PINEVILLE, LOUISIANA—A fallen tree in central Louisiana led archaeologists to the ruins of a long-forgotten college campus, according to a statement released by Louisiana State University (LSU). The tree was located on the former property of the original Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. When it toppled, it exposed a slew of historic artifacts buried in its roots, prompting a formal archaeological investigation. “This was one of the largest buildings west of the Mississippi at the time,” said LSU archaeologist Matthew Helmer. “It was a major investment from the state, $150,000 in the 1850s, which was a massive amount of money. And until now, this site has never been scientifically investigated.” The academic institution opened in 1860, but mostly served as a hospital in its early years during the Civil War. It transitioned back into a school after the war, but a fire left it in ruins in 1869. The team has recovered ornate architectural items such as Fleur-de-lis columns and marble stairs, evidence of academic life, including slate pencils and inkwells, and military paraphernalia such as buttons and bullets. Archaeologists even found marble blocks that once stood above the school’s entrance that formerly bore an inscription reading, “By the liberality of the general government the Union Esto Perpetua.” After the outbreak of the Civil War, university officials ordered the inscription to be chiseled off and destroyed. The college shuttered after the 1869 fire and moved to Baton Rouge, eventually evolving into Louisiana State University. To read about an eighteenth-century Spanish mission in northwest Louisiana, go to "Off the Grid: Los Adaes, Louisiana."
