September 2007, Archeology E-Gram
NPS Archeologist Wins Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award
In a ceremony in August in Washington D.C., Bob Mierendorf, Johnnie
Powell, and Alexa Roberts received 2006 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for
Excellence in Cultural Resources Stewardship and Management. “Each of
these 2006 award winners, these shining stars of the NPS, inspires all
of us to follow their example,” said NPS Director Mary A. Bomar.
Bob Mierendorf, archeologist at North Cascades NP for the past 20 years,
most recently as Park Archeologist, received the award for Cultural
Resources Management. Mierendorf directed excavation of a high altitude
site in the park and made several significant discoveries in his
on-going work to promote excellence in high-mountain archeology. Nearly
9,000 years of human history are revealed at the site – the first
documented well-stratified archeological site of its kind in the
sub-alpine environment of the northern Cascades range of Washington and
British Columbia. Mierendorf’s work at Cascade Pass is significant not
just for creating a greater depth of understanding of high-mountain
archeology but for re-defining regional perceptions of human history.
The award for Cultural Resource Stewardship through Maintenance was
presented to Johnnie Powell, supervisor of the Historic Preservation
Crew at Denali NP&P, which perform stabilization, rehabilitation, and
restoration on the park’s historic structures. Powell’s projects have
ranged from replacing sill logs to rehabilitating roof systems using
specialized treatments in order to match the original construction. He
continually explores better methods for addressing issues like
accessibility, ventilation, infiltration, thermal performance, and
condensation.
The award for Cultural Resource Stewardship by Superintendents was
presented to Alexa Roberts, Superintendent at Sand Creek Massacre NHS
where she has been involved with the site from inception through
establishment and dedication. In 2006, Roberts led three major efforts
related to the park’s establishment and management of cultural resources
at Sand Creek. She nurtured relationships and coordinated partner
involvement towards the 2007 public opening and dedication, planned for
post-establishment public use, and, successfully negotiated the transfer
of Tribal lands. Her leadership includes arranging for eight CESU
resource studies (including a National Register Determination, an
ethnobotanical study, and a tribal cultural resources research project)
and on-going work with tribes and neighbors on pressing issues,
including fire management.
The Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for Excellence in Cultural Resource
Management was established in 1970. It is named for three
well-respected, longtime National Park Service employees: historian Roy
E. Appleman, historical architect Henry A. Judd, and curator Ralph H.
Lewis.
President’s House Dig Temporarily Closed
In August, Independence NHP and the City of Philadelphia temporarily
covered the President’s House archeological site in order to protect the
18th and 19th century architectural findings from further deterioration.
More than 250,000 visitors have visited the public viewing platform to
witness the excavations at this extraordinary place.
A closing event hosted by the team of archeologists who had worked on
the excavation was held on July 31st. The ceremonial event included
comments from acting superintendent Darla Sidles, officials with the
City of Philadelphia, and the team of archeologists who were responsible
for the dig that has caught the nation’s attention over the past four
months. The ceremony also recognized and honored the nine enslaved
Africans, Hercules, Oney Judge, Paris, Richmond, Austin, Moll, Joe,
Giles, and Christopher Sheels, who worked for President Washington.
Ayoka Quinones, a Yoruba priestess, and Mukasa Afrika led the ceremonial
elements of the event.
In light of the archeological discoveries and at the request of the
mayor of Philadelphia, a task force was assembled in June 2007 to
evaluate options for incorporating the archeological findings into the
preliminary design plan that was prepared by the Kelly/Maiello team
before the dig began. After further research, a final report with
recommendations will be prepared. The site will remain covered until
incorporated into a permanent installation commemorating the President’s
House.
For more information about the President’s Site excavations, go to
http://www.nps.gov/inde/parkmgmt/publicinvolvement.htm
Federal Archeology Program Web pages Updated
The NPS Archeology Program has added numerical data for FY2004-2005 to
the Secretary’s Report to Congress (SRC) web pages on the Archeology
Program web site. These data consist of the compilation of numerical
responses to the questionnaire on the Federal Archeology Program that is
administered annually by the NPS. The SRC web pages now provide access
to 30 years of numerical data and reports about the Federal Archeology
Program, from 1985 to 2005.
