Across the “pond,” in the small town of Walhain nestled in the country of Belgium, sits a castle in ruins, called Walhain-Saint-Paul.

Walhain-Saint-Paul is a study abroad project that different schools send their students to learn how to excavate and document what they find.

Bailey Young, a history professor, started this project in 1998.

“Since I started it in 1998 I had about 130 students from about 66 institutions around the United States,” Young said.

The objective of the study abroad has three major points.

“It’s a study abroad experience for students from Eastern and guest institutions. The second objective is research. The third aspect was to help the Belgians to preserve the site,” Young said. “To become associated with the preservation of this very important, medieval, site.”

A Belgium TV news broadcaster team filmed the students excavating the site and then came to Eastern for three days and filmed Young teaching.

“They work alongside Belgium students that are more advanced in archeology,” Young said.

Nick Waller, one of the students who went on the study abroad program, said that the Walhain experience changed his perspective on things.

“It just got my foot in the door of archeology,” Waller said. “I always thought it would be a fun thing to do to go to other places and dig.”

Waller said archeology was something he always wanted to do, but did not know how to go about and do it.

Waller also said that Indiana Jones had a little bit of an inspiration on him.

“Before I went over there, I kept making jokes on how I was going to be fighting Nazi’s and finding treasure over there,” Waller said.

Though he did not find any treasure, Waller gained some new experiences and new knowledge of history.

“Visiting all the historical sites that we were able to go see and also the dig itself,” Waller said. “I had a special find while I was there, it was a piece of pottery that was about the size of a small saucer plate and it had a handle on it.”

Debra Reid, a history professor, also helped out with the Walhain-Saint-Paul project.

“Two years ago was the first time I went over there,” Reid said. “I had a grant from a Woman Educator Association to fund me, and I’m trying to do research to develop historical interpretation of the archeological site.”

The Eastern Walhain Saint Paul Project team is made up of some alumni that live in Champaign. Over the summer they went to work in Belgium on the project.

“At the time of the French Revolution when feudalism was abolished, it lost its status as a castle and started to decay,” Young said.

An 1870 picture is the oldest photograph they have of the castle.

There were engravings before, showing the castle in its entire splendor, but since then the only thing that stayed was the tower and outer-wall.

“Then for a 150 years people would come and plunder it,” Young said. “They would take out the good building stone and use it in their houses.”

Liz Dowell can be reached at ehdowell@eiu.edu or 581-2812.Across the “pond,” in the small town of Walhain nestled in the country of Belgium, sits a castle in ruins, called Walhain-Saint-Paul.

Walhain-Saint-Paul is a study abroad project that different schools send their students to learn how to excavate and document what they find.

Bailey Young, a history professor, started this project in 1998.

“Since I started it in 1998 I had about 130 students from about 66 institutions around the United States,” Young said.

The objective of the study abroad has three major points.

“It’s a study abroad experience for students from Eastern and guest institutions. The second objective is research. The third aspect was to help the Belgians to preserve the site,” Young said. “To become associated with the preservation of this very important, medieval, site.”

A Belgium TV news broadcaster team filmed the students excavating the site and then came to Eastern for three days and filmed Young teaching.

“They work alongside Belgium students that are more advanced in archeology,” Young said.

Nick Waller, one of the students who went on the study abroad program, said that the Walhain experience changed his perspective on things.

“It just got my foot in the door of archeology,” Waller said. “I always thought it would be a fun thing to do to go to other places and dig.”

Waller said archeology was something he always wanted to do, but did not know how to go about and do it.

Waller also said that Indiana Jones had a little bit of an inspiration on him.

“Before I went over there, I kept making jokes on how I was going to be fighting Nazi’s and finding treasure over there,” Waller said.

Though he did not find any treasure, Waller gained some new experiences and new knowledge of history.

“Visiting all the historical sites that we were able to go see and also the dig itself,” Waller said. “I had a special find while I was there, it was a piece of pottery that was about the size of a small saucer plate and it had a handle on it.”

Debra Reid, a history professor, also helped out with the Walhain-Saint-Paul project.

“Two years ago was the first time I went over there,” Reid said. “I had a grant from a Woman Educator Association to fund me, and I’m trying to do research to develop historical interpretation of the archeological site.”

The Eastern Walhain Saint Paul Project team is made up of some alumni that live in Champaign. Over the summer they went to work in Belgium on the project.

 “At the time of the French Revolution when feudalism was abolished, it lost its status as a castle and started to decay,” Young said.

An 1870 picture is the oldest photograph they have of the castle.

There were engravings before, showing the castle in its entire splendor, but since then the only thing that stayed was the tower and outer-wall.

“Then for a 150 years people would come and plunder it,” Young said. “They would take out the good building stone and use it in their houses.”

Liz Dowell can be reached at ehdowell@eiu.edu or 581-2812.

Across the “pond,” in the small town of Walhain nestled in the country of Belgium, sits a castle in ruins, called Walhain-Saint-Paul.

Walhain-Saint-Paul is a study abroad project that different schools send their students to learn how to excavate and document what they find.

Bailey Young, a history professor, started this project in 1998.

“Since I started it in 1998 I had about 130 students from about 66 institutions around the United States,” Young said.

The objective of the study abroad has three major points.

“It’s a study abroad experience for students from Eastern and guest institutions. The second objective is research. The third aspect was to help the Belgians to preserve the site,” Young said. “To become associated with the preservation of this very important, medieval, site.”

A Belgium TV news broadcaster team filmed the students excavating the site and then came to Eastern for three days and filmed Young teaching.

“They work alongside Belgium students that are more advanced in archeology,” Young said.

Nick Waller, one of the students who went on the study abroad program, said that the Walhain experience changed his perspective on things.

“It just got my foot in the door of archeology,” Waller said. “I always thought it would be a fun thing to do to go to other places and dig.”

Waller said archeology was something he always wanted to do, but did not know how to go about and do it.

Waller also said that Indiana Jones had a little bit of an inspiration on him.

“Before I went over there, I kept making jokes on how I was going to be fighting Nazi’s and finding treasure over there,” Waller said.

Though he did not find any treasure, Waller gained some new experiences and new knowledge of history.

“Visiting all the historical sites that we were able to go see and also the dig itself,” Waller said. “I had a special find while I was there, it was a piece of pottery that was about the size of a small saucer plate and it had a handle on it.”

Debra Reid, a history professor, also helped out with the Walhain-Saint-Paul project.

“Two years ago was the first time I went over there,” Reid said. “I had a grant from a Woman Educator Association to fund me, and I’m trying to do research to develop historical interpretation of the archeological site.”

The Eastern Walhain Saint Paul Project team is made up of some alumni that live in Champaign. Over the summer they went to work in Belgium on the project.

“At the time of the French Revolution when feudalism was abolished, it lost its status as a castle and started to decay,” Young said.

An 1870 picture is the oldest photograph they have of the castle.

There were engravings before, showing the castle in its entire splendor, but since then the only thing that stayed was the tower and outer wall.

“Then for a 150 years people would come and plunder it,” Young said. “They would take out the good building stone and use it in their houses.”

Liz Dowell can be reached at ehdowell@eiu.edu or 581-2812