Archaeology Dig 2007: Fort Vancouver, Washington

Field School in Focus

Today, in our most recent Field School in Focus, project director Doug Wilson reports on the upcoming Fort Vancouver field school, scheduled for June 19--August 4, 2007.

The National Park Service, Portland State University, Washington State University Vancouver, and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust are pleased to announce the seventh annual field school at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The two-part program will introduce the methods and theories of fieldwork in historical archaeology. Students will participate in all aspects of field and laboratory work including survey techniques, positioning units, subsurface excavation methods, mapping, drawing, site photography, as well as cleaning, identifying, cataloging, and analyzing artifacts. The season will also include lectures by visiting scholars, guest speakers and staff.

This year’s project will explore the early (ca. 1846-1880) history of the U.S. Army component of the fort, including excavations at enlisted men's barracks, laundresses’ quarters, officer's quarters, mess halls and related kitchens. Excavations will search for remnants of these buildings, associated middens and shaft features (privy sites) to collect samples of Victorian material culture and the remains of meals. The project will help explore the U.S. Military story at Fort Vancouver during the period of the Indian Wars and the Civil War. Nineteenth century social changes in urban areas of the eastern United States involved the redefinition of the concepts of class, work and home, of public and private space, and the roles of men and women. Information produced from these excavations will help address whether consumer choices made by U.S. Army residents at the fort reflect their personal aspirations and identity with some of the attitudes of broader American society. Results will also help to preserve and interpret sites associated with Officers Row and the Parade Ground.

The National Park Service and its partners are committed to sharing cultural resources and preservation values with the public. The field school is also designed to share cultural resources and preservation values with the public. On a rotating basis, students will discuss field school activities with visitors, interpreting the significance of the site, and the educational purposes of the project.

• Part I: Introduction to Field, Laboratory, and Interpretive Techniques in Historical Archaeology (Tuesday--Saturday, June 19--July 14, 2007)
• Part II: Advanced Techniques in Historical Archaeology (Tuesday--Saturday, July 17--August 4, 2007)

Applications are due May 11, 2007. For additional information, please contact: Dr. Douglas Wilson at Portland State University, (360) 816-6251 or Doug_Wilson@nps.gov; or Dr. Steven Weber at Washington State University at Vancouver. (360) 546-9734 or weber@vancouver.wsu.edu

• Fort Vancouver Project Website
• Archaeology Digs 2007: Western United States
• Archaeology Digs 2007
• More Field Schools in Focus

Photo credits: These photos of Fort Vancouver were provided by Doug Wilson, and are used by courtesy of National Park Service, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.