For eight years running, many students from DePaul University’s anthropology department have spent part of their summers digging into the history of Chicago – literally.  The archeological dig class has become a popular DePaul offering among students and has caught the imagination of the wider community.  Past digs have taken place in areas ranging from the historic Pullman and Bronzeville communities to the grounds of the 1893 World’s Fair.

The summer of 2010’s dig took place in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood in the backyard of one of the nation’s most famous houses. The Charnley-Persky House, at 1365 N. Astor Street, is one of only a handful of structures in the world that reflect the joint efforts of legendary architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.  The 1892 home was a radical example of residential architecture striving to enter the 20th Century. 

Constructed just a block from the once swampy shores of Lake Michigan on what had been part of the estate of legendary real estate and business titan Potter Palmer, the property has a rich past.  So much so, that the home now serves as headquarters of the Society of Architectural Historians, the leading international organization which promotes the study, interpretation and preservation of architecture around the world. DePaul’s past archeological dig classes caught the attention of the organization’s leadership and they decided it was time to bring the class to its own back yard to investigate its own surroundings.  It was a perfect partnership.

“Being a part of this class is a wonderful experience to get your fingers dirty and deal with the very interesting puzzle of pulling something out of the ground and figuring out how it got there,” said Robert Rotenberg, chair of the anthropology department who helped spearhead the launch of the class in 2002.

The five-week-long, five-day-a-week program is an intensive experience and helps students develop archeological technician skills in excavation and interpretation.  It has prepared a number of students to move into careers where their skills are put to further use.  “We have students that have gone all over the world to work on digs everywhere from the Middle East and Asia to South America,” Rotenberg said.

“One of the things we do very well at DePaul is these cooperative community projects.  It really helps us fulfill our urban mission and is part of our general outreach to the City,” Rotenberg said.