South Glastonbury, CT —The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH), the Office of State Archaeology (OSA), and the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology, Inc. (FOSA) are pleased to be once again offering their weeklong Archaeology Field School for Adults.

Participants will gain hands on experience contributing to an authentic and significant archaeological investigation, working with primary sources at an 17th-century colonial site in South Glastonbury, Connecticut. Days will start at 9am and end at 3pm, with a break for a brown bag lunch. The Office of State Archaeology has had an ongoing research program at this site since 2015. To-date they have uncovered a range of archaeological features, including filled cellars, storage pits, and evidence of earth-fast construction. The filled cellars have incredibly well-preserved assemblages of domestic, architectural, and food-related artifacts, including animal bones, charred plant remains, and European and Indigenous-made pottery. The site has tremendous potential to shed light on early Colonial period cultural interactions, trade relations, economic practices, architecture, foodways, and lifeways.

The field school will continue the work at this important site while covering the basics of field methods, paperwork, mapping, data management, and artifact identification. The program is designed to provide a deeper appreciation of the importance of archaeology as a tool for learning about Connecticut’s fascinating past. Learning proper archaeological methods will develop the participant’s understanding of the ethical aspects of archaeology and the archaeologist’s responsibility to preserve the data they retrieve so that it will remain valuable to future researchers.

The Archaeological Field School is taught by Connecticut State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman with assistance from FOSA, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology through education, public outreach, partnerships with local communities, financial support, and public assistance.

While the program is open to all adults, it may be of special interest to educators who teach history or social science in a classroom or museum setting. Space for this program is limited and registration closes on Monday July 31 or when all spots are full.

Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs/ for more information and to register. 

If you require accommodations to participate, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or [email protected] by July 31.

The Office of State Archaeology is a part of the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, which is unit of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut.