ARKANSAS ARCHEOLOGY MONTH
EVENTS
- March 2009 -
Theme: Planting the Seed
Sponsors:
Arkansas Archeological Survey
Arkansas Archeological Society
With special thanks to our supporters:
Archeological & Environmental Consultants, L.L.C., Austin, TX
•
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Arkansas Archeological Survey
2475 N. Hatch Ave., Fayetteville, 479-575-3556
(west of Garland across from Agri Park)
• Exhibit: Collections of the UA Museum
All March, Mon-Fri 8:00a-5:00p
Open storage of prehistoric artifacts from Arkansas.
• Slide-Talk: Mapping of the Spanish Diggings Site
March 24, 7:00p
Forest Service archeologist Meeks Etchieson will discuss his recent work. Sponsored by the AAS Kokoci Chapter.
• Open House: Arkansas Archeological Survey and UA Museum Collections
March 28, 11:00a-3:00p
Tours of archeological collections, information about archeological programs, visit with an archeologist and AAS Kokoci Chapter members.
Arkansas Educational Television Network
www.aetn.org, 1-800-662-2386
• TV Series: Arkansas’s First People
Begins April 13
A 5-part series featuring unique perspectives on American Indian cultural legacy, archeological data, and interviews with modern tribal representatives of those who had and still have an impact on Arkansas.
Arkansas School for Math & Sciences
200 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs, 501-622-5100
• Slide-Talk: Birds of Passage: Subsistence Farming in the Ouachita Mountains
March 10, 7:00p
Roger Coleman, Forest Service archeologist, will explore subsistence agriculture and free-range herding at the turn of the 20th century in the Ouachita Mountains. Sponsored by the AAS Ouachita Chapter.
Arkansas State University Museum
110 Cooley Dr., Jonesboro, 870-972-2074
• Slide-Talk: Plants & People: Origins of Agriculture in the Americas
March 12, 7:00p
Survey-ASU Station archeologist Juliet Morrow will discuss the origins of agriculture. Sponsored by the AAS Central Mississippi Valley Chapter.
• Exhibit: Mystery of the Maya Medallion
Opens March 14, regular museum hours
A special exhibit of the Arkansas Discovery Network, with activities for all ages, on Maya civilization with focus on materials from the site of Palenque in Mexico.
Barton Library
200 E. 5th St., El Dorado, 870-863-5447
• Slide-Talk: Why We Dig Up the Recent Past: Historical Archeology In Arkansas
March 7, 10:00a
Come hear about the importance of historic period archeology in Arkansas with Survey-SAU archeologist Jamie Brandon.
Buffalo National River, National Park Service
Harrison, 870-741-5446, ext. 252
Tyler Bend Visitor Center (off Hwy 65 between St. Joe & Marshall)
• Exhibit: Dibbles to Disks: The History of Crops & Technology on the Buffalo
All March, 9:00a-4:30p
A look at crops and technology in prehistoric and pioneer agriculture.
Desha County Museum
Hwy. 54E, Dumas, 870-382-4222
• Slide-talk: American Indian Agriculture
March 7, 2:30p
Sponsored by the AAS Tunican Chapter.
First Presbyterian Church
695 E. Calvin St., Fayetteville, 479-575-6554
• Slide-Talk: Rock Art in Arkansas
March 12, 12:30p
Survey-UAF archeologist Jerry Hilliard will discuss the history and nature of Native American rock art in Arkansas at the First Fellowship senior group meeting.
Garland County Library
1427 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs, 870-230-5463
• Exhibit: From Foragers to Farmers: The Native Americans
All March, regular library hours
The exhibit features an overview of native plants as exploited by early hunter-gatherers through the emergence of plant domestication.
Hampson Archeological Museum State Park
#2 Lake Drive & US 61N., Wilson, 870-655-8622
• Exhibits: Late Mississippian Period-Nodena Culture
All March, Tues -Sat 8:00a-5:00p; Sun 1:00p-5:00p.
Learn about 15th-century Native Americans through art, religion, and ceremonial life reflected in their artifacts.
Fee: $2.75 adults; $1.75 children
• Program: Native Eats!
March 21, 1:00-2:00p
Learn what food crops were grown and harvested from nature by the Native Americans—Arkansas’s first farmers.
Note: Limited to 20, preregistration required.
Historic Washington State Park
Washington, 870-235-4229
• Excavation: Royston House
March 21-26
Come help Survey-SAU archeologist Jamie Brandon and members of the AAS Kadohadacho Chapter excavate at the 19th-century Royston House. Please call for information.
Hot Springs National Park, Fordyce Bathhouse
101 Reserve St., Hot Springs, 501-620-6708
• Exhibit: Planting the Seed for Archeology’s Future
All March, 9:00a-5:00p daily
Lessons for learning about archeology.
• Exhibit: Digging the First Lamar Bathhouse
All March, 9:00a-5:00p daily
Artifacts and discoveries from an excavation at the bathhouse.
