Noel Broadbent
National Science Foundation

Looking for a brand-new shirt, size 15? How about a World War I tank? The Antarctic Peninsula might seem a little far to go for these items, but they were among the artifacts that a cleanup and restoration team found at East Base on Stonington Island, at 68 degrees South latitude. The eight-man team spent from 21 February to 5 March 1992 readying East Base for its newest role as a historic monument.

East Base is the oldest remaining U.S. Government research station in the Antarctic. It consists of three main buildings and several smaller structures. It is one of two stations built in 1940 by the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. In 1947-1948 the (U.S.) Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition reoccupied the base. Since then the base has been used only rarely and visited infrequently.

In 1989 the Antarctic Treaty declared East Base an historic monument. In 1991 the National Science Foundation sent Park Service cultural resource specialists to the base to assess the remains and prepare a management plan. The team found the area remarkably rich in artifacts and practically undisturbed. Their plan led to the 1992 project, which collected artifacts, cleaned up potentially hazardous materials, and stabilized the buildings.

The team recovered a fascinating assortment of well-preserved items. Although metal objects such as canned food, tools, and vehicles were badly rusted, books, papers, clothing, and objects of wood, leather, and rubber were in good condition. Playing cards found under the floorboards of the science lab and a July 1938 American Digest magazine lying out in the open were still readable. Other interesting items included two leather dog collars with the name tags ``Kelley'' and ``Chitma,'' a Woolworth size-15 shirt--still pinned and unused--and metal nameplates of C.W. Sharbonneau, a carpenter in the 1940 expedition, and Bob Dodson of the 1948 group.

The team removed hazardous materials--medical supplies (pills, syringes, and drugs), old helium cylinders used for weather balloons, batteries, shotgun shells, and asbestos from old stove plates. They prepared rock pathways. They placed signs in the four Antarctic Treaty languages on each building to notify visitors of the historic status of the base. In the lab, they installed an interpretive panel displaying photos from the first expedition and artifacts found at the site. Finally, they left information handouts and a guest log for future visitors.

The British Antarctic Survey contribute two people to the team, and the team lived at Base E, an old British station on Stonington Island.

As sites like East Base are cleared of hazardous materials, a valuable record of scientific research and researchers is revealed. Protection of these historic resources is as important as protecting the natural environment. Cleanup of old bases and historic preservation can go hand in hand.

Noel Broadbent headed the cleanup project at East base. He is an archaeologist and program manager in NSF's Office of Polar Programs. A longer version of this article appeared in the May-June 1992 issue of "NSF Directions."