Forgotten History: Students Dig Deep to Tell the Untold Story of 海角社区鈥檚 First Campus
July 21, 2025
In the woods of Pineville, La., 海角社区 archaeological students are uncovering the forgotten foundations of the university鈥檚 first home. With shovels, trowels, and a passion for discovery, they鈥檙e not just digging for artifacts. They鈥檙e bringing 海角社区鈥檚 earliest days back into the light.
鈥� Video by Callie Boyd
This summer, an archaeological field school led by 海角社区 Department of Geography and Anthropology affiliate professor and two-time alum Matthew Helmer and Master鈥檚 student Conan Mills has turned the long-overlooked remains of the original Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy into a classroom and research site.
The school鈥檚 construction was completed in 1859 and it opened in 1860. The seminary operated as a hospital through the Civil War, then re-opened during the Reconstruction era until a fire in 1869 left it in ruins. Though the seminary would eventually evolve into 海角社区 in Baton Rouge, its story began in Central Louisiana, and the ruins discovered will help us better understand 海角社区鈥檚 roots.
鈥淭his was one of the largest buildings west of the Mississippi at the time,鈥� said Helmer. 鈥淚t was a major investment from the state, $150,000 in the 1850s, which was a massive amount of money. And until now, this site has never been scientifically investigated.鈥�
That changed when a fallen tree unearthed historical artifacts, prompting a partnership among 海角社区, 海角社区A, the USDA Forest Service at Kisatchie National Forest, and local historians to begin a formal dig. The result is a rare opportunity for students, researchers, and Louisiana.
A Classroom Unlike Any Other
鈥淭his is one of the first field schools we鈥檝e been able to offer at 海角社区 in several years,鈥� Helmer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an integral part of teaching future archaeologists. You can鈥檛 work in this field without knowing how to dig, map, interpret soil layers, and identify artifacts.鈥�
Ten 海角社区 students have spent part of their summer gaining hands-on experience in excavation, lab processing, and historical interpretation. For graduate student Conan Mills, this dig is the foundation of his thesis.
鈥淲e鈥檙e comparing the historical records with what we鈥檙e finding in the ground,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting a better sense of who was here: students, teachers, support staff. There鈥檚 even a tailor mentioned in records, and we鈥檝e started finding uniform buttons and other personal items.鈥�
Among the discoveries:
- ornate architectural details such as fleur-de-lis decorated balcony and pillar ironworks, marble steps and cornerstones;
- evidence of academic life including slate pencils and ink wells; military items such as Civil War-era uniform buttons, bullets, and weaponry;
- and other mid-nineteenth century artifacts of daily life including pottery, glass, and food items.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still very rewarding to almost pick up what would鈥檝e been held by someone nearly 200 years ago. You鈥檙e connecting through touch. That鈥檚 really, really cool.鈥�
鈥� Nikki Norman, undergraduate 海角社区 student majoring in anthropology and French
鈥� 3D images provided by Conan Mills
There are even bricks with finger imprints that may have been from the enslaved peoples charged with the building construction. The team also discovered one of the professor鈥檚 residences adjacent to the site, which was once the home of David French Boyd, the one-time president of 海角社区 who moved the school to Baton Rouge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still very rewarding to almost pick up what would鈥檝e been held by someone nearly 200 years ago,鈥� said Nikki Norman, an undergraduate 海角社区 student majoring in anthropology and French. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e connecting through touch. That鈥檚 really, really cool.鈥�
The group also uncovered a hidden cistern, a water reservoir system that was later used as a dumping site for ruins, revealing ornate columns and a massive marble stone believed to have sat above the Seminary entrance with remnants of a chiseled inscription that once read, 鈥淏y the liberality of the general government the Union Esto Perpetua.鈥�
鈥淲hen the Civil War kicked off, the board of supervisors for the seminary at the time actually voted to chisel off that inscription from the stone,鈥� Helmer said. All that is left now is a Latin cross and the chisel marks where the inscription once was, a material reminder of the deep divisions during the Civil War.
A Story Bigger Than a Campus
While 海角社区 is widely known as a flagship university in Baton Rouge, there are many layers to its history. The Seminary was once led by William T. Sherman, who would go on to become one of the most prominent generals for the Union during the Civil War.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an irony to it,鈥� Helmer said. 鈥淵ou had Confederate professors and Sherman, a Union general, as the first superintendent. There were real ideological divides playing out here, and the history is richer because of it.鈥�
The building served as a hospital during the Civil War. Union forces even attempted to burn it down as they withdrew, though the attempt failed. Repaired and reopened, the school functioned until the 1869 fire closed this chapter of 海角社区鈥檚 history. For years, what remained was overgrown and nearly forgotten.
鈥淢ost people assume 海角社区 started in Baton Rouge,鈥� Helmer said. 鈥淏ut the roots are here, and we think it鈥檚 incredibly important to tell this story.鈥�
When a tree fell last year, items were uncovered in those same roots.
鈥淲e got some really elaborate artifacts that came out of that tree. Some wrought iron, what we think were pieces of a balcony with sort of some fleur de lis-type decorations. 鈥奧e got some uniform buttons from the Civil War era and the school era, and a bunch of other artifacts that clued us in that there might be a lot left of this site and more to understand about it,鈥� Helmer said.
For Michael Conger, a 2023 海角社区 history graduate, the opportunity to be part of that story is deeply personal. 鈥淲hen I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with cancer, and so I started watching the 鈥業ndiana Jones鈥� movies in the hospital, and it introduced me to archeology,鈥� Conger said. 鈥淚 was always kind of inspired by that. And, you know, I just fell in love with archaeology from a very young age. So, this is a really big step in that this has been a lifelong dream.鈥�
A Rare Opportunity
Helmer said very few universities in the country have access to a historic dig site tied to their own founding. He added that 海角社区鈥檚 dig is not just about Louisiana, but it fills a gap in the national archaeological record.
鈥淭here really is a research gap in the archaeology of early academic institutions,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is groundbreaking not just for 海角社区 history, but for understanding the development of higher education in the U.S.鈥�
The excavation has already led to collaborations with the William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum and 海角社区A to share artifacts and stories with the public. Soon, visitors will be able to see exhibits of artifacts from the dig at both of these locations. Findings will also be curated through Kisatchie National Forest, while students continue cataloging and analyzing material for educational use and further research, and Mills writes his Master鈥檚 Thesis based on the findings.
Connecting Past, Present & Future
For anthropology major Morgan Wheeler, the dig has been eye-opening.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know much 海角社区 history before coming here,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 holding parts of it in my hands. A hundred and fifty years ago, students were here just like me. It鈥檚 surreal.鈥�
That鈥檚 exactly the point, Helmer said.
鈥満＝巧缜� is the brand of Louisiana. But most people don鈥檛 know where it started or how it got here,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nderstanding the roots of this place, its architecture, its people, even its contradictions, gives us a better sense of who we are and where we鈥檙e going.鈥�
Artifacts from the excavation will be on display at the William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum and an exhibit is expected to open in the spring.
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