John Gould Fletcher Library
823 N. Buchanan St., Little Rock, 501-961-2420
• Public Lecture: Colonial Arkansas
March 18, 6:30p
Judge Morris Arnold, noted historian and senior judge of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, will discuss his research on colonial Arkansas. Sponsored by the AAS Toltec Chapter.
Lawrence County Library
115 W. Walnut, Walnut Ridge, 870-886-3222
• Exhibit: From Seed: The Archaeology of Agriculture in Arkansas
All March, regular library hours
• Slide-Talk: From Foraging to Farming in Native Arkansas
March 21, 3:00p
Survey-ASU archeologist Juliet Morrow will explore the questions of when, how, where and why the Indians of Arkansas selected and domesticated starchy & oily seed plants, such as sunflower, chenopod, and maygrass.
• Children’s Program: Ancient Eats: Native American Food Cultivation and Production
March 21, 3:00p
Learn what Native Americans were gathering, growing and eating through hands-on activities and samples of Native dishes.
Old Independence Regional Museum
380 S. 9th St., Batesville, 870-793-2121
• Program: Herbs, Spring Greens & Folk Medicine
March 22, 2:00p
Marie Fowler presents a program about how plants were used.
• Filmfest: Fridays at the Farm, and Organic Frederick
March 25-26, 12:00 noon
Bopb Pest of the Ozark Foothills Filmfest presents short films about living off the land today.
• Program: Early Settler of Independence County
April 19, 2:00p
Visual presentation by George Lankford for the Independence County Historical Society.
Old State House Museum
300 W. Markham, Little Rock, 501-324-9685
• Documentary Film: Pillars of Power
All March, Mon-Sat, 9:00a-5:00p, Sun, 1:00-5:00p
The film discusses archeological research and efforts to preserve this important building and explores the historical transformations from a government building through various reuses.
Parkin Archeological State Park
Intersection of Hwy. 184 N. & US 64, Parkin, 870-755-2500
• Program: Artifact I.D. Day
March 14, 1:00-3:00p
Archeologists will be available to answer questions and identify artifacts you bring in.
Note: No appraisals.
Parkway Village
14300 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, 501-224-7282
• Slide-Talk: A Great & Lasting Good: A Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps
March 31, 6:30p
A presentation by George Gatliff of the Arkansas Archeological Society about the CCC, followed by an "open mic" for the audience to share their personal or family experiences with the CCC.
Petit Jean State Park
1285 Petit Jean Mtn. Rd., Morrilton, 501-727-6512
• Slide-Talk: The View from Petit Jean Mountain: From 11,500 Years Ago to 500 Years Ago to 1953
March 14, 2:00p
Join Survey-WRI archeologist Skip Stewart-Abernathy at the Rec Hall to find out about the rich Native American heritage that has been discovered in the area surrounding Petit Jean Mountain.
Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Historical Museum
201 E. 4th St., Pine Bluff, 870-541-5402
• Slide-Talk: Up From the Ashes: The Thibault House & Archeology at Fourche Island
March 5, 5:00p
John House & Mary Farmer of the Survey’s UAPB Station will present a double program on recent archeological discoveries at the historic Thibault house and prehistoric site on Fourche Island. Each presentation will take about 20 minutes.
Plantation Agriculture Museum
US165S (England Hwy) to junction AR161S, Scott, 501-961-1509
• Exhibit: Seed Warehouse No. 5
All March, Tues-Sat 8:00a-5:00p, Sun 1:00-5:00p
Opening in March, Seed Warehouse No. 5 houses informational panels, artifacts & interactive exhibits exploring the planting of seeds in the farmlands of the Arkansas Delta.
Fee: $3 adults, $2 children (6-12)
Rogers Historical Museum
322 S. 2nd St., Rogers, 479-621-1154
• Exhibit: Virgil Lovelace & Life on the Farm
All March, Tues-Sat 10:00a-4:00p
The exhibit is based on Lovelace’s book about growing up on a farm in the Little Flock community in the early 1900s.
Scottish Society of Northwest Arkansas
Meeting at AQ Chickenhouse, 1206 N. Thompson, Springdale, 479-442-3691
• Slide-Talk: A Tour Through Scottish Archaeology
March 10, 7:00p
State Archeologist Dr. Ann Early will discuss Scottish archeological investigations and remains based on her recent trips to Scotland.
Searcy County Historical Society
Meeting at First Christian Church, Hwy 65N, behind Simmons Bank, Marshall, 479-442-3691
• Slide-Talk: Ozark Log Buildings
March 27, 7:00p
Survey-WRI archeologist Skip Stewart-Abernathy will describe Ozark log structures, discuss why they should be preserved, and review the current status of log buildings in the Arkansas Ozarks.
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
118 W. Johnson Ave., Springdale, 479-750-8165
• Program: Artifact Identification Day
March 7, 12:00 noon
Jerry Hilliard and Jared Pebworth of the Survey’s UAF Station will identify artifacts, both historic and prehistoric, that are brought to the museum by the public.
