2007 October Event
Program — Schedule
10:00 am
Welcome
Jed Levin (National Park Service)
Douglas Mooney (Philadelphia Archaeological Forum)
Presented Talks
Calendars and Comets An artifact excavated in Old City, Philadelphia is showing us how our colonial forbearers kept track of dates. We don’t know everything about this object yet but we have a good start: We know that it is a calendar medal and that it was produced for use in the year 1758. This item is also providing us a small peak into some pretty big changes taking place in the 18th century. (Patrice L. Jeppson)
Patrice L Jeppson has conducted research on 18th and 19th-century sites in the eastern United States and South Africa, and 19th- and 20th-century sites in the American West. She is currently teaching at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Patti is project leader for the Archaeology for the public web project at http://archaeology.saa.org/.
The Brushmaker and the Water Well In 1786, Ebenezer Robinson did something seemingly unexceptional — he built a well behind his North 5th Street home. The excavation of that well in 2001, however, sparked a series of discoveries that provide uncommonly personal and provocative insights into the life, mind, and character of a long forgotten Philadelphia Quaker. (Douglas Mooney)
Doug Mooney is the current President of the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum and a Senior Archaeologist with URS Corporation. His recent projects include the National Constitution Center, James Dexter, and President’s House sites in Independence National Historical Park.
Chewing on the Bones: Investigating Colonial Philadelphia Foodways and Cuisine from Archaeological Animal Bones and Historic Cookbooks Philadelphia culinary history involves more than just a discussion of cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. In fact, the city had many great food traditions long before these now-famous foods were even around. These older food trends require a bit more resourcefulness to discover since many of them are no longer obvious or available. An historical archaeological perspective on Philadelphia cuisine is one way to begin to look into some of this interesting history. (Teagan Schweitzer)
Teagan Schweitzer is a graduate student in the Anthropology Department at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology. Her dissertation focuses on the cuisine and food habits of Philadelphians during the period 1750 to 1850. She is a native of Michigan, with her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan. She is delighted to be working on a dissertation which allows her to indulge in her love of all things food-related.
11:00 am
Presented Talks
Partnering in a South Philadelphia Dig: The Washington Avenue Bioarchaeology Project In addition to its reputation as the “cradle of cheesesteak cuisine”, South Philadelphia was the birthplace of a grassroots effort to provide the proper treatment and reburial for 9 adults and 6 children whose skeletal remains were discovered during a water main installation project in the Fall of 2001. This presentation documents the 4-year journey that these deceased individuals made from Washington Avenue to Laurel Hill Cemetery, and the remarkable volunteer effort that resulted in a dignified and distinguished reburial in 2006. (Arthur Washburn)
Art Washburn received his Ph.D. in biological anthropology from Temple University and is currently a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology at Temple University School of Medicine where he teaches human gross anatomy. His research has focused on primate and human dentitions, or teeth. Art has been involved in numerous bioarchaeology projects in Philadelphia and in other areas throughout the Northeast US. He is a forensic anthropological consultant with the Philadelphia Medical Examiners’ Office and with other ME’s in some of the surrounding counties, and he is a frequent lecturer in some of the area’s forensic science/medicine programs.
Taking a Closer Look at Philadelphia’s Early Poor Population: A Study of the City Almshouse 1732-1767 For the past few years, archaeology students from Temple University have been investigating a privy associated with Philadelphia’s first Almshouse, or ‘home for the poor’. Located on Cypress Street, in what is now Society Hill, this facility was in operation between 1732 and 1767. Artifacts from this site are shedding new light on the lives of the destitute “inmates” and the administrators and caregivers of this early, Philadelphia institution. (Mara Katkins)
Mara Kaktins is a graduate student in historical archaeology at Temple University and currently working as a materials specialist for URS Corporation. Her research interests are currently focused on improving our understanding of the earliest poor populations in Philadelphia in the 18th century.
Delaware River & Bay Underwater Archaeological Sites A wide variety of shipwrecks associated with the historic port of Philadelphia have been documented in Delaware Bay and River over the last three decades. Maritime archaeologists have discovered and recorded data from 18th century British merchant vessels and Revolutionary War craft, 19th century steamships and canal boats, to 20th century wooden sailing vessels. (J. Lee Cox, Jr.)
J. Lee Cox. Jr. is Maritime Archaeologist with 25 years of professional experience in submerged cultural resources management, historic preservation planning and marine survey. Mr. Cox has participated on more than 150 underwater archaeological projects in 22 states, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Azore Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago since 1982. He has served as the Principal Investigator on more than 75 of those projects since 1987. Mr. Cox is widely recognized in his field and has numerous professional publications. In 1989, Mr. Cox formed Dolan Research, Inc., where he currently serves as Principal Investigator and President.
noon
Archeology Lab Open House
The Independence Living History Center’s Archeology is a facility dedicated to researching and preserving the archaeological heritage of Philadelphia and the Nation within Independence Park. The laboratory is a joint undertaking of the National Constitution Center and the National Park Service. William Hoffman is an archeologist with experience in researching material culture from terrestrial and underwater archaeological sites. He currently serves as Laboratory Director for the Independence Living History Center Archeology Laboratory in Philadelphia. Prior to this position he worked as an underwater archaeologist for the Department of the Interior in New Orleans, LA and as the Laboratory Director for the Ottery Group, a historic preservation consulting firm in Silver Spring, MD.
1:00 pm
Presented Talks
Poverty, Patriots and Pestilence: Archaeological Investigations of Unmarked Burials beneath Philadelphia’s Washington Square In late 2006, a series of historical burials were encountered beneath the northeast corner of Washington Square during the installation of public utility upgrades. The physical remains, representing individuals originally interred within the city’s 18th century Potter’s Field burying ground, were subsequently mapped, photo-documented, and analyzed by archaeologists before being reburied within the Square. (Tony McNichol)
Tony McNichol is currently an Archaeologist with URS Corporation whose recent projects include the investigation of the former Franklin and Monument cemeteries in Philadelphia, as well as a prehistoric settlement site along the Hudson River in upstate New York.
A Candle to Freedom: Archaeological Investigations on the Underground Railroad, Johnson House, Philadelphia, PA Located in Germantown and built in 1768, the Johnson House was the home of five generations of prominent anti-slavery activists. Recent investigations of this property identified the remains of a previously unknown outbuilding and produced more than 1,100 historical artifacts, many dating to the time the house served as an active stop on the Underground Railroad. Continued explorations of this property have the potential to contribute to our understanding of both the Johnson family and those many unnamed individuals who sought refuge in this house during their quest for freedom. (Kimberly Morrell)
Kim Morrell is a Project Archaeologist with Kise Straw & Kolodner, Inc. of Philadelphia, PA. She has been investigating Mid-Atlantic archaeological sites for several years, among which are the National Constitution Center, the Blockley Almshouse Cemetery, and the Wilson Farm Tenancy Site.
Sundries in the Cistern at James Logan’s Stenton Built in 1730 by James Logan, Stenton was and is one of Germantown’s finest colonial homes. Archaeological investigations in 1982 identified the remains of a previously unknown cistern that contained more than twenty thousand mid-eighteenth century artifacts. This presentation highlights many of those objects including a wide assortment of local and imported ceramics and a unique pair of gold cufflinks. (Deborah Miller)
Deborah Miller is an archeologist with the National Park Service where she serves as Assistant Laboratory Director at the Independence Living History Center Archeology Laboratory. Prior to relocating to Philadelphia, she served as Site Administrator at the Flowerdew Hundred Foundation and Archaeologist for the PA Bureau of Historic Preservation. Her research in Philadelphia has focused on the archaeology of Stenton, the eighteenth century home of James Logan in Germantown.
2:00 pm
Presented Talks
The Lost Mills of RittenhouseTown In 1690 the Rittenhouse Family founded a mill village in Philadelphia, building the first paper mill in the British Colonies. After the first paper mill washed away in a flood, two stone paper mills were built in 1703 and pre-1754. When the Fairmont Park Commission acquired the property in the 1890s, the remaining mill structures were destroyed, leaving little of the industrial landscape intact. Archaeology is being conducted at Historic RittenhouseTown in order to locate the mills and to understand the outbuildings seen in pictures and maps. (Katherine Cavallo)
Katherine Cavallo is a second year doctoral student at Temple University having received her BA in sociology/anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Long interested in historical archaeology, Katie has previously worked at sites in Maryland and Virginia, including Historic St. Mary’s City where she was involved with a majority of the analysis for a late 17th century ordinary and possible print shop.
The Hidden Casements of Fort Mifflin: Sealed for a hundred and forty years and now suddenly revealed Built originally by the British in 1771 Fort Mifflin is most renowned for its tenacious defense during the 1777 campaign which resulted in the capture of Philadelphia.Recently a long forgotten sealed section of the fort was accidentally revealed and important archaeological data was recovered.(David G. Orr)
David G. Orr currently teaches full time at Temple University where he is Senior Lecturer. His courses include Topics in Historical and Battlefield Archaeology, Vernacular Architecture, Ancient Pompeii, and Material Culture. He helped establish the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum and the Oliver Evans Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. He has served as the first president of both of these organizations. He has published recently two edited volumes, Huts and History: the Archaeology of American Civil War Encampments and Witness to the Past (with Dan Roberts) a work honoring John L. Cotter. His current interests include the archaeology of both Valley Forge and Philadelphia.
3:00 pm
Presented Talks
Archeology Explores Slavery and Freedom at the President’s House In the 1790s Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and worked in a large house in Philadelphia. Washington brought nine enslaved Africans from his plantation in Virginia to that house during the years he resided there. Recent archaeological excavations conducted by the National Park Service and the City of Philadelphia have revealed new information about the site. This talk will present an overview of the excavations and the new insights that have resulted from this work. (Jed Levin)
Jed Levin is an archeologist with the Northeast Regional Office of the National Park Service. He serves as the Research Director of the Living History Center Archaeology Laboratory at Independence National Historical Park. He has oversight responsibility for the archaeology at Independence Park including the National Constitution Center site, the Presidents House site, and Deschler Morris.
Archaeology at the President’s House: What It Means for African-American History Archaeology and public participation at the President’s House site have provided fruitful opportunities for reexamining many aspects of American history. From the executive branch of the government to escape from slavery, archaeological and historical interpretations based on the foundations of the president’s house are pushing American history in new directions. This talk will delve into the productive ways in which archaeology illuminates the past. (Cheryl LaRoche)
Cheryl LaRoche conserved the artifacts from the African Burial Ground and the Five Points. She is a historical and archaeological consultant as well as a professor of African American Studies and African American history. Currently her work focuses on escape from slavery and the underground railroad.
Discussion/Question and Answer Period
4:00 pm
Archaeology Film and Video
TV’s Skeleton Stories and the Mystery Coffins from the Philadelphia Almshouse In December 2006, the Discovery Health Channel’s docudrama Skeleton Stories featured a husband-and-wife forensic anthropology team as they and their students excavated mysterious coffins from the late 1700s discovered beneath a row house in South Philadelphia. This episode will be presented in its entirety, together with comments and discussion by the excavation team’s director. (Thomas A. Crist)
Thomas A. Crist has served as the Forensic Anthropologist for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office since 1990. Currently Associate Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology at Utica College in upstate New York, Dr. Crist earned his doctorate in Biological Anthropology at Temple University where he and his wife Dr. Molly H. Crist met in 1991. The popular series Skeleton Stories has featured two of the Crists’ historical forensic investigations.
Videos of the President’s House Excavation by the Philadelphia Inquirer Unearthing history at the President’s House: Uncovering a well; Unearthing history at the President’s House: Remains of walls; Unearthing history at the President’s House: Three wells and a privy; Silent No Longer (6 parts); Artifacts from the President’s House; Near the President’s House: A Proper Burial; Unearthing history: The dig at the President’s House
Samantha Templeton and Jeffrey A. Haines are seniors in the Digital Media Program at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. As part of a sixth-month internship in the Drexel Co-Op program at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Samantha and Jeff filmed and edited an 11 segment series on the President’s House excavation for the Inquirer’s website, Philly.com. Inquirer Culture Writer Stephan Salisbury will introduce Ms. Templeton, Mr. Haines, and their video reports.
