will provide exciting research
opportunities for students and material for MA theses.
--Learning more about ISU’s history. Archaeologists have long known that excavations, even in the relatively recent
past, can reveal things about the past that are not recoverable through historical documents. What is more, the oral
historical record of Old Main is a vanishing resource that must be recovered immediately and preserved.
--Alumni relations. A cursory review of the documents from that period reveals that students and faculty were
outraged about the destruction of Old Main. For these students, faculty and staff (who are now at least 70 years
old), this will give them an opportunity to make sure their memories of Old Main are preserved and that our
university has not forgotten about our most important building.
--Enduring public display of an excavated Old Main. The previous excavation revealed that the first floor of Old
Main is virtually intact and likely includes a number of features (kitchen, parlor, etc.) that could serve as a
permanent display behind some type of protective screen.
--Active involvement of students, graduate and undergraduate, in research. The excavation would take place during
the semester and would provide course-based research (training students while recovering information). Faculty and
graduate students would lead undergraduate students in the excavation. Thousands of people pass the site of Old
Main each day so this would be an important demonstration of our one our university’s important missions—
involving students in faculty-led research.
--Community outreach. Archaeology today is not just research but also public engagement. Not only will students,
alumni, and potential students get a chance to see an excavation in progress, but we plan to create an interactive web
site to chronicle excavation results as they occur. The web site would also be the clearinghouse for our recovered
data (oral interviews, documents, artifacts, etc.) that students and researchers could access.
Connections to Educating Illinois
The Old Main Project has clear ties to our University’s Strategic Plan, and specifically to two of five Core
Values of Educating Illinois. The first Core Value is Pursuit of Learning and Scholarship, which states that the
university strives to work with “students as partners in their educational development inside and outside of the
classroom.” A project such as this involves faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students working
collaboratively to explore and reconstruct our university’s past both inside and outside of the classroom. A second
Core Value of Educating Illinois is Individualized Attention, which will also be a significant part of the Old Main
Project that involves students in faculty research and provides individualized attention to students. Archaeological
research is very hands-on, you must “do” archaeology to “learn” archaeology. Students during the semester will be
performing the excavation in the quad, which is an extremely public demonstration of our university’s core values.
Goal 3 of Educating Illinois states that “Illinois State University will enhance student, faculty, staff,
alumni, and community pride in, and allegiance to, the University.” Old Main is the first building in Illinois’ first
public university, and for the first 100 years this building was the centerpiece of this institution. Learning more
about Old Main’s history through the Oral History Project and through Excavation will make connections to
“students and alumni and foster creative partnerships among alumni, students, faculty and staff” (Strategy 2,
Educating Illinois). The project will also “build connections among local, state, national, and international partners
(Strategy 3), as well as promote the University’s contributions to external constituencies (Strategy 4). A similar
project at Michigan State University won the Governor’s for historic preservation
(http://anthropology.msu.edu/saints_rest_gallery/explore/index.html).
In summary, the Old Main Project is closely linked to Educating Illinois because it fosters links between
students and faculty and puts learning at the forefront of scholarship, and it develops relationships with our
community and our alumni while building pride for our institution by exploring its fascinating history. Finally,
because the project will focus on Old Main in the middle of our quad, the project is a visible and public reminder of
our university’s core values.
Schedule
Phase I, Oral History—Begins in the Fall of 2009.
Phase II, Analysis of Previously Collected Artifacts and Historical Evidence—Spring Semester 2010 or Fall 2010
Phase III, Excavation—Fall 2011
Phase IV, John Wesley Powell Collection—Fall 2011