About the Archaeological Field School
This section of the original survey map
made by John Armstrong and dated November 25, 1761, shows the fort’s location as well as the plots of land that would later become the town of Shirleysburg. Although the fort is not
drawn to scale, Armstrong conveyed the location well enough for Burns and his colleagues to definitively locate it in 2010.
The Penn State Department of Anthropology will offer an archaeological field school at Fort Shirley, an important colonial-era fort erected in 1755 by George Croghan. The first two season’s field schools located three of the fort’s palisade walls, a bake oven, the privy, and numerous colonial and prehistoric artifacts. Under the direction of archaeologist Dr. Jonathan Burns, the 2012 field school will locate the east palisade wall, explore the interior of the fort for features and structures, and expose large areas of the fort’s corners or bastions.
Whether you are a current anthropology student or simply interested in learning more about the subject, this program will provide an extraordinary opportunity for you to get firsthand experience in archaeological fieldwork. You can learn how to lay out grids, use a total station, excavate, and conduct preliminary laboratory work. Most instruction will be hands-on training in the field. The course will also offer lectures on historic archaeology and Pennsylvania history.
This course can provide good preparation for employment in contract archaeology and for graduate school in anthropology. However, students interested in history, geology, and other related fields also can benefit from this exciting and unique experience.
Credits
The field school will be offered through Penn State Continuing Education for 6 credits: ANTH 492 (3 credits) and ANTH 493 (3 credits). It will be held during the first six-week summer session, from May 21 through June 29, 2012.
There will be a break for lunch. Some days will be devoted to lab work and lectures by visiting experts.
An article and photo slide show of the 2007 field school is available from Penn State Live.