Exhibits (Lobby, Independence Living History Center)
Oliver Evans Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology Formed in 1984, the 100+ members of Oliver Evans (Philadelphia, PA) are interested in the engineering and industrial heritage of the Delaware Valley area. The society seeks to educate people about our industrial past, to document it (particularly those sites in danger of extinction), and to act as an advocate toward the preservation of historic industrial and engineering sites. The Chapter organizes tours of local industrial sites and presents lectures. (Muriel Kirkpatrick)
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology John Shrader Chapter #21 (SouthEastern PA) SPA was organized in 1929 to promote the study, scientific research, and conservation of the prehistoric and historic archaeological resources of Pennsylvania and neighboring states, to promote the dissemination of information about this archaeology, and to encourage the exchange of archaeological knowledge between the professional and the avocational archaeologist. The local chapter of SPA meets on the 1st Wednesday each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Joanna Furnace, Berks County, PA (Catherine Spohn)
Archaeology is a Community Resource Philadelphia’s rich archaeological heritage is utilized for elementary and high school education purposes, college internship experience, community solidarity for cultural heritage, and community service opportunities. A sample of our community’s engagement with local archaeological resources includes projects from local Charter Schools, the Daily News Urban Journalism Workshop (Bianca Crespo, James Dobson, and Vivid Voice), The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS)/Cheyney University (Homer Lane), and the Radner University History Intern program (Daniel Mangigian).
2007 Pennsylvania Archaeology Month Posters, web site information, lesson plans, and activities. (Deborah Miller, PAF, and Patrice L. Jeppson)
3-D Colonial Philadelphia 3-D models, animations, and interactive media are being used to re-create and explore 18th century Philadelphia and the surrounding region. Demonstrations of 3-D models and animations being developed for the James Oronoco Dexter House (Philadelphia), The Whithall House and Fort Mercer sites (in Woodbury, New Jersey) and The Mill at Anselma (in Chester Springs, PA) will be on view. Virtual artifacts and archaeological sites provide searchable databases for researchers and scholars while immersive 3-D interactive environments are useful for teaching colonial American history in schools. 3-D models and animations also allow for virtual visitation of historic sites via the internet. (Drexel University Digital Media Program Faculty and Students from the Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design)
‘Table Top’ Dig Demonstration Test your observation and analysis skills in this hands-on demonstration that draws on using human osteology evidence to learn about African American history and culture. (Najah Palm)
Philadelphia Archaeological Forum (PAF) PAF is dedicated to the protection and preservation of archaeological resources in the Philadelphia region. The organization aims to further awareness of this rich archaeological heritage through educational programs and activities that reach beyond the professional community. PAF meetings are the 3rd Tuesday of each month. On Exhibit: Archaeology in Philadelphia Poster, fliers with upcoming talks, examples of sponsored publications, Walking Tour brochure, web page display, Membership Forms, Business Cards.
Exhibition Authors, Designers, Artists, and or Contributors
Bianca Crespo is a senior at Saint Basil Academy in Jenkintown, where she is editor in chief of the school newspaper, The Basilian Pillar. Bianca wrote the article “President’s house opens door to slavery’s past” published in Vivid Voice on July 25, 2007. Bianca was a participant in The Urban Journalism Workshop , a program sponsored by the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, with funding provided by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. Bianca has studied journalism at school for several years and been an active participant on the school newspaper. She loves to read and write and attended the Urban Journalism Workshop to help her decide whether or not she should major in journalism when she attends college next year.
James Dobson is a junior at W. B. Saul High School. James was a was a participant in The Urban Journalism Workshop , a program sponsored by the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, with funding provided by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. His news photographs of the President’s House excavation illustrated a news story published in the workshop’s Vivid Voice on July 25, 2007. When starting the Urban Journalism Workshop, James volunteered to take photos, even though he’d never done photography before. He proved to be a natural at it and took many of the pictures published in the “Vivid Voice.” One of his photos was entered in a national competition sponsored by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund.
