Chesapeake Bay 2010

PAST Foundation & The William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research present

Chesapeake Bay

June 13th – June 19th 2010 — Overnight camp
Bridge Program: Levels II and III

The Details

Location: Newport News, VA
Director: Anne Corscadden Knox
Contact: fieldschools@pastfoundation.org

The Crew

Anne Corscadden Knox – Program Director

Josh Benoit – Program Assistant

Harry Kent – Summer Programs Assistant (Battelle Scholar)

Katie Martell – Doc Intern (Montana State University)

Students

Metro High School

Musna

Melissa

Sydney

Trey

Aaron

Morgan

Linden McKinley

Eryn

Kristen

Reynoldsburg

Maddie

Clay

Lindsay

Alison

Jimmie

Eric

Alexander

Eric

Jerry

Note from the Director

Working along side the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, the students of the 2010 Chesapeake program will get the opportunity to study the natural and cultural landscapes of Chesapeake Bay. Analyzing various periods of settlement, the program presents students with an understanding of how cultural influences manifest on the landscape. Using archaeological method, students will gather information from minimal, tangible evidence, creating interpretation, and empowering stewardship of cultural heritage.

Our days will be filled with adventure as we explore and document some of America’s founding settlements. Some of the places we will be visiting will be historic Jamestown settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, the Shirley Plantation, and many more; and, if we work hard, we may get an action packed fun day at Busch Gardens!

As we embark on our adventure, I invite you all to virtually join us on our program. Everyday the students will be uploading their daily blogs and photographs so they can share with you their week as archaeologists!

Anne Corscadden Knox, Director Cultural Landscapes of the Chesapeake Bay

The Challenge

Cultural landscapes are platforms, which present the past before us in a unique way and allow us to find attachment and a sense of place. In 1929 Carl Saur, coined the term Landscape Morphology claiming “culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result”. The systematic interpretation of a cultural landscape is essential to the appreciation, understanding and ultimately, the protection, of our cultural and natural heritage. There is no American ‘sense of place’ greater than the historic settlement of Jamestown, the US founding settlement. Contact with Native Americans, colonization and ensuing difficulties, epitomizes the struggles of all pioneers. The decisions they made are reflected in the cultural landscape.

The Solution

Chesapeake students will work along side archaeologists and historians, environmentalists and biologists, learning how to piece together the natural and cultural resources and how humans changed this pivotal region. The program immerses students in real scientific study, analysis and interpretation, producing real outcomes that can be shared and utilized. The program begins with an in-depth historical analysis of the cultural and natural landscapes surrounding Jamestown and the southern Chesapeake, known as the ‘Tidewater.’ Before students even visit the area they will be given assignments, divided into learning teams and be responsible for an integral part of the research. Each day one team will take the lead, ensuring that all the pertinent data is collected and information is fed to a project website chronicling the study. In addition, afternoons will be spent exploring the environmental and biological components of Chesapeake Bay. Students will explore habitats and participate in testing water quality as part of learning and understanding the natural side of the landscape. This multi disciplinary approach in the study of a cultural landscape helps students think critically, broaden association of subjects and grasp the importance of current environmental issues before them.

The Program

	Daily Activities (8:00 – 4:00)	Evening Activities	Location
Sunday 13th June 2010	Arrive and set up camp	Orientation	Newport News, VA
Monday 14th June 2010	Jamestown Settlement	Colonial Williamsburg
Tuesday 15th June 2010	Archaeological Excavation	Mariners Museum	TBA
Wednesday 16th June 2010	Archaeological Excavation	Group work
Thursday 17th June 2010	Archaeological Excavation	Group work
Friday 18th June 2010	Busch Gardens	Presentations
Saturday 19th June 2010	Break Down site –Depart