Archaeology Awareness Month October, 2013 Calendar of Events
Following are this year's scheduled events. This calendar is NOT intended to be a FOSA-only facility; instead, it will contain links to a wide variety of archaeological, historical, and interpretive societies' events, with links to their web sites where more detailed information can be gained. In this way, too, our hope is to spread knowledge of the groups and their activites beyond their normal audience.
October 2, Wednesday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: Vampires of New England, 6:30 PM
Connecticut's State Archaeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni will shed light on one of the Nutmeg State's most intriguing
historical mysteries, the Jewett City Vampires. Dr. Bellantoni will describe the history of the Jewett City vampires,
including origins of the beliefs in the undead seeking nourishment from family members and how the living were protected.
He will reflect not only on vampires but also on other unexplained mysteries.
> Where: South Haldey Public Library, 27 Bardwell Street, South Hadley, MA.
> For additional information, call 413-538-5045.
October 5-6, Saturday-Sunday
• Hammonasset Festival: Music. Native Skills. Nature, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
The Hammonassett Festival celebrates Native American tradition and culture. There will also be live creature shows, Native
American crafts, environmental and museum exhibits. Main features will be Native American drumming and dancing, live raptor
shows and World Atlatl Championships that everyone is allowed to participate in.
(Note: Atlatl activity is limited to adults and children ages 8 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.)
> The Festival will be held at Meigs Point, Hammonasset Beach State Park
> Events will run 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, rain or shine. Admission is free.
October 9, Wednesday
• Lucianne Lavin Book Signing, 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Lucianne Lavin, Director of Research and Collections at the Institute for American Indian Studies, will host a presentation
and book signing for her newest work, Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions
Teach Us About Their Communities and Their Cultures. Dr. Lavin will discuss her background in anthropology,
archaeology and indigenous studies and her reasons for writing the book. During this PowerPoint presentation, she will also
introduce the audience to the book's major tenets, to be followed by a general question and answer period.
> The event will be held at the Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main Street, South Windsor, CT.
> Sponsored by Archaeological Society of Connecticut, Friends of State Archaeology & Wood Memorial Library and Museum.
> The discussion is free, but donations are welcome.
| For additional information on Dr. Lucianne Lavin, please click Lucianne Levin. | To access the Wood Memorial Library website, please click https://woodmemoriallibrary.org/. |
October 10, Thursday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: The Long Journey Home of Albert Afraid Of Hawk, 8:00 PM
In 1900, Albert Afraid of Hawk was performing with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show touring New England when the performers
came down with food poisoning. Albert died in Danbury Hospital and was buried in an unmarked grave in Wooster Cemetery.
Recently, local historian, Bob Young located Albert's burial card from the cemetery archives and notified the family at
the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Albert's grand-niece, Marlis Afraid of Hawk, had a dream that Albert wanted to
come home and she initiated the repatriation process. Dr. Bellantoni presents the history and his responsibility of
exhuming Albert for the long journey home.
> Where: In the GenRe Forum, located off the Atrium and main lobby of the East Campus building at Norwalk Community
College, 188 Richards Avenue, Norwalk, CT. 06854.
> For additional information, call Ernest Wiegand at 203-857-7377.
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Burying Ground Tour 1:00 - 2:30PM
Our popular Walking Tours are back on the schedule. Meet your guide in the parking lot of First Church, 250 Main
Street, Wethersfield, CT.
> All tours are free to members and children under 16; $5.00 for non-members.
> Tours are cancelled if it rains.
> For questions please call 860-529-7656.
October 11, Friday
• Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS): Cherokee writer Karen Coody Cooper Book Signing, 1:00PM - 4:00PM
IAIS is proud to welcome former Director of Education, Cherokee writer Karen Coody Cooper. In her new book, Cherokee
Wampum War & Peace Belts 1730 to Present, Karen explains how northeastern American Indian tribes were the first to use
purple clamshell beads to produce picture records called wampum belts. Dutch traders became short of coins and adopted
these valued beads as a medium of exchange. Today, seven ancient wampum belts continue in use by traditional Cherokee
ceremonialists in Oklahoma.
> The event will be held at the Institute of American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.
> Books will be available for purchase for $11.00.
> Fee: Included in general museum admission of $5 Adults; $4.50 Seniors, $3 Kids; IAIS Members Free.
> For additional information, please call 860-868-0518.
