It is that time of year again when the Company Store & Museum opens its doors to welcome guests, tourists and friends. We have a very interesting educational event coming up in April. I want to share with you. Registration forms will be made available by mid March.
Archaeology Dig at the Whipple Store
We are pleased to announce that the Whipple Company Store will be the site of an archaeological survey this coming April 2011. The research will involve scholars from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Appalachian State University, Marshall University and other colleges both nationally and locally. This research project is designed to involve community members, from school kids to retirees, in a major research project. We invite all those who are interested in archaeology, West Virginia history, coal miners’ heritage and other aspects of our culture to join in the dig!
We are pleased to announce that the Whipple Company Store will be the site of an archaeological survey this coming April 2011. The research will involve scholars from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Appalachian State University, Marshall University and other colleges both nationally and locally. This research project is designed to involve community members, from school kids to retirees, in a major research project. We invite all those who are interested in archaeology, West Virginia history, coal miners’ heritage and other aspects of our culture to join in the dig!
This especially is a chance for school-age children, high-school students, and university students from the area to participate in a major research in order to further their educational journeys. We will be using cutting-edge equipment from both Berkeley and the Smithsonian Museum, so the opportunity to gain valuable technical skills, research experience, and to work with nationally prominent scholars is something we are excited to bring to the coalfields.
Work begins April 5th, and will run through the first week of May. This work is the first part of a larger project, and will involve survey work and some limited excavation (large-scale excavation will occur in a second phase planned for a later date). There are a number of different tasks we will be undertaking at various points in the project, and so a schedule and description of tasks will be designated on a linked registration site by the middle of march.
Work begins April 5th, and will run through the first week of May. This work is the first part of a larger project, and will involve survey work and some limited excavation (large-scale excavation will occur in a second phase planned for a later date). There are a number of different tasks we will be undertaking at various points in the project, and so a schedule and description of tasks will be designated on a linked registration site by the middle of march.
Each day’s maximum participants is 20 people, so sign up today! If we get an overwhelming response, we may have to limit the number of days a participant can join in the work, but unless that happens, feel free to sign up for as many days as you want to come out!
If you are a university student from the area with archaeological experience, and if you would like to volunteer as a staff member, we invite you to fill out the section on the registration form for volunteers, and we will get in contact in order to do a quick, informal interview. Food and lodging will be provided for staff volunteers.
If you are a university student from the area with archaeological experience, and if you would like to volunteer as a staff member, we invite you to fill out the section on the registration form for volunteers, and we will get in contact in order to do a quick, informal interview. Food and lodging will be provided for staff volunteers.
Each day will begin at 8:00, with a half-hour description of the overall project and overview of the work up to date. Another hour will be spent going over the basics of archaeological research, and then familiarization with the equipment and techniques being used that day. Work will then proceed to 5:00, with a one-hour lunch break. Participants will keep a field journal for the day, and will turn that in at the end of the day, and this will become part of the record of the dig. Rainy days will consist of artifact sorting, cataloguing and analyzing – all of which is a very crucial part of archaeological research!
Get ready to get outside, play in the dirt, and explore our wild and wonderful history!
Get ready to get outside, play in the dirt, and explore our wild and wonderful history!
Great Badge opportunity for Scouts and 4-hers
See ya'll soon,
Whipple
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