LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville artist became an accidental archeologist after discovering hidden history under his Germantown studio.
Patrick Donley was preparing to sell his studio on Mary Street about six years ago when he found household items in the dirt, according to our partners at Louisville Business First.
At first, he didn't think much of the items. But when a groundhog started digging under a broken slab, antique plates and toys started turning up.
LBF reports the two-story, more than 2,000-square-foot building was built around 1920. That broken slab was in the basement, and had been damaged in the 1937 flood but was never repaired.
After finding the items, Donley started doing some digging of his own about the building and its history. That's when he learned the building was built on top of a former city dump dating back to the post-Civil War era.
"They had curbside pickup inside the city limits, which basically either Shelby or Logan street marked the city edge," Donley told LBF. "East-west streets got one day of the week, and then north-south streets got picked up. We're talking mule carts. Somewhere in the west end there was a dump as well. So, the eastern side of Old Louisville, Smoketown and Phoenix Hill probably all came to us."
Instead of selling the building, Donley started reassembling broken china, jugs and other items found in the basement. Other items included jugs from long-defunct bourbon brands, including products from J.T.S. Brown, a whiskey LBF reported was first produced in 1855 and a forerunner to Brown-Forman.
An antique jug that is part of Groundhog Archeology's Mary Street Midden Project collection. (Photo courtesy of Michael L. Jones/Louisville Business First)
Additionally, medicine bottles and stoneware created by John Bauer Pottery, which was founded in Louisville in 1878, were uncovered. Donley said John Bauer was "one of the finest potters in the region and was highly sought after."
The historical significance of the artifacts inspired Donley to form a nonprofit called Groundhog Archeology to document and classify the items as he continues excavating the building's basement. The hope is to eventually turn the space into a museum called the Mary Street Midden Project.
The project needs $5 million for museum development and endowment. So far, the nonprofit has raised about $170,000 but is looking for donations from private and corporate donors.
To learn more about Groundhog Archeology and the Mary Street Midden Project, click here.
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