Processing/Cataloging of Museum Archaeological Materials and Hosting a Public Archaeology Field School at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Project ID: J8W07100029
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Portland State University
Fiscal Year: 2010
Initial Funding: $52,874
Total Funding: $344,469
Project Type: Technical Assistance
Project Disciplines: Cultural
National Park: Fort Vancouver NHS
Principal Investigator: Ames, Kenneth
Agreement Technical Representative: Huff, Elaine
Abstract: Phase I: A significant portion of the archaeological collections at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (FOVA) has not been cataloged or prepared for use and preservation. This collaborative project will process and catalog these archaeological materials, as well as create finding aids. The objects and associated documentation will then be more available to researchers, which is part of the larger National Park Service (NPS) objective to support public archaeology and curation efforts. Increased intellectual and physical control over the objects will ensure that goals of security and preservation are met, a necessary element of professional management of collections held in the public trust. In addition, the project will provide NPS staff at FOVA with more easily accessible data for planning and management of park resources. Students will be trained and closely supervised by the NPS Curator, and gain valuable hands-on educational experiences in handling, cataloging, and storing museum artifacts.
NOTE: Dbse had start date as 8/15/2010, edited on 4/14/2015 to correct it to 9/10/2010.
Phase II: The National Park Service (NPS), Portland State University, and Washington State University Vancouver, plan to conduct a field school in historical archaeology at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The program will introduce the methods and theories of fieldwork in historical archaeology. Students will participate in all aspects of field and laboratory work: laying out units, excavation by shovel and trowel, mapping, drawing, photography, and cleaning, identifying, and analyzing artifacts. The season will also include lectures by guest speakers and staff. On a rotating basis, students will discuss the field school activities with visitors, interpreting the significance of the site and the educational purposes of the project. They will also participate in interpretive outreach activities with visiting school kids, and in the kids dig program at Fort Vancouver. In addition, a program coordinator for the Engaging Youth in Cultural Resources and Education program with experience in public archaeology will bring in disadvantaged and non-traditional youth from the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area to visit the site throughout the field school.
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