SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — University of Utah archaeologists are excitedly excavating a sandstone foundation believed to be a military barracks built during the Civil War era at the college’s Fort Douglas.
The Deseret News reports the sandstone foundation was accidentally discovered about four years by contractors digging a utility trench.
Sheri Ellis with the Certus Environmental Solutions says her organization is working with the Utah Division of State History to determine the significance of what is found at the excavation sites.
In addition to uncovering history, the controlled excavation on the site will also help mitigate the damage caused by the trench-diggers.
So far, random buttons, a blackened but intact inkwell, military insignia and discarded bullet casings have been found in what is believed to be a small trash deposit.