Upcoming Events
Of Interest to FOSA Members and the General Public.
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FOSA members who have indicated interest in participating in field work, laboratory work, or outreach activities in the Interest Inventory of the "Membership Application" form will be notified of particulars as the date of an event approaches.
> If you would like to help out at an outreach event contact the FOSA Outreach Coordinator by sending an email to fosaoutreach@gmail.com.
> If you are a FOSA member and might like to contribute in field work, please email Scott at fosa.ct@gmail.com.
> If you cannot excavate, we have a need for individuals who can assist with screening, unit paperwork, photography, drawing, etc. Let us know what you would be interested in.
> On excavations where we are requesting [mentors], volunteers will be assigned to supervise and assist participants of the public program.
> If you are not a FOSA member, to participate in field work you must first join FOSA. To do so, please access the 'Join Us' page by clicking
> For those new to field work, please be aware that there may be limited time available for instructional purposes. We also urge you to review the Field Health and Safety, Frequently Asked Questions, and the Field Paperwork Review chapters of the FIELDWORK ACTIVITIES section of this website.
Activities Key
Field Work 
Laboratory Work 
Outreach Event 
The current projected Field, Lab and Outreach schedules are...
Note: Times and days may vary from those posted here due to projected weather conditions (e.g. rain and heat). Volunteers should check their email for changes.
Mon and Tue, 9 - 3 (excluding holidays), 349 Beach Hall and Building #1
Volunteers will need a UConn issued parking pass or to park in the South Parking Garage. Email fosa.ct@gmail.com for the authorization letter to purchase an Area 2 parking pass ($15 per month). Volunteers who attend at least half the cataloging sessions can request reimbursement for parking from FOSA. Click the UConn campus map to see the locations of Beach Hall (circled) and nearest Area 2 parking lots (checkmarks).
Wed, Fri, Sun, April 2 - May 14, under direction of FOSA member Joan Hill, Hop River Mills Site, Columbia. See details below.
Mon - Thur, May 19 - June 20, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm, Lt. John Hollister Site, South Glastonbury
July 21 thru July 24 - [mentors] 9:00 am - 3:30 pm (CSMNH Field School for Adults & Historical Society of Glastonbury Field Days), Lt. John Hollister Site, South Glastonbury
Hop River Mills Historic Site - Call for Volunteers
For a little over 200 years. the 3.5 acre Hop River Mills site in Columbia,, hosted a number of water-powered industries. In 1796, its owner described it as having a saw mill,grist mill, fulling mill, and an iron works. In the 19th century, it added a carding mill, satinet mill, cotton warp mill, and a leatherboard factory. In the 20th century these earlier mills were replaced with the manufacture of paper products. Because the 19th and 20th century industries are fairly well-documented, archaeological work there will focus on looking for evidence of the 18th century activities.
Under the guidance of the Columbia Historical Society and the State Archaeologist, this year's excavation work will focus on examination of two of the small cellars located through a GPR study in 2023.
> Work on the site will go on for six weeks starting April 2 and ending May 14.
> Work will be conducted three days a week : Wednesdays 9-12, Fridays 9-12, and Sundays 1-4.
> Training will be provided for beginners.
If you would like to take part, please call or email Joan Hill 860 228-2849 jmhill003@gmail.com to arrange dates when you can work and to get directions.
NOTE: If a Town is mentioned in any of the activities on this page and you're not sure where it's located, please click
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UPCOMING iCRV "ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONNECTICUT" RADIO SHOW
When: TBD in May
Topic: TBA
To access recordings of past shows, and to see the content of the upcoming one, please click CT Arch Shows.
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• SAA UPCOMING SEMINARS
• TRINITY COLLEGE / ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE of AMERICA LECTURES
What: Four times per year, Trinity's Classical Studies Department hosts events of the Archaeological
Institute of America Hartford Society.
When: Click
Trinity AIA Lectures for the current AIA events scheduled, registration information and videos of past AIA lectures.
Venue: These are virtual (ZOOM) sessions, which are free and open to the public.
And: Clicking
All Lectures
will give access to all public lectures held at Trinity including, those of the AIA.
