An annual open house at the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project in Niles is set for August 1 and 2.

Niles History Center Director Christina Arseneau tells us each summer, students from the Western Michigan University archaeology program work to learn more about the past of the historic attraction at 1415 Bond Street along the St. Joe River.

“So for six weeks, they have students and archaeologists working side by side to uncover the history of the old fort,” Arseneau sad. “On the weekend of August 1 and 2, it’s our open house where the public is invited to come. They get to peek into the pits, see what new artifacts have been uncovered. And then we also have reenactors on site to kind of bring that history to life and talk about what was going on here in the 18th century.”

Fort Saint Joseph was founded as a mission by French Jesuits in the 1680s and was one of the first European settlements in the western Great Lakes. It went on to function as a garrison and a trading post. The site has produced thousands of religious, military, and domestic artifacts. Arseneau says the WMU students have been learning more this summer about how people lived there.

“I know they’re working really hard to uncover where some of the houses were and really get the idea of where the people at the fort were living and some of the sizes of those houses. So I know that they’ve uncovered some new things that talk about house boundaries, some like fireplaces, where people would have done their cooking, where they would have had their living spaces. So it’s a good year to come and learn a little bit more about what the life of an average fort resident would have been like.”

And those findings will be shared at the open house. Plus, Arseneau says Sarett Nature Center will offer rides on a 30-foot replica voyageur canoe along the St. Joseph River as part of the day.

Arseneau notes with America’s 250th this summer, the event at Fort St. Joseph will reveal information about things happening right here in Michigan around the time of the Revolutionary War.

The open house is August 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be free and open to all.