Return of the Volunteers for Peace

This season our international Volunteers for Peace program returns after a 3 year hiatus. It runs from 9 July to 22 July, as we welcome up to 8 volunteers from around the world. So far, we have volunteers signed up from Germany, Taiwan, Italy, Mexico, Hungary, and The Netherlands. VFP partners with local volunteer organizations in each country, to make it easier to apply for and obtain a visa. You can email them at vfp@vfp.org to ask about partner organizations in your country. A list can also be found on their website at vfp.org.

2019 VFP volunteers with a few other volunteers at Letchworth State Park.

Field Season 2023: Getting a bit back to normal

 Our field season this summer will be a bit more like the pre-pandemic AVP, and we will be running from July 5 until July 31. We are finally able to welcome back our international volunteers through the Volunteers for Peace program! The last VFP group we had was in summer 2019... Stay tuned for more information on scheduling coming up soon! Come and volunteer with us this summer, or just visit a while. Everyone is welcome. 

Field Season 2022

 We have been preparing the volunteer house and the dig site over the last few days, and will be ready for excavation volunteers tomorrow (Tuesday 7/12). We have been at the site off and on, and it is as beautiful as ever down there, though a bit dry. Walk-on volunteering is welcome, though be sure to bring plenty to drink and a bag lunch if you plan to stay the full day. We generally dig from about 9:30 until about 4:00. Email avp.archaeology@gmail.com if you're in need of directions. 

Summer 2022

 Our summer 2022 program will run for three weeks, from July 10 until July 30. Unfortunately, we will not have the international program this year, but hope to have it up and running again for 2023. See you in the field!

Ground Breaking

Today we got the volunteer house situated, and tomorrow we'll be setting up the field area and breaking ground to expose some of the earlier units from which we plan to expand. We'll be in and out of the site, as we're still in set-up mode, but if you stop by and we happen to be there, come on down and say 'Hi!' We're also excited about our new lab space, and we'll be trying that out if it rains this week. 

We can finally confirm that we will be running a scaled-down field season for 2021! Our program will be welcoming volunteers from July 25 through August 14. We will be continuing our investigations at the Canticle Farms site called Bockmier One. It is a Late Woodland village site that was once inhabited by the Ohiyo Haudenosaunee, people who form part of the ancestry of today's Onondagawa (Seneca). Our focus this year will be on identifying the features and structures in the southwest corner if the site, and how they relate to the broader site in general. We will have opportunities for fieldwork and lab work, so come on out and learn a bit about archaeology!

*We will be continuously monitoring and abiding by the CDC recommendations for the continuing pandemic. The Allegheny Valley region has a relatively low vaccination rate, so we are asking that all out-of-state volunteers be vaccinated, to reduce risk of transmission. 

2020 Cancellation of Field Season

It is with great disappointment that I must relay the news that the 2020 Summer Field Season of the Allegheny Valley Project has been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  As a non-profit community archaeology program, the Allegheny Valley Project brings people together for research and education in a hands-on environment. Our archaeology volunteers work in close quarters from the excavation units and screening stations in the field to the processing stations in the lab.  Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to practice social distancing, a necessary policy as the pandemic persists. While many of our volunteers are local to the New York and Pennsylvania area, we have a large contingent of volunteers that travel from other parts of the US, and our International Program with Volunteers for Peace brings participants from across the globe. In addition, our volunteers are of all ages and abilities, and many of our volunteers are in particularly vulnerable populations. We considered a scaled back season held later in the summer, but the Allegheny Valley Project would not be the same experience without the full contingent and range of volunteers that form our community. We will resume our field excavations in the summer of 2021. In the meantime, we hope that all of our volunteers across the globe have a safe and cheerful rest of 2020. I will miss you all this summer, but look forward to seeing you in 2021!

2020 Field Season

Our 2020 Field Season will run earlier than normal, from May 25 to June 27. Mark your calendars! Our VFP international volunteers program will run from June 6 to June 20. Once again, we will be excavating at the Canticle Farms site called Bockmier One. It is a Late Woodland village site that was once inhabited by the Ohiyo Haudenosaunee, people who form part of the ancestry of today's Onondagawa (Seneca). 

Mid-Season Update

This past weekend we bid farewell to our international volunteer cohort. Though our VFP volunteers have returned home, Season 2019 is still rolling along. We are still open to volunteers of all ages and abilities, and site visitors as well. Come on down and see us at the Canticle Farm Market building on Old State Road in Allegany, NY. We'll likely be out back. Way out back.

From left, Andrea and Jill consult with Cristina on recording features in a unit.

Andrea carries a handful of garlic plants to the root clipping station. We help out Canticle Farm for letting us dig at their farm.

Andrea, Ata, Andrea and Josué at Letchworth State Park.

Judith and the crew check out Middle Falls.

