Join us in this episode for a conversation with archaeologist Paula Johnson as she puts together puzzle pieces from the past.
A shoe with cleats. A perfume bottle from Detroit. These historical artifacts were found when geothermal wells, intended to supply King Street Station with clean energy, revealed the remains of the Hammond Packing Company, a nineteenth century pork processing plant. Paula works with transit companies and brings her 27 years of archaeological experience to bear on reconstructions of the past from fragments and shards. These discoveries animate and transform our ideas of our municipal history.
“We … tell stories about people who didn’t have a chance to tell stories about themselves.” - Paula Johnson