The celebrations for Brown’s 250^th anniversary have highlighted the long and storied history of the university. As we imagine the campus of the past, however, we must also think of our Providence surroundings. How might College Hill have looked at 250 years ago? 150 years ago? And what questions can we ask of the changing landscape? How was land used, who lived here, and what might their relationship have been to Brown? What material traces of the past might still be present, right under our feet, as we go about our daily lives?

The Archaeology of College Hill addresses these questions directly, through excavations conducted by Brown students at sites in and around Brown’s campus. In past years, fieldwork has been completed at the First Baptist Church, the John Brown House, Hope College, and the Quiet Green. This year, we will continue the work we began last year with our neighbors at the Moses Brown School. We will pose our own research questions, conduct archival research, and excavate the foundations of a 19th century home, at the corner of Lloyd and Hope Streets, on Moses Brown's campus.

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