Anthropology student excavated around historical site for thesis project

Written by Carolyn Miller

Thursday, 01 May 2008 07:41 PM

Beyond the creek bed in Doug Russell Park, students walk across the bridge linking Nedderman and Mitchell Street, unaware that within a few yards, more than 80 graves, mostly infants, lie beneath the dirt, twigs and weeds. The only thing visible is the cement and brick outlines of a building and the tombstones labeled “Infant 1” or “Infant 2.” Berachah Home and Cemetery, now a historical marker, was a home in 1903 for unwed pregnant teens and prostitutes of which many were addicted to drugs. Anthropology graduate student Cody Davis has been researching the home and baby graveyard for his thesis project. It has become more and more interesting because of the abundant Texas history, he said. Davis analyzes artifacts excavated from the site with student volunteers. They then catalog their findings. Davis looks through the information and compares archaeology data with the county’s records and histories given by Dorothy Betts, the great-granddaughter of the Rev. James Upchurch, who founded the home, Davis said. “There is so much history in that area, and it’s a shame that so many students walk by it every day and don’t know how many lives were changed on that very spot,” he said. Upchurch left Waco in the 1890s because he wanted to do something about the red-light district and help the women in that world escape, Davis said. He said many people in the community didn’t like the work Upchurch was doing because of the stigma on unwed mothers. Upchurch hired matrons to live with the girls and teach parenting and job skills so that when they left the home, they wouldn’t return to the streets. Several buildings on more than 100 acres included a chapel, dormitories and a printing press. Cement and brick outlines the foundation where services were once held in the chapel next to the graveyard. The dormitories once stood where Centennial Court apartments stand, Davis said. After Upchurch retired, his daughter, Allie Mae, and her husband, Minister Frank Wiese, turned the home into the Berachah Junior Kingdom orphanage, which closed in 1942. Anthropology sophomore Emily Beal said she wanted to get hands-on excavating experience so she asked if she could help Davis with his thesis project. “This is my first time applying my classroom knowledge, and we’ve found some interesting things,” Beal said. “Most of the artifacts we’ve found have been fragments, but we are cataloging everything.” M. Kathryn Brown, sociology and anthropology assistant professor, said she began the project because it is interesting history and is on campus. “This is great experience for the students because it will help them get a job with a cultural resource management company,” she said. “I would have liked to excavate in other areas, but it probably would not have been useful since some of the areas had already been heavily disturbed, such as where the UTA flower bed lies.” Davis hopes to give an accurate account of how this home came to be and of the girls who lived in it. Views: 2462 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 September 2008 03:30 PM )

 

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