First Few Weeks

Our first few weeks at the AVP have been quite eventful. We opened up previously excavated units to examine our identified features. We also welcomed our International cohort, who immediately began to find amazing artifacts. A few of our local friends have popped by, and we'd like to see more of you. We'll be at the site Thursday and Friday, though on Friday we'll close a bit early to attend the Pow Wow. We'll be back Monday the 22nd and excavate through the week.

International volunteers at the screens. From left, Ata from Turkey, Irineo from Mexico, and Cristina from California (originally from Spain, via Germany...it's complicated).

More of a pot that was first discovered at the end of last season.

Stephanie from Rochester and Daryll from England measure in even more pottery before removal.

One of our Andreas from Italy works with a wood tool (aka a skewer).

Ata works with Judith from France and Cristina (hiding in back) to repair a screen.

From left, Jan from the Czech Republic, Ata, Irineo, our other Andrea from Italy, and Cristina process artifacts on a rainy Wednesday morning.

Find of the week: a rim sherd that appears to pre-date our village.

Julia from Germany excavates a large section of pottery.

Andrea looks on as Cristina shows a biface fragment she found.

Cristina's biface fragment: a Jack's Reef base.

A curious site visitor.

AVP VFP 2019

This season, our international Volunteers for Peace program will run from July 13 to July 27, as we welcome up to 8 volunteers from around the world. VFP partners with local volunteer organizations in each country, to make it easier to apply for and obtain a visa. You can email them at vfp@vfp.org to ask about partner organizations in your country. A list can also be found on their website at
www.vfp.org. The AVP project code is VFP-STV05-19.

Field Season 2019

Our dates for the 2019 season are official: July 8 through August 15. We are gearing up for another great season of archaeology and education! See you soon!

                         Potsherd with ancient repairs evident from Bockmier One.

New Features to Map

We're beginning to get a clearer picture of the features in the southwest corner of the field. In addition to the thermal feature (orange area), few postmolds have turned up (dark circular stains), and we will follow them to see if a structure was present.

Leonie examines an artifact she found during excavations at Canticle Farm's Bockmier Site.

7th Annual Overlook Photo

We made it up to the overlook once again, for the seventh annual installment...

(click to enlarge)

Meet the International Volunteers

Every year we host a new cohort of volunteers who participate int he Volunteers for Peace program, and this year seven volunteers are joining us from across Europe.

Leonie, here seen working the screens, is from Berlin, Germany.

Patrick, our only American VFP volunteer, hails from Arlington, Virginia, though he has traveled extensively.

Amaury is from Nancy, in eastern France.

Nathan lives in Sabran, in southern France.

Javier, seen excavating in a test unit, spends part of the year in Barcelona, and part in Girona, Spain.

Anna comes to us from Brno, in Czechia.

Emil lives in Espoo, in southern Finland. 

Come on down to the dig to meet and work with them!

Season 2018 Underway!

Come on out and visit or volunteer at the Canticle Farm North Fields (behind the market) just west of Allegany, NY.

Volunteers screen for artifacts at the Bockmier One site at Canticle Farm.

2018 International Volunteer Program

This year the AVP welcomes up to 8 international volunteers through Volunteers for Peace, a non-profit volunteer placement group. VFP volunteers must pay their travel expenses to and from Allegany, NY, but while here, food and lodging are covered by volunteer contributions. This year our VFP volunteers will be here for two weeks (07 July to 21 July). VFP partners with local volunteer organizations in each country, to make it easier to apply and obtain a visa. You can email them at vfp@vfp.org to ask about partner organizations in your country. For more information, you can visit www.vfp.org. The AVP project code is VFP-STV05-18, found here.

SUNY JCC and AVP Summer Archaeological Field School Information

JCC is once again offering a discount tuition rate for the 6 credit field school. This year tuition is just $594 for New York residents with a certificate of residence (COR), and $1188 for out-of-state students, and residents without a COR. Additional fees total $76.50 for residents and non-residents. Registration forms can be found at http://www.sunyjcc.edu/credit-course-schedules/pdf/JCC%20summer%202018%20advisement%20registration%20forms.pdf and should be filled out as follows:
CMP = JM    CRN = 3179    SBJ = ANT    CR HRS = 6    COURSE FEE = (leave blank)
COURSE TITLE = ANT 2010 Discount Tuition Arch Field School.

Enter the discount tuition amount ($594 with COR or $1188 without) in the TUITION box, enter $52.50 in the TECHNOLOGY FEE box, and enter $24 in the LEARNING NETWORK FEE box. Add up tuition and fees and enter into the TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED box ($670.50 with COR, $1264.50 without), include payment, and mail to the address indicated on the form.

For more information on tuition, fees or the registration process, email Shannon Bessette at ShannonBessette@mail.sunyjcc.edu . For more information about the field school itself, food/lodging options, and the project in general, email Steve Howard at avp.archaeology@gmail.com 

Summer Field School 2018

(click image to enlarge)

Registration and tuition information will be posted here soon. In the meantime, you can contact Shannon at JCC (shannonbessette@mail.sunyjcc.edu) or Steve at AVP (avp.archaeology@gmail.com) for current information.