October 12, Saturday
• Archaeology Field Workshop - Learning the Basics 9:00AM - noon
What happens at an archaeological dig? Learn about the science, field techniques, tools, and cultural aspects of
archaeology from professional archaeologist Mandy Ranslow. Participants will be part of a real archaeological field crew,
doing hands-on fieldwork at a genuine, ongoing archaeological dig at UConn. Findings at the site add important information
to our understanding of Connecticut's rich historic past. If you like to solve historic mysteries and don't mind getting
your hands dirty, then this is the activity for you!
> Taught by: Mandy Ranslow, Registered Professional Archaeologist, member of the FOSA Board of Directors.
> Where: UConn Storrs Campus (directions will be sent to participants).
> For adults and children ages 10 and above. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.)
> Cost: $20 ($15 for CT State Museum of Natural History members)
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Burying Ground Tour 10:00 - 11:30AM
Our popular Walking Tours are back on the schedule. Meet your guide in the parking lot of First Church, 250 Main
Street, Wethersfield, CT.
> All tours are free to members and children under 16; $5.00 for non-members.
> Tours are cancelled if it rains.
> For questions please call 860-529-7656.
• Privies, Back Houses and Thunder Boxes 2:00PM
A special talk on outhouses, their folklore and construction, given by Georg Papp, Sr., of the Bull Hill Workshop in
Colchester, CT. The talk will be given at the Henry Whitfield State Museum, 248 Old Whitfield Street, Guilford, CT.
Included in the discussion will be displays of artifacts excavated during the 2000-2008 seasons.
> For additional information, please call 203-453-2457 or email the Whitfield Museum at:
October 13, Sunday
• Stories In Stone 2:00PM
Illustrated talk by Dan Forrest, State Historic Preservation Office Archaeologist, and his colleagues on stone features -
cairns, piles, and lines - and what these mean.
> The talk will be given at the Prudence Crandall Museum, 1 South Canterbury Road, Canterbury, CT.
> For additional information, call 860-546-7800 or email the Prudence Crandall Museum at:
October 17, Thursday
• Archaeology Associates of Greenwich Lecture: Excavations, Archives & Artisans: 21st Century Archaeology in
Peru's Lake Titicaca Basin & the Emergence of the Philistine Kingdoms, 8:00PM
Monumental architecture and impressive stone sculpture are hallmarks of Pukara culture. This lecture will highlight the
Pukara Archaeological Project that began in 2000.
> Lecturer: Five College Anthropology Professor Elizabeth Klarich.
> Where: The Bruce Museum Bantle Lecture Hall, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT
> Cost: Free to AAG and Bruce Museum members; non-members: $15 (students free with ID)
> For additional information: call 203-869-0376.
October 18, Friday, 8:00AM - 9:00PM thru October 19, Saturday, 8:00AM - 6:00PM
• Academic Conference: "17th Century Warfare, Diplomacy, & Society in the American Northeast"
In conjunction with its 15th anniversary, the Mashantucket Pequot
Museum & Research Center presents 17th Century Warfare, Diplomacy, & Society in the American Northeast, a
two-day interdisciplinary conference. This conference brings together scholars in the fields of anthropology, archaeology,
history, ethnohistory, geography, literature and Native American studies to examine the complexity of a changing cultural
landscape, and the consequences of colonization and warfare. Sessions include: War & Ties That Bind; Wampanoag Historical
Landscapes of the 17th Century; War & Diplomacy: Politics & Conflict, Memory & Legacy, Gender & Society, Material Culture;
and Narratives & Language.
> Registration information and schedule are available by clicking
pequotmuseum.org/contact-us.
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Lantern Light Tour 6:30PM, 6:50PM, 7:10PM, 7:30PM, 7:50PM, and 8:10PM
Tours begin and end at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT. Tour through historic
buildings and the Old Burying Ground to relive Wethersfield's spooky past. Appropriate for ages 7 and up.
> Each tour lasts about an hour.
> Tickets go on sale on September 17th.
October 19, Saturday
• Connecticut Archaeology Fair 2013, 10:00AM - 3:00PM
The 2013 CT Archaeology Fair will be held at the Keeney Memorial Center, 200 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT.
There will be a variety of exhibitors at the Fair, and the following lectures:
• 11:00 AM - New England Hebrew Farmers of Emanuel Society site: UConn Judaic Studies Summer Field School
Nick Bellantoni and Stuart Miller; Presenter: Nick Bellantoni
• 12:00 noon - Unexpected Pharmaceuticals: Archaeology at the Beman Triangle, Middletown
Lecturer: Sarah Croucher, Wesleyan University
• 1:00 PM - Western CT State University's Investigations of the Middle Encampment Site in Redding, CT: The
State's Newest Revolutionary
War Archaeological Preserve
Laurie Weinstein and Cos Sgarlata, Western Connecticut State University; Presenter: Cos Sgarlata
• 2:00 PM - The Ragged Mountain Soapstone Quarry, Barkhamsted
Lecturer: Ken Feder, Central Connecticut State University
> The Fair is free and open to the public. A suggested donation of $5.00 will support the work of the State
Archaeologist.
