Anthropology students dig into Hamtramck's past

A group of Wayne State University anthropology students has broken ground on the first-ever archaeological excavation in Hamtramck, Mich.

Located at the corner of Joseph Campau and Alice Street on Hamtramck's south side, the site is home to the city's former "Old Hamtramck Center."

Constructed in 1914, the center was once home to the (then) Village of Hamtramck's police and fire departments, shops, private homes, and the Nut House - a bar that became popular after prohibition.

The students have already discovered toys, buttons, bottle fragments and even a spent bullet casing near the site of the old police station.

The dig is part of Anthropology Professor Krysta Ryzewski's Archaeological Field Methods course.

Once unearthed, the artifacts will be taken to Wayne State's archaeology lab for further inspection before they're displayed at the Hamtramck Historical Museum.