Orphaned Collections and The Curation Crisis in the Time of COVID-19

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The purpose of this research is to establish a chronology of excavations at Fort Le Boeuf, PA, to locate and summarize archaeological reports, and determine the locations of fort artifact collections. The resulting document provides a basis for potential future scholarship and/or excavation.

Excavations were conducted at Fort Le Boeuf at various times by several entities beginning in the 1930’s. This poses a significant problem while attempting to study excavation related materials as they are in disparate and sometimes unknown locations. Access to various institutions is further compounded by COVID-19 guidelines.

George Washington was sent to Fort Le Boeuf in 1753 by the Governor of Virginia to inform the French they were trespassing on English soil. The events following this encounter led to the start of the French and Indian War which impacted both the New World and Europe.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology