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Historic Archaeology Field School in PA
Mark A. McConaughy (an535@YFN.YSU.EDU)
Thu, 10 Feb 1994 14:10:37 -0500
Description
The State Museum of Pennsylvania in
cooperation with Elizabethtown College will offer
a Field School in Historical Archaeology at the
Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, PA, from June 6 through
July 29, 1994. This is an intensive eight week
program, designed to provide students with
training in excavation technique, record-keeping,
mapping, informant interview, artifact
identification, processing, cataloging, and
classification. Students will devote seven and
one-half hours daily to field excavation and
approximately four hours weekly to laboratory
work. Hands-on instruction will be supplemented
by scheduled lecture and discussion of assigned
readings. Individual achievement will be measured
by effort and acquired knowledge demonstrated in
assigned work tasks, as well as quality of
completed recording forms and required field
journals. No previous experience is necessary,
but all applicants must be capable of manual
labor.
Excavation Site
The Ephrata Cloister is a Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania historic site, founded in 1732 by
immigrant German Pietist, Conrad Beissel.
Beissel's Ephrata experiment was a utopian
community which consisted of three social orders:
celibate solitary brothers, celibate solitary
sisters, and married householders. During the
period of mid-18th century religious revival
movements, the community thrived and received
widespread recognition for its production of high
quality paper and printed goods, finely lettered
manuscripts, musical compositions, and mystical
literature. By the beginning of the 19th century,
the community was in decline and eventually
incorporated as The Society of Seventh Day
Baptists of Ephrata. Today, site visitors can
tour a small, surviving sample of unusual medieval
style buildings which once served the cloistered
community and learn of its distinctive lifeways
and contributions.
[CONTINUED ON REVERSE SIDE]
The 1994 Historical Archaeology Field School
is the second season of a multi-year research
project at the site, designed to discover and mark
the location of original structures, determine
their age and function, and interpret lifestyles
of community members. It also seeks to better
understand the nature of communal societies -- how
physical space was organized to maintain social
and political control and how conflict between
individual and group identity was resolved.
Excavations will unearth a large subsurface
feature, partially identified during
archaeological testing in 1988 and further defined
by geophysical survey in 1993. The feature is
thought to be the remains of an 18th century
structure; its function is unknown. Students will
also be introduced to the documentary history of
the community, participate in collection of oral
history, and learn how archaeological data are
integrated with historical information to yield a
more accurate interpretation of the past.
Faculty
The course will be taught by Stephen G.
Warfel, Senior Curator of Archaeology, The State
Museum of Pennsylvania. Experienced student(s)
will assist with instruction, providing an
excellent pupil/teacher ratio.
Credit, Tuition and Fees
This archaeological field school is approved
for nine credits. To receive credit a student
must register with Elizabethtown College's
Department of Continuing Education for
Anthropology 375, after acceptance into the
program. Tuition fees for the nine credit class
are $1620.00.
The field school class may also be taken on a
not-for-credit basis. Students who elect this
option will be assessed the fee of $800.00,
payable to the Friends of The State Museum, and
will receive a Certificate of Participation upon
successful completion of the course.
Daily transportation to and from the site
will be provided for students who elect to stay at
the field school housing/laboratory facility.
Estimated costs include: lodging- $800; board-
$400; "dig kit"-$35; and text-$20.
Application Process and Deadlines
A one-page application/information sheet must
be filed with the Field School Instructor, Stephen
G. Warfel, no later than April 22, 1994. For more
information and an application contact Stephen G.
Warfel, Senior Curator, Archaeology, The State
Museum of Pennsylvania, Tel.: (717) 783-2887 (day)
or (717) 774-5559 (evenings). Applicants will be
notified immediately upon acceptance into the
program and given registration instructions.
Enrollment in this field school class is limited
to 10 students.
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Mark A. McConaughy an535@yfn.ysu.edu
Section of Archaeology
The State Museum of Pennsylvania
Box 1026
Harrisburg, PA 17109
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