Collections
A rich history
The collections of the Gordon L. Grosscup Museum of Anthropology are a rich repository of fascinating artifacts from the Detroit area and around the world.
Urban archaeology
The museum’s founders, Arnold Pilling and Gordon Grosscup, played significant roles in the development of the sub-discipline known as “urban archaeology” beginning in the 1950s.
Detroit's history
The banks of the Detroit River were a hub of Native American activity for centuries before white settlers arrived. The city of Detroit began as a French-fortified trading post in 1701 that later passed into British and finally American hands. By the late 19th century, the city had come to play an important role in American industrialization. The wealth that resulted from industrialization fueled cultural innovations in architecture as well as the visual and performing arts.
Archaeology in Detroit
As the city has aged, many old buildings have been replaced by new ones, allowing archeologists to discover artifacts from the past that remain beneath building sites.
Preserving connections to Detroit’s past
The museum holds remains recovered from prominent sites such as Fort Lernoult (Old Fort Detroit), Fort Wayne, the Renaissance Center, the Joe Louis Arena, the Corktown Workers Rowhouse, the Blue Bird Inn jazz club and many lesser-known sites in Detroit and southeast Michigan as well. The Brewster Douglas and Orleans Landing sites in Detroit are among the larger and more recently excavated.
Other notable archaeological collections
- Artifacts related to Native peoples of Michigan and the surrounding region.
- Stamped brick specimens from Detroit sites.
Student archaeology and the Grosscup Museum
Participation in archaeological field investigations in the city of Detroit gives Wayne State students valuable experience in carrying out archaeological work and the opportunity to examine, research and catalog artifacts for inclusion in the museum’s collections.
Comparative collections
Museum founders Pilling and Grosscup collected several types of historical items that correlate to artifacts commonly found in Michigan's urban archaeological sites. These were intended to serve as comparative pieces to help identify fragments and other damaged remains from urban locations. Ceramic tableware, particularly English transferware, and apparel buttons are two types that feature prominently in the collections. The museum also has a comparative collection of faunal skeletal remains.
Ethnographic collections
Ethnographic materials are commonly referred to as “cultural artifacts.” The Grosscup Museum has a wide range of items from around the world, most notably:
- Religious and functional items from Central America and Africa
- “Tourist Art” from various countries
- Aboriginal material from the Northern Territories, Australia
Other collections
- Taxidermy items reflecting 20th century “big game” hunting culture
- Papers of the “Aboriginal Research Club” (Detroit)
- Eclectic 20th-century American cultural material
A note on human remains
The few human remains in the museum collection were acquired many decades ago. Repatriation of those who are Native American is being pursued under the requirements of the North American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).