Community Education and Public Engagement

DOCUMENT Citation Only Eric Ray.

The Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria, Texas, has a large prehistoric collection, largely collected by avocational archaeologists. This is not unusual for a museum. What is perhaps more unusual is the extent to which ongoing research is conducted under the aegis of the museum.In an era of tight budgets, when many universities have had to cut back fieldwork, the museum’s field research program is expanding. The research program is active at multiple long-term sites, as well as providing...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Christine Ames.

Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and others, have significantly altered the way information is transmitted, globally. Social media has expedited communication, reaching but also appealing to wider audiences. However, the efficacy of social media in archaeological heritage management (AHM) has not been measured. This paper assesses the effectiveness of the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office’s and other local group’s efforts to utilize social...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Nathalie Barbe.

Since 1999, the Archéo-Québec network has been working to raise public awareness of the importance of Québec’s archaeological heritage. Since the beginning, it has managed to engage the community by promoting synergy between various stakeholders in the cultural and tourism sectors. Now comprised of the driving forces in Québec archaeology, Archéo-Québec has some one hundred institutional and individual members dedicated to conservation, to research, and to highlighting our archaeological...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kelley M. Berliner. Valerie M.J. Hall.

While public outreach and education have succeeded on some levels, recent budget cuts, limited job opportunities, and tense relationships with stakeholders indicate the public is not fully engaged and does not perceive archaeology as an important cause for which to fight. The two Jamestowns serve as an example: thousands engage with the historical park at Jamestown Settlement without realizing it is not an archaeological site; meanwhile, the Jamestown Rediscovery crew quickly publicizes finds...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Manon Savard. Nicolas Beaudry.

St. Barnabé Island lies in the St. Lawrence estuary off Rimouski, the administrative center of eastern Québec. As the backdrop of the natural amphitheater formed by terraces overlooking a bay, the long and narrow island protects the city’s lower tier from northern winds but blocks its horizon. While most locals have never set foot on it, the island dominates their imagination as much as their landscape. It is the stage of tales of a lover turned hermit, shipwrecks and burials, beached whales,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Sarah Platt. Madeline Roth. Elizabeth McCague. Kaitlin Jennings. Liza Gijanto.

In the spring of 2012 and 2013, two undergraduate anthropological research methods courses from St. Mary’s College of Maryland undertook preliminary archaeological survey at Cremona Estate. The large property in southern Maryland was a part of the land grant to the Ashcom family in the 1640s, later renamed Cremona by subsequent owner William Thomas in 1819. Full excavation followed in the summer of 2013 based upon the results of these initial surveys. From its inception, the archaeological...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Tristan Harrenstein.

Social media has fantastic potential for promoting heritage resources, however, a ‘critical mass’ of participants is often necessary before a program can become effective. This year, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) began using the social media site Foursquare to promote local historic sites and museums. To stimulate traffic, FPAN released a series of six collectible lapel pins which participants were required to attend events and check-in on Foursquare to acquire. After the Pin...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Richard Leventhan. Tiffany Cain.

What benefit can practicing archaeology bring to a developing community? How do communities balance the need for economic development and the desire to maintain and explore their cultural heritage? The Tihosuco Heritage Preservation and Community Development Project is a cooperative, community-based project in the town of Tihosuco, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tihosuco rests at the epicenter of the Caste War (1847-1901) when Maya rebelled against Mexico. The town remains part of a much larger story of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Stephen Brighton.

Over the past twenty-five years, historical archaeology has shifted focus asking different questions concerning the subaltern and how our studies can have an impact on and is relevant to contemporary communities. In terms of community interests and collaboration, the question raised here is what to do when archaeological data does not meet demands and expectations of interest groups? Does a lack of data in a long-term archaeological study represent failure? The case presented here involves an...