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1980 British well excavation at Fort Mackinac.

Fort Mackinac Archaeology

Within Fort Mackinac's wall are all the buildings which stood when the U.S. Army decommissioned it in 1895. However, some structures came and went during the fort’s 115-year military service. The earliest of these, and the first to be excavated, was the well dug by the British during the fort’s construction. The well failed before 1812, and was filled in by fits and starts over the rest of the fort’s history.  A 1965 University of Michigan archaeological team carried out initial testing for the well. It was definitively located and more completely excavated by a University of South Florida field school under the direction of Dr. Roger Grange, Jr. in 1980 and 1981.  Dr. Grange and USF field schools also excavated the Provision Storehouse (1980-1982), the East Blockhouse (1980-81), the blacksmith shops (1995-1996), and under the floor of the Officers' Wood Quarters (1986). The most recent archaeological project at Fort Mackinac was the testing and excavation associated with the repair of the Fort Mackinac wall. This project, carried out by Great Lakes Research in 2000-2001, included the excavation of a 19th-century drainage system on the parade ground.

Fort Mackinac - Archaeology Bibliography