This is the place to find out the latest developments in the AVP. Find out what new archaeological discoveries have been made, and find out how to volunteer for an archaeological investigation.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

The site is behind 4316 South Nine Mile Road. There is parking in the corral next to the barn. Please walk down the drive to the right of the small mobile home on the parcel.

Field Workshop

Today is the first field workshop, 9 to 11am, then volunteer hours begin! Today we will focus on setting up the grid and locating the old excavation units. Over the next few days, we will expand the excavation at Feature 3, and we will be testing other anomalies that were revealed with a device called a gradiometer.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The scheduled "day off" on Monday will be a fieldwork day from 9am to 3pm.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Field Season 2012 is almost here! Funding for this season's equipment and supplies comes mainly from donations from D. Hornburg, A. Altenburg and J. Patton. We have several local volunteers registered, and a few from not-so-local places like New Hampshire and Virginia. As the first full-scale season of the project, this is our "test run," so to speak. We are still working on a shoe-string budget, and have allowed ourselves some flexibility to learn what works and what doesn't. It promises to be an exciting season!
This blog will serve as a communications window during the field season, with updates at least every few days. Any scheduling changes that may occur will also be posted here.
On a more somber note, during preparations for this season, I learned that Jim Bockmier passed away on February 23. Through the years, Jim has graciously allowed countless investigations on his farm, from field surveys, to test excavations to a SUNY Geneseo field school that ran there for two summers. He was a great friend and the most intelligent agriculturalist I have ever met. He taught me much about the processes he used to produce his famous sweet corn and other produce. He was always interested to hear about the archaeological work that went on in the Allegany area, including on his acreage. Jim, you will be missed.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Volunteer registration

Volunteer spots are still available on most days, and all workshops are still open to new participants. Register today to ensure your spots. (Just email to sph1@email.com or showard@austincc.edu with your preferred dates. It's that easy.)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Workshops

The calendar below lists eight workshops, held at various times throughout the field season. The topics for these workshops are as follows:
June 30 (9-11am): site preparation and grid setup, and mapping
July 5 (5-7pm): lab skills and curation
July 6 (5:30-7:30pm): plan and profile drawing, and site photography
July 10 (9-11am): technology and artifact identification
July 12 (10am-12pm): artifact identification and seriation
July 13 (5:30-7:30pm): Cultural Resource Management
July 15 (5:30-7:30pm): non-invasive reconnaissance
July 19 (10am-12pm): lab skills and curation, artifact identification
Workshops are free and open to the public, but space is limited, so register soon (simply email sph1@email.com to reserve a spot). Lab workshops (July 5, 12 and 19) will be at the lab location (still to be determined, but in the Allegany area), and all other workshops are held at the Karl Site.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Spring Newsletter/Calendar

The Spring 2012 newsletter has been sent, and includes the calendar for the summer field season. Below is the calendar, which is subject to change due to weather, field conditions and other unforseen circumstances. All changes will be posted here and emailed to registered volunteers.

June

      29 – site preparations

      30 – 9-11am: field workshop

               11am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

 July

      1 – 11am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      2 – site closed/rain date

      3 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      4 – 9am-4pm: field volunteer shifts

             11am-3pm: site open to visitors

      5 – lab preparations

             5-7pm: lab workshop

      6 – 9am-4pm: field volunteer shifts

             5:30-7:30pm: field workshop

      7 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

            11am-5pm: site open to visitors

      8 – site closed/rain date

      9 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      10 – 9-11am: field workshop

              11am-7pm: field volunteer shifts

      11 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      12 – 10am-12pm: lab workshop

               1-7pm: lab volunteer shifts

      13 – 9am-4pm: field volunteer shifts

               5:30-7:30pm: field workshop

      14 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

              11am-5pm: site open to visitors

      15 – 9am-4pm: field volunteer shifts

              4:30-6:30pm: field workshop

      16 – site closed/rain date

      17 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      18 – 10am-7pm: field volunteer shifts

      19 – 10am-12pm: lab workshop

               1-7pm: lab volunteer shifts

      20 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts

      21 – 9am-3pm: field volunteer shifts

               10am-3pm: site open to visitors     

               3:30-5:30pm: site closing

Monday, March 19, 2012

2012 Field Season

The 2012 Field Season schedule is being finalized this week. I looks like it will last three weeks, encompassing four weekends, most likely in July. Field participants are limited to 6-8 per day, and the field operations will occur 5 days per week. Email sph1@email.com to schedule your volunteer slot. Early registrants have the most flexibility in choosing days, times, etc. You may volunteer for fieldwork for a half-day, one day, a weekend, a week, two weeks or the full three week period. Lab days will be Thursdays and rainy days. Open hours in the field are 9-6 or 7, and in the lab are 10-7. Partial shifts and half-days are available (most work usually occurs between 10 and 3). Lunch is usually between 12 and 1. The official 2012 schedule should be ready by next week and will be posted here and in the newsletter.