Photo By Michael Maddox | Devon Ubelhor (left), a volunteer at the Archaeology Day event Sept. 17, 2024, sifts...... read more read more
Bloomington, Indiana – Archaeologists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District and the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology partnered with the Indiana Division of State Parks for Archaeology Day at the Fairfax State Recreation Area near Monroe Lake in Bloomington, Indiana, Sept. 17, 2024.
During the event, volunteers were able to take part in an archaeological site mapping, which included an assortment of tasks to gather information.
Jared Barrett, an archaeologist for the Louisville District, was on hand and assisted with the day’s activities.
“Members of the public assisted archaeologists from the Corps and the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (IDHPA) with survey and excavating shovel tests at two homesteads located in the Fairfax State Recreation Area,” he said. “The public was able to either stop by to watch and ask questions while the archaeologists worked, or they were able to be hands on and assist the archaeologists in excavating shovel tests, which consisted of digging a hole and screening the excavated soil for artifacts, and mapping both sites.”
“The first site we surveyed generally dates from the mid-to late 1800s and early 1900s while the second site we surveyed generally dates from the late 1800s into the early to mid-1900s,” Barrett said. “It was a beautiful day and all our visitors had great questions about archaeology and the history of Monroe Lake and the sites we were excavating and mapping.”
Barrett assisted in supervising and assisting volunteers as they worked as well as answering questions from the public during the archaeological excavations and mapping activities at both sites. The information gathered at both sites will now be recorded in the IDHPA site database.
He said the event was a good opportunity to share what he does for the Louisville District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“I hope the volunteers and visitors during the event were able to learn about what an archaeologist does at the Corps and the types of tools we use. I also hope they learned that the Corps works to identify, preserve, and protect cultural resources at our lake projects,” Barrett said.
Before Monroe Lake was built, the Salt Creek Valley was home to numerous small family farms, some dating back to the 1820s. While most homesteads have been reclaimed by time and nature, remnants remain in the form of scattered foundation stones, piles of rock and brick from collapsed chimneys, wells and cisterns, and fragments of metal and pottery.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2024 09:43 |
| Story ID: | 481382 |
| Location: | BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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