Dr. Glen Muschio (Drexel University Digital Media Program Faculty Associate Professor) is Project Director of 3D Colonial Philadelphia. Dr. Muschio is Director of the Digital Media Program at the Westphal College of Drexel University. Dr. Muschio is a media producer/director and anthropologist with over 25 years experience in corporate, community and educational media production.
Professor Christopher Redmann, is the 3D Modeling/Animation Director of 3D Colonial Philadelphia, and Assistant Professor, Digital Media, Associate Program Director/Graduate Studies, Westphal College of Drexel University. Chris Redmann is a 3D modeler /animator and architect with interests in historic preservation.
Professor Jervis Thompson is Interactive Media Director of 3D Colonial Philadelphia. He is an Instructor in the Digital Media Program of Westphal College of Drexel University. Jervis Thompson is a multimedia developer with extensive industry and military experience.
Graduate Students (Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design). Graduate students involved in 3D Colonial Philadelphia include Chester Cunanan, Justin Dobies, Arvind Neelakantan, and Matthew Smith. Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Undergraduate Students involved in 3D Colonial Philadelphia include Brian Gadomski, Drew Nicolo, Andrew Patras and Emily Pulskam.
Muriel Kirkpatrick is the Director of the Laboratory of Anthropology at Temple University. She is an active member of the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum and the Oliver Evans Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archeology.
Homer Lane, a senior at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, is a ReEntry student retooling for a second career. In 2006, Mr. Lane was Cheyney’s selection for The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS), a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) sponsored program for outstanding students, in all academic majors, from its 14 universities. The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) places these selected students in working relationships with policymakers in the executive and legislative branches of Pennsylvania government, as well as with independent boards, agencies, and commissions. Mr. Lane was assigned as a Staff Member in Pennsylvania State Senator Shirley Kitchen’s office (3rd District, Philadelphia) and he produced the research document entitled, “A Case Study of Policy Implementation, The President’s House in Philadelphia: The Implications of Marking the Slave Quarters”, involving the archaeological site of the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park. This policy paper is part of the Philadelphia Archaeology Is a Community Resource exhibit. Mr. Lane will be present to answer questions about his case study from Noon-1:00 pm.
Kise Straw & Kolodner (KSK) KSK is a professional design firm located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pennsauken, New Jersey that blends the skills of more than 30 architects, planners, urban designers, architectural historians, archaeologists, and preservation and cultural resources specialists capable of providing a diverse array of services. Founded in 1966, KSK has handled a wide range of projects of varying sizes for private, public, and non-profit clients, including federal compliance, private development projects, and cemetery relocations. Over the past 15 years, KSK’s Cultural Resources Group has successfully completed more than 600 projects throughout the eastern United States and Japan.
Daniel Mangigian served as an intern at the Independence Living History Center Archeology Laboratory (Independence National Historical Park). Dan is a mature student retooling for a second career. His internship fulfilled a requirement for his degree in History from Rowan University in New Jersey.
The Urban Journalism Workshop/Philadelphia Daily News This summer program for high school journalism students, now in its 21st year, is sponsored by the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, with funding provided by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. Students are chosen to participate in this workshop based on their grades, recommendations, personal essays and interest in journalism. During the two-week workshop, the students learn about journalism skills and ethics, then they actually report and write stories that are compiled into a 16 to 20 page newspaper published at the end of the workshop (the Vivid Voice). This past summer the workshop members visited the President’s House archaeological dig after which participant Bianca Crespo wrote the article “President’s house opens door to slavery’s past” which was published in the Vivid Voice on July 25, 2007, accompanied by news photography by James Dobson. The workshop is staffed by editors and reporters from the Daily News. Alumni of UJW alumni work in the Daily News newsroom as reporters and editors and they populate newsrooms all over the country. Other former workshoppers work in television, public relations and even teaching journalism at college. The program is co-directed by Paul Vigna, assistant sports editor, and Debi Licklider, features editor of the Daily News.
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