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.
Visit YouTube to watch recordings of the 2021 Virtual Workshops in Archaeology.
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
9:40 AM – 10:10 AM The Hallowed Ground Project in Pennsylvania
Barbara Barksdale, CTA, Friends of Midland Cemetery, Steelton, PA, and Chair, Hallowed Ground Project
10:20 AM – 10:50 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)
11:40 AM – 12:10 PM 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
12:10 – 12:45 PM Lunch Break
12:45 PM – 1:15 PM African American Archaeology in Philadelphia
Douglas Mooney, Senior Archaeologist, AECOM
1:25 PM – 1:55 PM African American Archaeology in Gettysburg
Erik Kreusch, Archaeologist, Gettysburg National Military Park
2:05 PM – 2:35 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
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM Keynote – Cheryl LaRoche, Ph.D., Lecturer, University of Maryland College Park
3:25 PM – 4:15 PM Panel Discussion: The Future of African American Community Archaeology in Pennsylvania – Alexandra Jones, Cheryl LaRoche, Barbara Barksdale, Angela Jaillet-Wentling and Matthew Reeves.
African American Community Archaeology – Selected Articles and Resources 10/30/2021
Articles
Book to highlight Perry County’s forgotten history, The Sentinel, February 26, 2012
Dickinson College Project Tells Forgotten Stories of Slavery
Black Settlement on Yellow Hill, Pennsylvania Heritage, Fall 2008
Forgotten African American Cemetery Unearthed American Archaeology Fall 2021 
The Purpose of Archaeology American Archaeology Fall 2021 [link-PDF]
Resources
Dickinson University, House Divided Project – information and educational resources on the Civil War
Millersville University, Slavery & Abolition in the US; Select Publications of the 1800s
Engaging Descendent Communities – James Madison’s Montpelier & National Trust for Historic Preservation African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
African American Historical Society of South-Central Pennsylvania email
Presented in association with:
Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology,
and Pennsylvania Archaeological Council