Mid-Late 1800s Iron Adze Head

This iron adze head was found during the 2005 excavations of the Saints' Rest dormitory. Since the dorm burnt down in 1876, we know that the adze head dates to no later than then! While this may seem like an unusual item to find in the buried basement/foundations of a college dorm, this is not surprising for MSU (then called the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan). The earliest students enrolled at the college were required to perform manual labor in addition to their education. Since much of the area around campus was still forested, students would often help clear the land and cut down trees. Adzes were used for cutting and trimming wood planks that could have been used in other buildings on campus. Other labor and lumber-related artifacts found at Saints' Rest include large saw blades, possibly used to fell the trees, and wood planes for smoothing the planks after an adze such as this one was used to shape it! Model made by Jack A. Biggs using the Artec Space Spider.