• Archaeological Society of Connecticut (ASC) Fall Meeting
The ASC Fall Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 19 alongside the Archaeology Fair at the Keeney Memorial Center in
Wethersfield, CT. Details will follow shortly.
> To access the ASC web site, please click www.ctarchaeology.org.
• Talcottville Archeology and Geology Walk, 1:00PM
The public is invited to a free walk on Saturday, October 19 in the historic Talcottville section of
Vernon. Meet in the parking lot at the Talcottville Congregational Church, 10 Elm Hill Road, Vernon for this 2.75 mile
hike to see the Talcottville gorge, historic bridges and buildings, and the sites of former mills (esp., Dobson's Mill).
Some of the terrain is steep and bumpy, so please wear sturdy sneakers or shoes. October is Archeology Awareness Month,
and this walk will educate participants about the ancient times in this nearby area. Speakers include geologist Gary
Robbins, from the University of Connecticut, and Jon Roe, webmaster of the Tankerhoosan and Talcottville web sites.
The hike will be held rain or shine, but extreme weather cancels.
> For additional information on the hike route, please click
tankerhoosen.info.
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Lantern Light Tour 6:30PM, 6:50PM, 7:10PM, 7:30PM, 7:50PM, and 8:10PM
Tours begin and end at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT. Tour through historic
buildings and the Old Burying Ground to relive Wethersfield's spooky past. Appropriate for ages 7 and up.
> Each tour lasts about an hour.
> Tickets go on sale on September 17th.
• Lecture: Applications of 3D Laser Scanning and Digital Reconstruction to Historical Preservation & Restoration
of Artifacts noon - 1:30PM
This lecture, which is sponsored by the Ashford Historical Society and Babcock Library, given by Susan M. Bowley, PhD,
will include case studies from Moffett Field Historical Society Aircraft Preservation and Restoration at Moffett Field in
California, Ashford Historical Society Gravestone Preservation and Restoration from Ashford, Connecticut, and various
archaeological skulls.
> Where: Knowlton Memorial Hall (Babcock Library), 23 Pompey Hollow Road, Ashford, CT.
> For additional information on Dr. Bowley, please click AHS_Flyer_9-7-13..
• Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS) Lecture: Friction Fire 12:30PM - 4:30PM
Have you ever wanted to create a fire using only what nature provides, the way Native American people did for
generations? Andrew Dobos and Deneen Bernier of Three Red Trees School of Natural Living will guide you through the
process of making fire by friction using the bow and drill method. You will leave with your own set of key components
necessary to practice and master this technique. Additional ancient methods will be demonstrated and will be available
for you to try yourself. This is a physical skill; kneeling, bending and safe use of a knife are required. CT Educators
may earn 0.4 CEUs.
> The event will be held at the Institute of American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.
> Space is limited: Prepayment and registration is required.
> Fee: $30 ($25 for IAIS members).
> For additional information, please call 860-868-0518.
October 20, Sunday
• Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS) Exhibit Opening: The Pinedale Collection, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
The deep history of the Great American Southwest is exciting, mysterious and complex. Many significant tribal societies
once inhabited its vast landscape, including the Hohokam, the Mogollon, and the Anasazi (Hisat'sinom) - ancestors of
present-day Pueblo people. They left behind a multitude of archaeological, architectural, and ethnographic evidence of
material and spiritual lives. Their ceramics, for example, not only help discover the daily economic tasks of food
preparation, consumption, and storage, but also reflect the sophisticated world views and artistry of their makers.
Come view stunning examples of these fabled wares, recently acquired by IAIS from a private collection.
> The event will be held at the Institute of American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.
> For additional information, please call 860-868-0518.
• Journey Back to the 18th Century: Prepare a Colonial Meal in a Period Fireplace 11:00AM - 4:00PM
Ever wonder what it was like to live back in the 1700s, and what it might have been like to cook your daily meal then?
Here's your chance to find out, at the Jerusha Welles' Kitchen at the Welles-Shipman-Ward House in South Glastonbury.
Visitors will be guided through preparation of a meal including Chicken Fricasse Brown simmering in seasoned gravy over an
open fire, seasonal vegetables and greens, onion soup, artisanal bread and apple pie; as well as pounded cheese and
crackers with cider.
