Faculty assists in excavation

Elizabeth Storey -
Thursday, November 01, 2007 issue

Researchers from UT’s Archaeological Research Laboratory worked with area students of Briceville, Tenn., to excavate an opera house that burned down almost 90 years ago.

Elizabeth Kellar DeCorse, research assistant professor of anthropology, spent a day in Briceville working with children from kindergarten to fifth grade looking for remnants of the building.

“We are always interested in teaching children about archaeology in the hopes that they might pursue a career. We also try to impress a preservation message, especially preservation of their own local history,” DeCorse said.

The site, where the opera house stood, is now the location of the Briceville Elementary School.

DeCorse, along with three other UT archaeologists, did a “shovel test survey” on the area where the building was thought to be located last Friday. They dug small holes every 20 meters and sifted through the soil in the hopes of finding artifacts.

Among the artifacts collected were pieces of brick, glass, nails and a piece of a ceramic plate, as reported by The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Everything that was found will be given to the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation.

Barry Thacker, president of the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, called this project the “Big Dig” and said it is part of the Coal Creek Scholars program, which helps guide children from Briceville to college.

“We teach the Briceville students to take pride in their watershed and its history, while exposing them to potential careers they can pursue in college. An archaeological dig to find the opera house was a logical choice to meet those goals,” Thacker said.

The Coal Creek Watershed Foundation is a non-profit organization aiming to improve the quality of life in Coal Creek watershed, according to the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation Web site.

According to Thacker, the Coal Creek Scholars program has helped 15 students in the area attend college. High school students in the program are involved with a professor from Harvard University in his research of Welsh miners who settled in Coal Creek, a town close to Briceville, after the Civil War.

UT has been very involved in Briceville and the surrounding area, mostly with the scholars program. Last year, for example, DeCorse conducted a dig on Militia Hill, in Coal Creek, making him the obvious choice for the opera house dig, said Thacker. He also mentioned the work of Joyce Coombs, a research assistant in forestry, wildlife and fisheries, in reintroducing a native fish species to Coal Creek and the students of Mark Fly, a professor of forestry, wildlife and fisheries, who worked with Briceville students over the past few years.

The Odd Fellow Opera House was built in the 1890s and was host to various organizations, literary and musical competitions, and other community events. The building included an impressive clock tower and a seating capacity of 300, according to the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation Web site.

Thacker says that there are plans for future digs at the opera house site and that all artifacts will be used for the education of Briceville students.