Created by: Charlie Cullen, Jesse Cogan, Kate Eng, Seth Grauer, and Talia Loevy-Reyes
Courtesy of: Carleton College Archives
Our group primarily researched the change from Seccombe House’s structure in 1866 to 2023. To understand these alterations, we used archives, newspapers, and utilities records to understand documented renovations and remodeling. To further understand Seccombe’s past, we looked at the artifacts we found in the excavation pits to understand how Seccombe was originally—and thus how it changed.
We also looked at Modern Seccombe House to better understand its past. We explored the basement to see if there are any old pipes or artifacts remaining from Seccombe in the 1900s. We also took paint samples to understand how the exterior of Seccombe has changed. Lastly, we mapped modern Seccombe House using photogrammetry to make the structure more accessible to viewers.
The work that we did on Modern Seccombe House helped us better understand methods of archaeology and how it relates to analysis. We learned about the importance of archival research to understand the history, as well as how to interpret old utilities documents. We also learned about the more scientific side of archaeology, with more systematic methods such as the photogrammetry or the paint sampling. Lastly, we learned about collaboration and its importance to archaeology, as we wouldn’t have been able to get a holistic idea of what Seccombe is without each group member’s individual perspective and interest.
Ultimately, this allowed us to create a timeline detailing the history of Seccombe House:
