Anthropology Students Dig on Apple Island

Students in this spring's Anthropology in the Community class had a unique opportunity to participate in an archaeological dig that could result in an addition to the National Register of Historic Places. Led by archaeological dig principal investigator, Dr. LouAnn Wurst, ten undergraduate students collected data from Apple Island, a 35-acre island located in the middle of Orchard Lake in Orchard Lake, Mich. Their work coincided with the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society's annual Apple Island Tours.

After spending three weeks excavating and searching for archaeological data, the class now has the task of process their findings and prepare to submit them to the National Register of Historical Places, the official list of the nation's historic places deemed worthy of preserving. According to Wurst, having Apple Island named as a national historic sites would present recognition and offer some protection. In addition to the educational experience that the students earned, they were also granted with the community involvement that their class intended to focus on. Following the submission process, Wurst and her students will return the artifacts they discovered—which totaled nearly fifty pounds—back to Apple Island.