Unearthing 海角社区鈥檚 Beginnings
Over the course of five weeks in May-June 2025, G&A MA student Conan Mills and G&A affiliate faculty and 海角社区 alumnus Dr. Matt Helmer (Heritage Program Manager, Kisatchie National Forest) led a group of students as part of an archaeology fieldschool at the Old 海角社区 Site (16RA49) in Pineville, LA.
Underground cistern uncovered during archaeological
excavations at the Old 海角社区 Site. Photo Credit: Conan Mills.
The Old 海角社区 Site is home to 海角社区鈥檚 original campus, which opened in 1860 after four years of tumultuous and interrupted construction. At the time, the school was known as the Louisiana Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. When Louisiana seceded from the Union in 1861, and with the beginning of the Civil War, the school closed, and the site was used as a hospital between 1863 and 1864 to treat wounded soldiers. Following the end of the Civil War, the original seminary reopened in 1865, but only to be destroyed by a fire in 1869, and then relocated to Baton Rouge, where it has been ever since. The Old 海角社区 Site is currently owned by the US Forest Service, and has never been archaeologically investigated.
Kisatchie National Forest Heritage Manager Dr. Matt Helmer (right) supervising
the excavation of a shovel test at the Old 海角社区 Site. Photo credit: Conan Mills.
The archaeology fieldschool provided students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience while working on an active research project. The course was designed to introduce students to the basics of archaeological surveys and excavations. Students took part in a systematic pedestrian survey to determine the extent of archaeological remains and the placement of excavation units.
海角社区 students opening an excavation unit and screening
soil materials at the Old 海角社区 Site. Photo credit: Conan Mills.
The team excavated 60 shovel tests and excavated nine larger units, sampling a large subsurface cistern, a kitchen refuse pit, the southeastern tower of the building, a professor鈥檚 residence, and other associated contexts. The excavations yielded thousands of artifacts dating before, during, and after the Seminary was in operation. Efforts documented the life of the people (including enslaved laborers) who built the seminary, cadets who attended the Seminary, and the professors and staff who helped keep the school running.
Exposure of the southeast tower foundation walls at the Old 海角社区 Site. The tower collapsed
just after construction and
was rebuilt according to historical records, which was confirmed by excavations. Photo credit: Conan Mills.
The excavations threw the team a few challenges and surprises. An underground cistern proved to be a challenge because of its depth and size, but it provided the most surprises of all the units, including previously unknown interior architectural details such as ornamented iron columns, decorated railings, and a large, engraved marble stone interpreted to be part of the original school entrance.
Students processing the archaeological finds from the Old 海角社区 Site. In the foreground
are architectural artifacts such as iron
columns, braces, and window weights; in the background are large fragments of marble
stonework. Photo Credit: Conan Mills.
The final week of the fieldschool was held in the Anthropology lab at the 海角社区 Museum of Natural Science, where students cleaned and cataloged the artifacts recovered at the site. Analyses are still ongoing, but several of the artifacts offer material testimonies of life back in the 1850-1860s including bricks with enslaved laborers鈥� finger marks, inkwells and slate pencils evidencing academic activities, uniform buttons and weaponry, and pottery and glass domestic wares.
The team of G&A archaeologists and students also engaged with the public and raised awareness about the role of archaeology in preserving and interpreting Louisiana鈥檚 past.
MA student Conan Mills cleaning an iron column recovered during
the excavations at the Old 海角社区 Site. Photo credit: Matt Helmer.
The project is part of Conan Mills鈥� thesis research documenting the early history of 海角社区, especially its architecture and vibrant social makeup, including traditionally underrepresented voices. The project will also form part of site interpretive and preservation plans being put together by Kisatchie National Forest and 海角社区. The 海角社区 Military History Museum in Memorial Tower will feature a permanent exhibit of some of the key findings from the project as well, and will be open to the public.
Warm thanks to the G&A department, R.C. West and R.J. Russell Graduate Student Research Award and the Kisatchie National Forest for the financial and logistical support, as well as to all the students and collaborators who took part in the excavations and the laboratory activities.
For more press coverage of the excavations, please consult this article and this .