For Questons: Please email Wendi Delaney at: wendi.delaney@trincoll.edu.
- - - WEBINARS - - -
From time to time we receive notification of virtual archaeology-oriented lectures being offered by various groups, in addition to those mentioned elsewhere for iCRV lectures. As we receive these we'll post them in Selected YouTube Videos (Webinars) section.
AVON FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY VIDEOS: "UNEARTHING HISTORY"
These lectures will feature speakers from a variety of organizations, including FOSA, on subjects as varied as the role of LIDAR in examinging sites thru recent sites such as a 12,500 year-old Paleo-Indian site, genomes of contemporary humans and their ancestors. Specifics on each of these FREE videos can be found by clicking the year icon.
> Click 2024 for a list of "Unearthing History" videos scheduled for or presented in 2024.
> Click 2023 for a list of "Unearthing History" videos scheduled for or presented in 2023.
> Click 2022 for a list of "Unearthing History" videos presented in 2022.
> Click 2021 for a list of "Unearthing History" videos presented in 2021.
- - - OTHER - - -
• Smithsonian Channel: "'America's Hidden Stories' Explores Vampire Exhumations of the Past with Dr. Nick Bellantoni"
When: repeated at various times. Check your local listings!
Where: Smithsonian Channel
What: From the American Revolution to the end of the 1800s, a mysterious ritual spread across New England...and beyond. Graves were broken into, the organs of the dead were burned and turned into horrifying forms of medicine. The reason why: to ward off vampires. Over time, stories of these exhumations vanished into rumor and legend, but new evidence has brought these ghoulish practices back to into focus. So, were 19th century farmers really fighting vampire? Or were they facing off against a predatory phantom that was even deadlier?
• History Channel: "MysteryQuest: Hitler's Escape with Dr. Nick Bellantoni"
When: repeated at various times. Check your local listings!
Where: History Channel
What: Former CT State Archaeologist Nick Bellantoni was requested by the History Channel to travel to both Germany and Moscow to study the remains which are said to be those of Adolph Hitler. It was a tremendous adventure for Dr. Bellantoni; and good reviews for UConn as well. Watch the History Channel to hear the whole story!
• Travel Channel: "Mysteries At the Museum on Griswold Vampire Case"
When: repeated at various times. Check your local listings!
Where: Travel Channel
What: The "Griswold Vampire Case" began with the uncovering of 29 graves in an abandoned cemetery set in a now-eroding rock pit. In one of the graves the bones had been rearranged, following an exhumation of the deceased. Looking into this more deeply, Nick became involved in vampire legends which existed in eastern Connecticut and western Rhode Island, especially in the late-18th to late 19th centuries. It turned out that these kinds of exhumations and bone-rearrangings were an attempt by people whose families were being devastated by tuberculosis, who trying to save their families using beliefs and methods originating from eastern Europe.
For additional information: Do a Google search on "vampires" to find items on this within this web site, including a video of a talk given by Nick at Quinnipiac University in 2013 and a book, Food For the Dead, in which additional background information is provided.
• Science Channel: Secrets of the Underground: "Secret History of the New World"
When: available after original airing on Science Channel, at https://www.sciencechannel.com/?utm_source=scigo&utm_medium=redirect/
Where: Science Channel
What: Dr. Jones will be appearing in the Science channel show "Secrets of the Underground" premiering March 28 at 10:00 PM. The episode is entitled "Secret History of the New World." Dr. Jones will be providing context on the Gungywamp ruins in Groton.
• various (PBS, Science Channel): "Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown's Dark Winter"
What: A program discussing the 1609 winter at Jamestown, and the suffering and cannibalism that occurred there; Dr. Robert Owsley (ref. 2015 Annual Meeting) is featured in the episode. The episode is also available on Amazon as a video; click on Amazon and input Jamestown's Dark Winter in the search criteria.
OTHER GROUPS' UPCOMING EVENTS
• Archaeological Society of Connecticut
• Conference on New England Archaeology
• CT Archaeology Center / Office of State Archaeology
• Connecticut Gravestone Network
• Connecticut State Museum of Natural History
• Historical Society of Glastonbury