CORYDON, Ind. (WDRB) -- The site of the old Indiana State Capitol in Corydon is getting a facelift and when construction happens on a historic site, archaeologists say there's a good chance of finding more history as they work to preserve it.
Workers are renovating the old capitol building, putting in a rain garden and fixing up the band stand as part of the Corydon Town Square Rehabilitation Project. But the history of the site dates back to the 1800s, which means workers have to be careful not to hit any historic features that might be hiding underground.
"It's all about preservation, all about preserving the features on this site,” said Michele Greenan, Dir. of Archaeology for Indiana state museum and Historic Sites.
Greenan says as they started to dig near the rain garden, they found something they believe is significant.
“We came across some brick and some flat glass and early ceramics indicating we may have clipped something important. When I went back to check things out, we discovered it may in fact be the remnants of the 1826 clerk's office,” she said.
That means the Clerk's Office in the 1820's may have sat in a corner of the square, where a statue of late Governor Frank O’bannon now sits.
“That was pretty exciting for us because we have no evidence of that except for a few historic records,” she explained.
They're able to continue construction in that area and on Indiana's first capitol building nearby.
“This is actually the heart of Indiana. Indiana's early government was formed in this little building so our goal is to preserve this building and we want it to be here the next 200 years,” said Bec Riley, site administrator.
Construction should be finished in a couple weeks. The first big event being held there is Light up Corydon in November and the state's bicentennial celebration in December.
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