Weekend update!

Lance holding the projectile point.

Hi everyone!

The students and staff are off for the weekend, but I wanted to take the opportunity to keep you all updated about the project. The group polished off the first week of the field session with a great find--a side-notched projectile point (click on the photo for a close-up)! Lance and Abby had a slow morning with few artifacts, and were pleased when this one surfaced. Hopefully we will have some more information about its origins after a bit of research. Other finds included some chert flakes, whiteware ceramics, glass, and an animal vertebrae. Not bad for two days in the field.

Xiaomeng screening for artifacts.

Students have been learning excavation and screening techniques at the Lyne Site and, based on my time at the site, are fast learners! Everyone should be well-prepared for excavations at the fort site in the next week or so.






I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about my involvement with the project. I first began pursuing archaeology as an undergrad at the University of Toronto and had the good fortune of finding a job in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) close to home in Maryland shortly thereafter. CRM archaeology is conducted in compliance with state and federal laws, and I had great opportunities to work on different types of sites conducting excavations, mapping, writing reports, cataloging artifacts, and much more. I also became a part of the Port Tobacco Archaeological Project which catered to my interest in Public Archaeology. Before long I was enrolled as a Master's student at The College of William and Mary, and am happy to report that I have successfully defended my thesis which deals with public and collaborative archaeologies.

Me enjoying the South Bend 4-H fair!

I am grateful to be a part of the Fort St. Joesph Archaeological Project where as the Public Outreach Coordinator I can really explore my interest in and dedication to archaeology that involves various communities. My time in Niles this far has been excellent: I encounter many great people on a daily basis that are very interested in what the project is doing. Even in my off-time I have found plenty of things to keep me busy, whether it be exploring downtown Niles or heading to South Bend for a baseball game.

See you all around town!
Kelley

Photo credits Cathrine Davis and Kelley Walter