> Where: Welles-Shipman-Ward House, 972 Main Street, South Glastonbury, CT.
> Reservations are required and seating li first-come first-served.
> Call 860-633-6890 for reservations. Cost is $50.00 per person.
October 21, Monday
• Archaeological Institute of America (Hartford) Lecture: Trade and Civilization in Medieval East Africa,
8:00PM
Dr. Chapurukha Kusimba of the Anthropology Department of the American University in Washington D.C will discuss his ongoing
research at medieval East African ports cities how the role of the individual merchant, the role of the state and the
technical conditions for land and sea transport converge to create civilizations.
> Where: Trinity College (room TBA), 300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT.
| For additional information, please contact Professor Martha Risser by phone at 860-297-2386 or
by email at: |
October 22, Tuesday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: The Great New England Vampire Panic, 12:00PM
Connecticut's State Archaeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni will shed light on one of the Nutmeg State's most intriguing
historical mysteries, the Jewett City Vampires. Dr. Bellantoni will describe the history of the Jewett City vampires,
including origins of the beliefs in the undead seeking nourishment from family members and how the living were protected.
He will reflect not only on vampires but also on other unexplained mysteries.
> Where: Old State House, 800 Main Street, Hartford, CT.
> For additional information, please call 860-522-6766 or click
October 24, Thursday
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Prison Site Walking Tour, 1:00 - 2:30PM
Walking tour of the former prison site. Meet your guide outside the Solomon Welles House, 220 Hartford Avenue.
> All tours are free to members and children under 16; $5.00 for non-members.
> Tours are cancelled if it rains.
> For questions, please call 860-529-7656.
October 26, Saturday
• Connecticut Historical Society: "Secrets of the Veeder House Tour" 11:00AM and 1:00PM
From the servants' quarters to the original elevator, this is a rare opportunity to explore the architecture and see some
of the non-public details of the 1928 house that is now the Connecticut Historical Society. Tours last approximately 45
minutes and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. Tour price includes general admission.
> For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jennifer Steadman at:
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: New England Vampire Folk Belief 2:00PM
Connecticut's State Archaeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni will shed light on one of the Nutmeg State's most intriguing
historical mysteries, the Jewett City Vampires. Dr. Bellantoni will describe the history of the Jewett City vampires,
including origins of the beliefs in the undead seeking nourishment from family members and how the living were protected.
He will reflect not only on vampires but also on other unexplained mysteries.
> Where: Danbury Museum and Historical Society, 43 Main Street, Danbury, CT.
> For additional information on the Danbury Museum and Historical Society call 203-743-5200.
• Wethersfield Historical Society: Prison Site Walking Tour, 10:00 - 11:30AM
Walking tour of the former prison site. Meet your guide outside the Solomon Welles House, 220 Hartford Avenue.
> All tours are free to members and children under 16; $5.00 for non-members.
> Tours are cancelled if it rains.
> For questions, please call 860-529-7656.
October 27, Sunday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: New England Vampire Folk Belief, 1:00PM
Connecticut's State Archaeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni will shed light on one of the Nutmeg State's most intriguing
historical mysteries, the Jewett City Vampires. Dr. Bellantoni will describe the history of the Jewett City vampires,
including origins of the beliefs in the undead seeking nourishment from family members and how the living were protected.
He will reflect not only on vampires but also on other unexplained mysteries.
> Where: Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, MA.
> For additional information, please call 978-456-3924.
October 30, Wednesday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: The Long Journey Home for Albert Afraid of Hawk, 7:00PM
In 1900, Albert Afraid of Hawk was performing with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show touring New England when the performers
came down with food poisoning. Albert died in Danbury Hospital and was buried in an unmarked grave in Wooster Cemetery.
Recently, local historian, Bob Young located Albert's burial card from the cemetery archives and notified the family at
the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Albert's grand-niece, Marlis Afraid of Hawk, had a dream that Albert wanted to
come home and she initiated the repatriation process. Dr. Bellantoni presents the history and his responsibility of
exhuming Albert for the long journey home.
> Where: Lucy Robbin Welles Library, 95 Cedar Street, Newington, CT.
> For additional information, please call 860-665-8700.
October 31, Thursday
• Nick Bellantoni Lecture: Symposium on the New Haven Green Burials, Time TBD
Nick Bellantoni will lead a discussion on burials recently uncovered by hurricane winds on the New Haven Green.
> Where: New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT
> For additional information, please call 203-562-4183 or access the New Haven Museum's website by clicking
www.newhavenmuseum.org/.