To access these resources about the Federal Archeology Program, go to
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/SRC/INDEX.HTM
NPS SEAC Has History
The NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) has announced the
availability of an administrative history of SEAC, Science, Politics,
and the “Big Dig,” by Cameron Binkley. The history traces SEAC from its
beginnings in excavations at the McDougal mound, Ocmulgee NM, GA,
through the years of association with Florida State University, to the
present.
More broadly, Binkley traces the role of archeology in cultural resource
management and its relationship with historic preservation. The study
reveals how NPS archeology developed along lines distinctive from other
cultural resource professions and effectively highlights the critical
role that Federal archeology has played in preserving the cultural
heritage of the Southeast. This case study of the growth and survival
of a regional archeology program within a Federal agency will be of
interest to historians, preservationists, and political scientists, as
well as archeologists. The book is solidly rooted in the history of the
NPS and the broader national trends in the field of archeology. The
inclusion of historical context and the level of analysis and commentary
ensure that this history will have a broad appeal and usefulness both
within and outside of the NPS.
To learn more about SEAC, go to http://www.nps.gov/history/seac/.
New Museum at Gettysburg To Open in Spring
Construction is underway on a new museum/visitor center at Gettysburg
NMP. This 139,000-square-foot facility will contain a visitor center, a
24,000-square-foot museum of Gettysburg during the Civil War, a gallery
to display the restored Gettysburg Cyclorama painting, curatorial space,
office space, a refreshment saloon, and a book and museum store. When
completed, the museum will consist of more than a dozen rooms and more
than nine interactive exhibits.
The new center will also include a place for visitors to check
historical records through a computer system and a collections storage
area that will allow researchers better access to the park's
archeological objects and documents. Outside the museum, a
special-exhibits area will host temporary displays of artifacts from
other national parks or even private collections, and an open-storage
area will house artifacts not currently on display.
The new museum and visitor center will open to the public in April, but
grand opening events will not take place until September, 2008.
The $103 million project is being paid for by the nonprofit Gettysburg
Foundation. Funds are being raised by the foundation, which will also
operate the facility on behalf of the NPS. For more information about
the Gettysburg Foundation “Campaign to Preserve Gettysburg” go to
www.gettysburgfoundation.org.
NPS Selects Archeologist for Cultural Resources Position
The NPS has announced the selection of Daniel Odess as Assistant
Associate Director, Park Cultural Resources Programs. Odess was Curator
of Archaeology at the University of Alaska Museum and taught in the
Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. In these
positions, he served as department head and curator of more than 850,000
objects. He supervised the museum’s collections management, staff and
students, and established and maintained relationships between the
museum and tribal and governmental agencies. Odess has held grants for
archeological research from the NPS and NSF, as well as funding through
cooperative agreements with the FWS and BLM.
Odess began his career as an archeological crew member on the Saint John
Island Project in Newfoundland, Canada. Subsequent positions included
museum studies instructor, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown
University; NAGPRA consultant, Milwaukee Public Museum; and
post-doctoral research archeologist, Arctic Studies Center, National
Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution). He is co-editor of
Honoring Our Elders: A History of Eastern Arctic Archaeology and author
of numerous articles on archeology of Alaska and the Arctic region.
Odess holds a Ph.D. degree in anthropology from Brown University.
Odess will coordinate NPS Park Historic Structures and Cultural
Landscapes, Park History, Park Museum Management, Archeology, and Park
Ethnography programs. He will begin his new position on October 29,
2007.
Archeological Resources in “Teaching with Historic Places”
Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) (www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/), now
in its 17th year, is a well-established history resource that offers
more than 130 curriculum-based lesson plans about historic places on the
National Register of Historic Places. These lesson plans use historic
sites to explore American history. Aimed at middle school students, the
lesson plans can be adapted both for older and younger grades and link
to the national Curriculum Standards for History for Grades 5-12, and
Social Studies standards for middle school. The lesson plans focus on
historic places - as tangible links to the past and as sources of
evidence - to help teach academic subjects, raise awareness of available
information about places, and foster an appreciation for the value of
cultural resources.
Less well-known, however, is the fact that ten of the lesson plans have
an archeological focus.
