Historical archaeologist and UM-Dearborn professor John Chenoweth (UM-Dearborn) has received a second grant from the American Battlefield Protection program to support ongoing research at the 1780s-1813 French colonial River Raisin Settlement, a site that was also the scene of two major War of 1812 battles. The site is about 40 minutes south of Ann Arbor, under present day Monroe, MI. The work is being conducted primarily as a field school for UM-Ann Arbor and UM-Dearborn students (and others interested in enrolling) and has been ongoing in various forms since 2019, with several UMMAA PhD students participating as well.
The River Raisin battles of 19 and 22 January 1813, were some of the most consequential of the War of 1812, and yet the historical significance, social context, and long-term results of both the battles and the war are under-recognized, particularly in this region. The biased contemporary narrative of the Battles of the River Raisin underwrote US-Native relations for a century and deserve clarification. Established in the 1780s by primarily French-speaking emigres from Detroit, the site is listed as having “national significance” on the National Register of Historic Places, and yet is documented in only a few contemporary accounts and sketched maps. Much of the previous archaeology on the site took place decades ago, was often salvage work conducted in less than ideal conditions and was hampered by the inability to fully conserve and catalog the resulting artifacts. With potential development pending we have initiated a long-term archaeological project—conducted as an educational field school—to evaluate current subsurface preservation, locate previous excavations and features associated with the settlement where the battle took place, and lay groundwork for establishing its extent and layout, a vital step for preservation and development planning.
The grant provides stipends to support student travel to the site, hire student workers to continue the research after the class has ended, and provide for the analysis of excavated materials. Reanalyzing and conserving materials from previous excavations held by the Monroe County Museum was part of a previous ABPP grant. The new grant, covering late 2024 through 2027, will do the same to a collection owned by the City of Monroe, and also includes funding for a complete Ground Penetrating Radar and Magnetometry survey of the site, to help zero in on architectural remains. Overall, the project will provide key information for both preservation and planning for the important site. Students interested in participating should contact Prof. Chenoweth ([email protected]).
