Excavating a site on campus that is more than 50 years old, Archaeology 340 students plan on uncovering the life of the “Tin City” dwellers.

“These were not typical students,” Alan Kaiser, assistant professor of archaeology, said. “They had wives and children and had gone through a war, which makes this even more interesting.”

The students will begin work to uncover a site built in 1947 that contained 13 units used as student military housing. The residence area was called Campus Court, but due to the tin siding on all of the houses, students at the time titled it “Tin City.”

Kaiser said the site is believed to have been demolished in 1961 when there was no need for the units after the Korean War.

The students’ goal is to learn how these past students lived through their everyday items, he said. These include such things as milk bottles, dishes, children’s toys and other artifacts detailing their family lives.

Kaiser said the seven-member class will excavate every Wednesday until about late October, depending on what is found.

“With our findings we will keep, conserve and reconstruct if broken,” he said. “These facts will go in an exhibit running from Dec. 1-14 in the campus library.”

There will be a guided tour of the site Nov. 5 for anyone who is interested. There will be a discussion of the site and the class’s findings Dec. 3 in Hyde Hall.

Kaiser is hoping to contact some of the students who actually lived in Campus Court to come to the discussion and talk about the artifacts found.