The archeology lesson plans are an eclectic mix of historic themes and
time periods that include transportation (King of Prussia Inn, PA);
mining (Johnson Lake Mine, NV); settlement (Frederica, GA); and
ironworking (Saugus, MA). There are also lesson plans about a pre-Civil
War interracial town (New Philadelphia, IL); and Native American
settlements (Gran Quivera, NM, and Knife River, ND). The lesson plans
are an excellent way to introduce students to archeological concepts and
the unique information and perspectives that archeology can provide. To
obtain a list of lesson plans with an archeological focus choose
“Archeology” on the Lesson Plan Index: Theme page <
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/descrip.htm> of TwHP.
The program will soon launch the first lesson plan in Spanish, The
Spanish Treasure Fleets of 1715 and 1733: Disasters Strike at Sea.
To learn more about Teaching with Historic Places, visit the website at
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp. More information about Teaching
with Historic Places is available in "History in the Hands of Tomorrow's
Citizens,” by Carol Shull and Beth Boland at
http://crm.cr.nps.gov/archive/23-08/23-08-1.pdf. The article was
published in the Cultural Resource Management issue Creative Teaching
with Historic Places (CRM Vol. 23, No. 8, 2000). Another useful article
is “Teaching with Historic Places Looks Back, Looks Forward,” (Forum
Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, Fall 2004).
(This news item is part of a series on archeological resources in the
NPS. See the June issue for archeological resources on the History
Program website, and the July issue for archeological resources in
HABS/HAER/HALS.)
New Finding Aid for NPS at National Archives
The NPS Park History Program has revised the finding aid for the records
of the NPS (Record Group 79) at the National Archives at College Park,
MD. It contains descriptions of all records in the record group
(including textual, cartographic, and electronic records, and still and
motion pictures), which collectively represent more than 200 years of
history, from 1785 to 2002. This remarkable group of records contains
something for everyone interested in the history of the NPS and the
National Park System. NPS staff, archivists, historians, and local and
family history enthusiasts will all find something of value in this
revised finding aid.
Find the link on the Park History Program website:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/index.htm
Petroglyph Management & Protection
Petroglyph NM will host the first Bi-National Workshop on Petroglyph
Management and Protection. This exciting workshop will bring together
experts from the U.S. and Mexico to discuss development issues and
conservation techniques from September 19-21. Three hundred people from
federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal areas, and
universities are expected to attend. Over 55 national parks have either
petroglyphs (carvings) or pictographs (paintings).
For more information, contact Joseph P. Sánchez at (505)899-0205 or
(505)346-2890.
FS Unveils Heritage Information Management System
In a series of briefings in July, the FS National Heritage Program
presented the FS Heritage Information Management System. This system
uses the FS I-Web database to maintain information about archeological
sites, projects, and project costs nation-wide. Ready access to
archeological information will accelerate NHPA Section 106 review, which
constitutes over 90% of the agency cultural heritage compliance needs.
Mike Kaczor, FS National Heritage Program Leader, estimates that the
data system will improve efficiency in Section 106 review by 30%. He
anticipates that the Heritage Information Management System will allow
the FS to shift the current focus on cultural resources to emphasize
resource management.
The Information Management System replaces regional and local
idiosyncratic systems that were in place 10 years ago. The FS began
uploading cultural resource records in 2002; the data system currently
contains about 222,000 records pertaining to archeological sites,
cultural landscapes, and architectural resources. The team anticipates
completion of input of existing data, a total of 340,000 records, in
2008. The FS Information Management System offers a unique system of
state-based lists of cultural resource values and site forms, to
accommodate specific SHPO needs.
Contact: Mike Kaczor, FS National Heritage Program Leader, (202)
205-1427
MMS Investigates 200 year old Shipwreck in Gulf of Mexico
This past summer, archaeologists from the DOI Minerals Management
Service (MMS) and Texas A&M University’s Department of Oceanography and
Nautical Archaeology Program investigated a historic shipwreck located
in Federal waters 40 miles off the Louisiana coast. The shipwreck site
lies in 4,000 feet of water. This record water depth makes it the
deepest shipwreck in the world ever to be scientifically excavated for a
non-commercial purpose. The shipwreck was discovered along the route of
a gas pipeline in what was then the Mardi Gras Gas Transportation System
operated by Okeanos Gas Gathering Company (OGGC). The excavation is
funded by the OGGC through an agreement with the MMS.
