Archeologist digs up history beneath Polk-Quincy Viaduct

TOPEKA (KSNT) - An archeologist with the Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) is helping uncover hidden pieces of Topeka's history at the site of a major construction project.

27 News spoke with Shelby Beltz, a State Historic Preservation Office archeologist, about her work at the Polk-Quincy Viaduct site in Topeka. In a recent publication from the KSHS, Beltz describes the archeological findings being there amid the ongoing labors of construction crews on and beneath the viaduct.

Beltz said she watches the workers in action, keeping an eye out for any interesting materials among the dirt while utilities are being relocated. By working closely with contractors on site, Beltz is able to locate and study relics left over from Topeka's earlier residents.

"The main thing we wanted to make sure that we were doing was documenting this early part of Topeka," Beltz said. "This was part of 'original town'."

Beltz said this area used to be one of the earliest inhabited parts of the City of Topeka. Her main goal was to make sure nothing of historical significance would be lost or destroyed during the construction and demolition process.

"We definitely were able to confirm people once lived there," Beltz said. "We found a lot of broken whiteware, glass... a lot of your typical household items."

Historical records point to an old sawmill existing in this area dating back to the territorial days of the state. The close proximity of an archeological site at the Haywood Residence, built in the mid-1880's, along with the potential for locating previously unrecorded historic resources, prompted Beltz to get up close and personal with the area's history.

However, Beltz has yet to locate anything of great historic significance beneath the viaduct which would impede current demolition work. What she has been able to find so far includes pieces of debris, a burn pit and an old well. A few of these pieces were collected while others like the well, which couldn't be moved, were buried over, possibly for another archeologist to examine in the future.

"It was kind of a weird situation," Beltz said. "It [the well] wasn't something we would be able to pull out. They did backfill. It is technically preserved underneath the ground, but it was not demolished."

Surveys of the site first started in July 2022 and continue to the present day courtesy of the KSHS's Contract Archeology Program (CAP). Other artifacts may be recovered as the Polk-Quincy Viaduct continues into next year.

Beltz received her bachelor's degree from Washburn University and her master's degree from Wichita State University. She started working for the KSHS in 2021.

"This project has been something really special where we're working really closely with all parties," Beltz said. "The relationships that are being built because of this project are really important."

Construction on the Polk-Quincy Viaduct is slated to continue through to the fall of 2027. You can learn more about the project by clicking here.

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