Text Excavation of Several Geophysical Anomalies, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (14SH113), Shawnee County, Kansas

Archeological investigations were conducted at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site to examine selected geophysical anomalies, i.e., variations from normal background readings, noted during a previous geophysical survey. Excavations revealed a portion of the first Monroe School basement floor, located north of the current Monroe School. The first Monroe School was in existence from 1874 until 1927, when it was replaced by the current school. Artifacts from the late nineteenth century to the present were recovered from the excavations, including such school-related items as pencil fragments, marbles, ink bottles, buttons, and construction debris. The artifacts and structure remnants suggest the school grounds contain undisturbed historic deposits dating from the first residences in the late 1800s to the present. Further excavations are required to determine the extent of these deposits as well as to aid interpretation of the history of the Monroe School neighborhood.