University finds 142-year-old observatory buried on campus

Construction workers at Michigan State University hit something hard earlier this summer while installing hammock poles into the ground outside a residence hall. A closer inspection then revealed it was the foundation of a 140-year-old observatory that was demolished in the 1920s and – over the course of a century – became buried underground, writes Lauren Aratani for The Guardian.

The discovery has now offered a rare on-campus archaeology experience for students, an opportunity for which they usually have to travel abroad. The university, also known as MSU, will coordinate a dig for students starting next summer through its campus archaeology project.

MSU’s project “provides an essential venue of professional training for both graduate students and undergraduates in archaeology fieldwork in analysis”, said Ben Akey, an anthropology doctoral student and campus archaeologist who, with a team of students, conducted an initial survey of the observatory site in June.
Full report on The Guardian site