Artifact Processing Recommences

Scheduling lab days has proven difficult this winter, but artifact processing is back underway!  We have begun to get the artifacts from the 2013 field season washed, sorted, cataloged, and rebagged.

Volunteers Gail & Gen back in lab and hard at work

 
Check back soon for more updates from processing.  The Volunteer Opportunities section will have the most up-to-date information about days and times for processing.

Society for Historical Archaeology’s John L. Cotter Award

I am excited to report that I received the John L. Cotter Award from the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA).  I accepted the award at the Society’s annual conference in Quebec City, Canada last month.  I received the award “For the Elfreth’s Alley Archaeology project, where her efforts in the field and in the laboratory have enriched public archaeology in Philadelphia and provided the public with a positive, interactive view of historical archaeology and its role in public discourse.”  More details about the award are available on SHA’s website.

(Photo Credit: Dr. Christopher P. Barton)

Accepting the award (Photo Credit: Jess Barton)

I am truly honored to have received this prestigious award and hope to follow in the impressive footsteps of the historical archaeologists who have received the award before.  A special thanks to Wendy Miervaldis who has volunteered with me at Elfreth’s Alley for the past two years and who thoughtfully nominated me for the award!  None of it would have been possible without her dedication and support!

Photo Opportunity with Wendy & Dr. David Orr, my advisor at Temple University (Photo Credit: Jess Barton)

I am so happy that I have gotten involved in public archaeology - it has become my passion and allows be to combine my love of archaeological research, teaching, and community outreach. Working with the public and volunteers has been one of the most rewarding parts of my project. I am ever indebted to my volunteers for their impact on my research and my life. I am thrilled about the award and the good things to come! Thank you again to all!

Holiday Spirit on Elfreth’s Alley

Festive Decorations on the Alley!

Elfreth’s Alley’s annual holiday event, Deck the Alley, was a great success this past weekend.  Despite the crisp weather, visitors came out in droves to check out the houses and celebrate the holidays.  The night was complete with carolers, homemade ginger bread men, and hot apple cider!  I had a chance to speak with a lot of visitors about the archaeology that has been at 124 and 126 Elfreth’s Alley.  It was a great event and fun was had by all. Thanks to all who came out to support the Alley! 

Visitors behind the Museum of Elfreth's Alley

Carolers on the Alley

Discussing Archaeology on the Alley

Deck the Alley

Elfreth’s Alley’s annual event Deck the Alley is slated to take place on December 7th from 3 – 7pm.  Each year the private residents of Alley kindly open up the first floor of their homes for visitors to explore.  Other activities include story telling, refreshments, and book signings.  Like past years, I will be on hand to discuss the archaeological investigations completed at the Alley. This a really fun event with lots of holiday cheer.  For more information about the event and to buy tickets check out the Ticket Leap Even Page. 

Story Telling at Deck the Alley, 2012

Closing Up the Site

A few weekends ago, we finished exploration of Unit 14. After excavation to sterile soil, we spent the rest of the day documenting the unit prior to backfilling the area. We took closing measurements, photographed each wall, and drew profiles to record the layering of soils. After the paperwork was in order, we got to work backfilling. A big thank you to Katie and Dick for all their help and hard work backfilling! 

Excavation of Unit 14 In-Progress

Backfilling In-Progress (Katie & Dick working hard)

Backfilling Complete!

Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology Annual Conference

The annual conference for the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology (CNEHA) will be held in Newark, Delaware this weekend (Nov. 8 -10).  It is always a great conference with lots of interesting and informative papers about archaeology being conducted throughout the region. The conference  is also a great opportunity to meet and mingle with other archaeologists involved in research in the northeast.  Online registration is closed, but if you are interested in attending, you can register on site.  More details about registration and cost is available on the CNEHA website.

I am co-chair of a paper session dedicated to the great archaeology being conducted by Temple University graduate students.   Our session is from 8:30am-12pm on Saturday, November 9th.   I will also be presenting the first paper of the session at 8:30am.  My paper is entitled “Memory, Meaning, and Urban Archaeology at Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia."  A full schedule of conference papers is available here. 

A Fun Visit!

This past Sunday I had a visit from a great group, the Special Needs Scout Troop 364 from Belleville, NJ!  They stopped by Elfreth’s Alley in the morning, and I gave them a tour of the street and an overview of the archaeological investigations on the Alley.  We discussed a few of the basics of archaeology from stratigraphy to screening, and I showed them a bunch of the artifacts recovered this past field season.  They were a fun bunch and asked great questions such as whether the cobblestones along the alley were original (they are not!) and what the fire marks on the homes stood for (different fire insurance companies).  It was a pleasure talking to such a wonderful group! 

Special Needs Scout Troop 364