Public Archaeology

My Definition of Public Archaeology includes:

Stimulates public interest in the study of archaeology through the use of demonstrations of archaeological techniques and analyzes, workshops, training in excavation and recovery of artifacts and features, site tours, displays and exhibits, or the development of educational programs and materials;
Promotes awareness of cultural resources and heritage preservation;
Fosters individual or collective efforts to advance the ethical practice of archaeology.

Goals include

encouraging historic preservation, conservation, and public education
exploration of public memory, localized heritage, and commemorations of the past,
active engagement with local and descendant communities regarding the past, history, and the cultural landscape,
sustain historic places as locales for civic engagement and civil discussions of the past, and
attempt to make archaeology more inclusive and multi-vocal.

Influenced by public archaeology programs around the USA, from 1997 to 2003 I organized a series of small scale projects around Sarasota County in partnership with the Sarasota County Archaeologist. There were pedagogical goals to the endeavor: to offer New College students experiential knowledge in archaeology and historic preservation, to offer service learning opportunities, and to build an archaeology focused on a civic engagement. The projects are illustrated on the webpage Public Archaeology in Sarasota and they include the Paleo-Indian and Archaic period site of Little Salt Spring, the late 19th to early 20th century Rosemary Cemetery, and the early 20th century Venice Train Depot. The endeavor contributed to a National Registry of Historic Places nomination, helped with two museum exhibits at the Sarasota County History Center (2001 and 2006), trained several generations of New College students, and volunteered numerous public presentations and lectures as well as support for other archaeologists involved in public archaeology in the region. Publications from Public Archaeology in Sarasota are slowly coming out.

Looking for Angola

In 2004, I joined a team of scholars looking for an early 19th century maroon community on the Manatee River. The community is known today as Angola. My involvement requires supervision of the archaeological research design which revolves around methodological challenges of locating a maroon community, public archaeology, raising questions for the archaeological and representational aspects of the work, and outreach to a broad audience to encourage local and descendant communities to join in the search.

For a full view on this project, see the webpage hosted by the USF Africana Center LookingforAngola.com

Traces of Our Past

In 2006, a community-based endeavor began the search for the hidden histories of the Manatee River communities. These histories include stories of pre-Columbian Indians and Seminoles, Spanish explorers and Cuban fishermen, free Blacks and enslaved Africans, and Anglo-American men, women, and children. Those hidden histories expand the search for the recent beyond the goals of Looking for Angola. The link to Traces of Our Past is still a work in process (January 2007); the interactive page is not yet working and new materials will be added shortly. I have consulted on the endeavor and presented to the public under its framework. The web page is my first attempt at making the process accessible on the internet and hopefully others will host the collection of information and images as well.

Florida is at the forefront of new approaches to public archaeology. See the Florida Public Archaeology Network - FPAN.

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