An Archeological Assessment of the

Asylum Lake Preserve/Colony Farm Orchard

Micheal S. Nassaney

Department of Anthropology

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo MI 49008

nassaney@wmich.edu

March 13, 2003

Project Description

The purpose of this project is to conduct a background study of the Asylum Lake Preserve/Colony Farm Orchard (hereafter the Preserve) to assess its potential to contain significant archaeological materials. The Preserve is a 274-acre parcel of land that is owned by Western Michigan University. While it is currently set aside as a passive-use recreation area under an agreement between the City of Kalamazoo and WMU, the area may have the potential to contain archeological resources that are potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This proposed project will examine documentary sources, interview individuals knowledgeable about the Preserve, and conduct a walkover survey of the property to identify archaeologically sensitive areas. This study will contribute to the mission of the Preserve by providing information on the extant cultural remains and past land use practices to assist in planning future research, educational, and passive recreational uses of the parcel.

Brief Historical Background

Although there are no known recorded Native American sites in the Preserve, there are suitable habitats (e.g., access to water, well drained soils, animal and plant resources) that would have attracted Native occupation in the pre-Contact period. Moreover, early settlers recorded the presence of remnants of Native agricultural fields in the early 19^th century. Documentary sources indicate that the property was owned and settled by Enoch and Deborah Harris, the first African-American residents to the Kalamazoo area, who arrived in 1830 from Marion County, Ohio. The land was sold to other local farmers in the mid-19^th century. Daniel and Jane McMartin first paid taxes on the land in 1866; the 1873 county atlas shows that they owned 101 acres north of the lake and their neighbor N. Hindes owned 240 acres to the south. The lake was called “McMartin Lake” at this time but became known as Asylum Lake sometime after the Michigan Asylum for the Insane purchased the land from the McMartin family in 1887. The Trustees Report of the Michigan Asylum for 1887-88 indicated that the land was acquired as part of a “colony” farm and recreation experiment. The complex consisted of five cottages to house the patients, a central heating plant, two garages, a pump house, and connecting tunnels that remained in operation until 1947 when the facility was phased out and finally abandoned in 1969. A dump associated with the complex has also been identified and was briefly tested in 1992. It contains bottles, cans, medical-related artifacts, and a range of ceramics once used by asylum patients or personnel. Most of the above ground architecture was demolished in 1971 for safety reasons. Land ownership was transferred to WMU in 1975 through a Michigan House bill sponsored by representatives Mary Brown, Donald Gilmer, and Jack Welborn.

Methodology

Archaeologists typically conduct background research before attempting to identify archaeological sites in the field. The methods that they employ in their background study include archival research, interviews, and a walkover survey. Graduate students in the Anthropology Department obtain training in these methods from faculty members who have extensive experience conducting similar work. All three approaches will be employed in the archaeological assessment of the Preserve. The archival research will consist of a comprehensive examination of historical documents (e.g., maps, photographs, census data, tax records, annual reports, county histories) to identify the locations of past human activities in the Preserve. We will also interview local consultants (e.g., past farmers, members of the community who have used the Preserve, and WMU employees who are familiar with the site) to collect information on likely locations that would yield archaeological evidence. We will then field check the information obtained through archival research and interviews by conducting a walkover survey of the property to identify and map physical traces of human activities such as artifacts, architectural remains, and other landscape modifications. No subsurface investigations will be conducted in this phase of the project. Emphasis will be placed on identifying high sensitivity areas to assess the likelihood of undisturbed archaeological remains such as building foundations, walkways, tunnels, dumps, and other material evidence. Areas that have the potential to contain traces of Native American activity will also be identified. The result will be a detailed map of the 274-acre parcel that shows the locations of archaeological remains associated with the Asylum and other Euro-American and African American activities as well as areas that have a high probability of containing evidence of Native American activities. These data can be presented in graphic and a digital format and can be used to construct a GIS layer that can be integrated with other spatial data pertaining to past and present land use practices in the parcel.