Students uncover the past in Castleton

Currently, the project is focused on the Granger House property on the CU campus, a historic early 19th-century home the school is slowly converting into a museum and learning laboratory.

During the past month, students conducted an archeological dig and historical analysis of the property to get a better understanding of its past inhabitants. The dig was supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Students, who participated in the project lived on campus, earned six credits and received a stipend.

Matthew Moriarty, director of archeology at CU, led the dig.

He said students used ground-penetrating radar to identify various features on the property, including the home’s original cistern, which is still intact.

“It seems to have been part of a relatively sophisticated water management system,” he said.

They also uncovered what they believe is the location of the house’s privy, or outhouse.

Moriarty called privies “time capsules,” noting they were more than simply outdoor bathrooms — they were places where people would dispose of household garbage.

“All of that should be super useful when it comes to reconstructing the lives of the people who lived in the house,” he said.

He explained that understanding what kind of food was consumed and trash was produced can give a fuller picture of the everyday lives of the home’s inhabitants than archival information.

Moriarty said students will also use 3D imaging and printing technology this summer to replicate artifacts found on the property, such as plates.

The same technology will be used to create a 3D model of the house to see how the building appeared on the landscape at different points in history, as well to create a model of the house’s archetypal spiral staircase built by Thomas R. Dake.

Morairty said 3D and virtual reality technology will help make the museum a more interactive learning space.

In addition to the archeological dig, students also completed historical research projects overseen by CU history Professor Andre Fleche.

As part of their work, students visited the Vermont State Archives in Middlesex, where they discovered probate records for the house’s original owner, Noahdiah Granger, and its second owner, Judge Almon Warner.

“With those records we were able to get a good sense of the possessions they would have had,” he said, adding some of the records were even itemized by room.

Fleche said students also investigated the claim that the house was part of the Underground Railroad.

While he said they were unable to find definitive evidence, they didn’t rule it out.

“We did learn that Judge Warner was a member of the Whig and then the Republican Party, so he would have at least been opposed to the expansion of slavery,” he said.

Fleche said he was pleasantly surprised by how much information students were able to uncover. He noted all the house’s owners were fairly prominent individuals, which likely contributed to how much they appeared in the historical record.

“I think that we were able to find more than would be typical for 19th-century Vermonters,” he said.

Moriarty said the interdisciplinary nature of the project allowed students to explore the property from a variety of angles during the course.

“One of the things that we observed as faculty members is that the students were spectacularly engaged in the project,” he said.

He said projects such as Hidden History were useful opportunities for students to explore different academic areas that might interest them without making a semester-long commitment.

“It’s really obvious that students were thinking about their future careers, thinking about how this fits into their own interests, and thinking about what they want to do with this going forward,” he said.

He said the project also provided a model for creating community across campuses as CU, NVU and Vermont Technical College transition to a singular academic institution in the coming months.

“The idea of having a place-based program that students from across what eventually will be Vermont State University come together and work together I think is a potentially powerful way to build those academic communities,” he said.

Maurice Ouimet, dean of enrollment for VTSU, agreed.

He said the student expectations for higher education have shifted in recent years — some are seeking a purely online experience while others still want face-to-face instruction. He said unification under the VTSU model will allow the institution to better serve students by delivering courses in a variety of modalities.

The Hidden History Project, he said, complements online and in-person models by providing opportunities for applied learning.

“This applied learning brings people together, face-to-face. It’s hands-on, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “Students could taking a course online or in person, but when they come together in this type of experience, they really make some wonderful connections.”

Ouimet added compensating students for participating in the project increases access to learning.

“They’re earning some money, which gets at that access and equity piece that’s so challenging because, oftentimes, these experiences are out there, but students can’t be paid for it,” he said. “It really eliminates a whole segment of the population who need to be working during the summer, whether it’s to support their families or to save for college themselves.”

jim.sabataso @rutlandherald.com