The actual identity of the ship is not yet known; archeologists have
dubbed it the “Mardi Gras Shipwreck” after the pipeline where it was
found. Using deep sea robots, called Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs),
scientists viewed the wreck through cameras in depths that are many
times deeper than divers can reach and would crush most manned
submersibles. The archaeologists speculate that the ship was a small
merchant vessel or, possibly, a privateer and that it sank sometime
between 1780 and 1820. The ship carried a cannon and a wooden chest
filled with small arms, such as pistols, muskets, and swords.
“This wreck dates from an extremely fascinating and important time in
the history of the Gulf of Mexico,” said MMS Acting Regional Director
Lars Herbst. “This ship likely sailed around the time of the Louisiana
Purchase, the War of 1812, and the infamous buccaneer Jean Lafitte. Its
recovery will tell a story about what life at sea was like at that time
that cannot be found in the history books.”
The excavation relied entirely on a robotic ROV operating from a
265-foot long ship positioned over the site. Both the ship and ROV are
under contract with Veolia Environmental Services, the world’s
second-largest waste services company. The ROV is equipped with special
tools to photograph, map, and recover artifacts as fragile as an
hourglass, of which at least three have been seen so far on the
shipwreck, or as large as the cast-iron ship’s stove, one of only four
such stoves known to exist in the world. Artifacts recovered from the
site will be donated to the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation,
and Tourism for display at one of the facilities of the Louisiana State
Museum.
A web site, hosted by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, provides
regular updates from the expedition team. The public can take part in
the discoveries as they are made at sea by visiting
http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/mardigras/.
Draft of ICOMOS Interpretation and Presentation Charter Finished
The International Scientific Committee of Interpretation and
Presentation has completed a final draft of the ICOMOS Charter on
Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites, to be
presented for ratification at the 16th ICOMOS General Assembly in
Quebec, Canada, in October. The purpose of the charter, also known as
the Ename Charter, is to define the basic principles of interpretation
and presentation as essential components of heritage conservation
efforts and as a means of enhancing public appreciation and
understanding of cultural heritage sites.
The charter, which has been in preparation since 2002, responds to the
growth of elaborate heritage ‘theme-parks’ world-wide. Recognizing that
there are many benefits to be derived from this form of engagement with
the public, the charter seeks to establish principles upon which
interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage should be based.
The objectives of the charter are to: 1. facilitate understanding and
appreciation of cultural heritage sites; 2. communicate the meaning of
cultural heritage sites to wide range of audiences through careful
scholarship and living cultural traditions; 3. protect the tangible and
intangible values of the sites; 4. respect and protect the authenticity
of cultural heritage sites; 5. contribute to sustainable conservation of
sites; 6. encourage inclusiveness in development and implementation of
interpretive programs; and 7. develop technical and professional
guidelines for cultural heritage interpretation and presentation that
are appropriate to specific social contexts.
For more information about the ICOMOS and about this charter go to
http://www.icomos.org/ or http://www.enamecharter.org/
Project in Parks: Archaeological Investigations at Canaveral NS
Canaveral National Seashore, established in 1975, and located along
Florida’s eastern coast, is associated with the intrepid spirit of men
and women who explored and, in a limited way, colonized outer space from
the nearby Kennedy Space Center. It is also associated with another
fascinating story of exploration and colonization. In the mid-1500s,
both France and Spain simultaneously promoted settlement of the New
World, an environment that was almost as unknown at that time as space
was in the 20th century. Both countries sought control over the eastern
coast of La Florida, identified by Juan Ponce de Leon 40 years earlier.
Recently published archeological investigations at Canaveral NS have
uncovered evidence to better understand the conflict between French and
Spanish settlers, and the fate of defeated French survivors.
NPS employees who can access the NPS intranet can read the full report
by going to Projects in Parks
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=279&id=3670 on
InsideNPS. Other readers can access the full report through the News
and Links page http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm
on the Archeology Program website.
Archeology E-Gram, distributed via e-mail on a regular basis, includes
announcements about news, new publications, training opportunities,
national and regional meetings, and other important goings-on related to
public archeology in the National Park Service and other public
agencies. Recipients are encouraged to forward Archeology E-Grams to
colleagues and relevant mailing lists. The Archeology E-Gram is
available on the News and Links page
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm on the Archeology Program
website.
Contact: Karen Mudar, [log in to unmask] to contribute news items,
stories for “Projects in Parks,” and to subscribe.
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