Saturday, October 30, 2021
Hidden Stories: Uncovering African American History Through Archaeology and Community Engagement
The lives of African Americans prior to the 20th century are poorly documented in the historic record and frequently biased. In addition, the contributions of enslaved, indentured, and free African Americans are mostly missing from our history books and museum exhibits. Archaeology is a method that can be used to help fill this gap in our understanding of past cultural behavior in Pennsylvania. This year’s Workshops in Archaeology will feature an overview of several African American archaeological investigations and community archaeology projects in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic.
Registration: in-person or virtual via Zoom suggested donation of $25.
Visit Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation to register.
Click for a full description of each session. 
9:00 AM Opening Remarks
Beth Hager, Director, The State Museum of Pennsylvania
9:10 AM – 9:30 AM Free Black Communities and Archaeology
Alexandra Jones, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Practice in History and Anthropology, Goucher college, Towson, MD, founder of the Archaeology in the Community, and Consultant, The State Museum of Pennsylvania
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM The Hallowed Ground Project in Pennsylvania
Barbara Barksdale, CTA, Friends of Midland Cemetery, Steelton, PA, and Chair, Hallowed Ground Project
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Break
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM The Role of Archaeology in Bridging Informational Gaps Between Diasporic Communities: A Case Study at Pandenarium, Mercer County
Samantha Taylor, Archaeologist, New South Associates, Greensboro, NC
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Telling Untold Stories of Underrepresented Populations
Angela Jaillet-Wentling M.A., RPS, Cultural Resources Program Coordinator, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
11:30 AM – 12 Noon A Gift to the Nation: The Perkins-Dennis Farm, an African American Farm in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier
Wade P. Catts, RPA, President/Principal, South River Heritage Consulting, LLC, Board Member, Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust
12 Noon – 1:15 PM Lunch Break
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM African American Archaeology in Philadelphia
Douglas Mooney, Senior Archaeologist, AECOM
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM African American Archaeology in Gettysburg
Erik Kreusch, Archaeologist, Gettysburg National Military Park
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM Break
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Communities Reclaiming Ancestral Lands through Public Archaeology: A Case Study from Presidential Plantation
Matthew Reeves, Director of Archaeology, Montpelier Plantation in Virginia, home of President James Madison
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Keynote – Cheryl LaRoche, Ph.D., Lecturer, University of Maryland College Park
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Panel Discussion: The Future of African American Community Archaeology in Pennsylvania – Alexandra Jones, Cheryl LaRoche, Barbara Barksdale, Angela Jaillet-Wentling and Matthew Reeves.
Additional Programming
Available 10:00 – 10:30 AM and 2:15 – 2:30 PM
Site Recording in Cultural Resources Geographic Information System – Noel D. Strattan, PA-SHARE Administrator, Sara-Ladd Clark, PA-SHARE Triage Specialist, Taylor Napoleon, Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey (PASS) Coordinator, Casey Hanson, Eastern Regional Archaeologist and Justin McKeel, Western Regional Archaeologist
State Historic Preservation Office, PHMC
Artifact Identification – Jim Herbstritt, Historic Preservation Specialist, and Janet Johnson, Curator, Section of Archaeology, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, PHMC
Recording of archaeological sites is an essential task in protecting and preserving our archaeological resources. Assistance in identifying artifacts and recording the archaeological sites from which they came will be provided by these qualified individuals.
Presented in association with:
Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology,
and Pennsylvania Archaeological Council