Archeology and Public Education: Uncovering the Stories of the Virgin Islands National Park

Summary

The Virgin Islands National Park encompasses over half of the island of St. John hundreds of acres of submerged lands, and most of Hassel Island located in the harbor of St. Thomas. Within the park's boundaries are prehistoric sites along every beach, and hundreds of historic structures that make up a complex landscape of archaeological sites that date from the 840 BCE through the 19th century. Sites include over a hundred plantations, fortifications, epidemic hospitals, battlefields, and maritime sites such as shipwrecks coaling stations and marine slipways. Over the last eighteen years the Virgin Islands National Park has partnered with many Universities, non-profit organizations and the community in its efforts to grasp a greater understanding of these resources, their preservation, and educational opportunities. This paper highlights these partnerships, the development of an archeological education center, and this complex landscape with historic stories that help shape and preserve the island's heritage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• National Park Service Archeology Outreach and Education at the Centennial   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 56