• Slide-Talk: Civil War Archeology
March 26, 7:00p
Survey-UAF archeologist Jerry Hilliard will discuss the results of archeological investigations at Civil War sites in NW Arkansas at the Civil War Roundtable.
• Exhibit: Good Eats
All March, Mon-Sat, 10:00a-5:00p
A photo exhibit featuring Ozark foodways from barbecues to pancake breakfasts to dinners on the ground.
Siloam Springs Museum
112 N. Maxwell, Siloam Springs, 479-524-4011
• Exhibit: 500 Years of Agriculture in Siloam Springs
All March, Tues-Sat, 10:00a-5:00p
Explores the history of agriculture in the area from the Caddoan occupation of the Goforth-Saindon mound site to the agricultural practices of pioneer settlers.
• Slide-talk: Dead and Gone in Old Farming Communities of Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma
March 14, 2:00p
Dr. Marvin Kay, of the UA Anthropology Department, will be the guest speaker. Prehistoric farmers in the western Ozark Highland and eastern edge of the Plains wrestled with death and reincarnation. Vestiges of their earthern mounds have clues to their mortuary rituals and overall world view. These highlight the winter solstice in an annual round of death and renewal.
Southern Arkansas University
Magnolia, 870-235-4229
• Slide-talk: Archeology of Kingsley Plantation
Bruce Center, Room 104
March 10, 7:00p
Survey-SAU archeologist Jamie Brandon will discuss issues of slavery and African-American life being investigated at Kingsley Plantation, Mission San Juan del Puerto, and Fort George Island, Florida. Sponsored by the AAS Kadohadacho Chapter.
• Exhibit: Southwest Arkansas Archeology
SAU Gallery, Cross Hall
All March, Mon-Fri 8:00a-4:00p
An exhibit of historical and artistic archeological photos.
Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park
490 Toltec Mounds Rd., Scott, 501-961-9442
(10 m. south of Little Rock on U.S. Hwy. 165)
• Program & Tour: Spring Equinox Celebration
March 21, 4:00-7:30p
4:00p: Native American tools & weapons demo.
5:00p: Archeologist will discuss solar alignment of the mounds.
Near sunset: Park interpreters will conduct a guided tour of the site to observe the sunset over Mound A.
Fee: $4.00 adults, $3.00 children
• Workshop: Primitive Pottery I & II
March 21, 9:00a-12:00p; and March 28, 10:00a-3:00p
American Indians of the SE used local clays and non-wheel methods to make pots for cooking, storage, eating, and as art objects. Learn this ancient craft with natural materials from the Delta in this 2-day class. Pots will be crafted on March 21 and fired on March 28.
Fee: $45, reservations required
• Exhibits: Park Museum
All March, Mon-Sat 8:00a-5:00p, Sun 12:00-5:00p
Interpretive exhibits feature artifacts recovered from the site and explain the process of archeological investigation.
Fee: $3.00 + tax adults, $2.00 + tax children (6-12)
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Echols Conference Center, Fort Smith, 479-788-7812
• Slide-Talk: History of Tobacco & Cherokee Usages
March 19, 7:00p
Jason Eads, archeologist for Briscoe Szarka Consulting, Norman, OK, and also a Cherokee/Choctaw native, will discuss tobacco as a medicine and its use by Cherokees in prehistoric, historic, and contemporary times. Sponsored by the AAS Ark-Homa Chapter.
University of Arkansas
Giffels Auditorium, Old Main, Fayetteville, 479-575-2508
• Slide-Talk: A New Perspective on Native-Norse Contact in Arctic Canada
March 4, 7:30p
Dr. Patricia Sutherland, curator, Canadian Museum of Civilization, will give this presentation as part of the Stigler Lecture Series in Archaeology.
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
1 Rockefeller Dr., Teaching Barn, Petit Jean Mountain, Morrilton, 501-727-5435
• Slide-Talk: Exchanging the Seeds: China, Archeology, & the View from Chengdu
March 3, 7:00p
Arkansas Archeological Survey Director Tom Green will discuss a recent visit to China. Sponsored by the AAS Arkansas River Valley Chapter.
• Program: Archeology Month Open House
March 7, 10:00a-4:00p
Activities include artifact i.d., exhibits of collections, flintknapping demos, and hands-on teaching by Ben Swadley of Plantation Agriculture State Park.
• Program: Project Dig
March 7, 11:00a & 2:00
Teams from Perryville Elementary and East End (Bigelow) Elementary/Middle School will discuss their projects inventing two cultures, designing & making artifacts, and excavating & analyzing the sites.
• Excavation: Archeology Field Day
March 21
Come participate in genuine field archeology as part of this Arkansas Archeological Society one-day project. Sponsored by the AAS Arkansas River Valley Chapter.
Please call 501-727-6250 for details.
See also: Activity Ideas for Archeology Month 2009
•
2010 Theme: Partners for the Past
*****
