Archaeologists unearth remnants of Latta House
In 2007, a fire destroyed what was left of the school and orphanage for freed slaves founded in the late 1800's by Rev. Morgan Latta. Now with the help of archaeologists, remnants of the site are being unearth.
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The school was "to teach the lowest of the low (and) to provide this education,” said Bill Shepherd, a former Latta House resident.
In 2007, the house burned to the ground. With it gone, the property lost its status as a city landmark. The Latta site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002, however.
"Having this man's story (Latta's book) in my hand, this did not burn down, and two acres of land is still here,” Shepherd said.
The city hired archaeologist Scott Seibel, with Environmental Services Inc., to dig into the site's ruins.
He and his team found several items from Latta University's past, such as a knife handle, a horseshoe, a shoe polish bottle, plate fragments and indications of posts marking other buildings behind the house.
The items are remnants of lessons taught more than 100 years ago, such as blacksmithing, carpentry and brick laying, Seibel said.
Seibel said that, so far, he has only searched 40 square feet of the two-acre site. Based on the physical finds, Seibel hopes the property will regain its spot among Raleigh's historic landmarks.
Many people also believe there is a lot more hidden below that the university can teach.
"I am sure there is a lot more of that (remnants) out there on the property,” Seibel said.
Supporters say they will soon apply to have the city re-list the property as a historic city landmark. City leaders have also set aside $50,000 to draw up plans for a park on the land.
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