Krysta Ryzewski - Detroit Remains: Archaeology and Community Histories of Six Legendary Places

Dozens of people contributed to the research and collaborations featured in Detroit Remains.Most of them have long-term connections with the area and personal experiences with Detroits struggles. All share a deep appreciation for the ways in which the citys history can be told, and its heritage appreciated, from the perspective of historical archaeology.

First and foremost, I owe my deepest gratitude to those archaeologists who participated as members of the fieldwork and research teams on more than one of the Detroit Remainsprojects. This core group includes Don Adzigian, Bridget Bennane, Lorin Brace, Brendan Doucet, Samantha Ellens, Jeri Pajor, and Athena Zissis. They were integral to the success of these projects. Without their dedication in the field, this book would not have been possible. I am thankful to them for their continued commitment to Detroit and to its archaeology. They have helped chart new courses for recognizing the histories of the citys marginalized communities and for promoting Detroits rich cultural heritage.

I am fortunate to be part of a supportive and energetic community of scholars at Wayne State University. In the Department of Anthropology, my home base, I am especially indebted to my faculty colleagues Tamara Bray and Yuson Jung, who willingly read and commented on drafts of this manuscript. I also thank Tom Killion and Andrea Sankar, who invited me to speak about these projects in their classes; Julie Lesnik and Jessica Robbins, who helped me brainstorm ideas for the books structure and tone; and Stephen Chrisomalis, for his shared enthusiasm for archaeology and for supporting the graduate students who worked with me in his capacity as director of graduate studies. Uzma Khan and Debra Mazur provided invaluable administrative support, becoming experts in finding deals on five-gallon buckets, tarps, and shovels in the process. Katharine Blatchford assisted with digitizing maps and plans. I am also appreciative of my colleagues Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan, Alina Klin, Laura Kline, Julie Koehler, Jennifer Hart, and Karen Marrero, who have encouraged this research as it emerged during the course of various digital humanities projects, working groups, and conferences. Dean Wayne Raskind and Dean Stephanie Hartwell of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provided resources and enthusiasm. Funding for the completion of this book was provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Program, Office of the Vice President for Research, Wayne State University.

Beyond Wayne State I owe thanks to John F. Cherry, who provided constructive comments on the manuscripts first draft. Several colleagues invited me to present lectures about the projects in Detroit Remainsat their universities in recent years. It was through these talks and the conversations afterward that I honed the framework for the book. Thanks to Susan Hyatt and Paul Mullins (IUPUI), Andy Roddick (McMaster), Matt Reilly (City College New York), Meredith Chesson and Ian Kuijt (Notre Dame), Sue Alcock (University of Michigan), Tim Scarlett and Don Lafreniere (Michigan Tech), and Chris Rodning (Tulane). I am also grateful to Rebecca Graff and Lorin Brace for co-organizing sessions with me at the Society for Historical Archaeology meetings in Boston and New Orleans that focused on topics within this book, to photographer and history buff Eileen Krugel (my aunt), who assisted me with image edits, and to my eagle-eyed proofreader, Leah Jones.

At Tommys Detroit Bar and Grill, the site of Little Harry speakeasy, I owe sincere thanks to Tom Burelle and Marion Christiansen, who took a chance on archaeology and gave my team the first opportunity to hone our collaborative archaeology skills at a legendary Detroit site. Thanks also to Lucy Kaiser. In addition to the archaeologists listed at the outset, the project team included section leaders Brenna Moloney and Shawn Fields, and contributions from field crew members and researchers Paul Carlson, Catherine Devereaux, Elspeth Geiger, Ken Krutcher, Jaroslava Pallas, Graham Sheckels, and Michael Vandro. I am also grateful to Katie Korth, who provided archival research and production assistance on the NEH-funded digital story we produced about the speakeasy as part of the Ethnic Layers of Detroit project.