Michigan State University was trying to install hammock poles near a dorm this summer. But instead of lounging there, one group of students will end up enjoying a very different perk. The Washington Post reports the construction crew alerted the university that they struck a hard surface while trying to put the poles in place. That led the school to dig up old records that revealed the site was near the place where an observatory for astronomy was built in 1881. It's thought the structure—which hosted astronomy classes—was demolished some 40 years later. Now, it'll serve another student population: those interested in archaeology.
PhD student and campus archaeologist Ben Akey did an initial survey of the site in June alongside a team of students. After coming up empty-handed for weeks, they hit cobblestone and mortar on the final scheduled day of the dig. From there, they were able to confirm they had unearthed part of the observatory's foundation. It will become a dig site next summer for MSU undergrads, and Akey says it's a real game-changer. It can be both challenging and expensive for undergrads to secure archaeological fieldwork overseas, he explains. Having an excavation site on campus will allow students to get major first-hand experience in a field where job opportunities often require it.
A ground-penetrating radar survey shows the bulk of the foundation is intact. NPR reports the observatory was built by Professor Rolla Carpenter, who pushed for the structure after the university acquired its first telescope. Prior to its construction, students would observe the sky from the roof of a campus building. The Guardian reports a later observatory, built in 1969, is still used by students. (More discoveries stories.)
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