About OSA – The Connecticut Office of State Archaeologist
The Office of State Archaeology was established at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH) in 1987 to provide technical assistance to municipalities in the preservation of archaeological sites within their communities that might be threatened by development and vandalism.
Connecticut Archaeology Center
The OSA administers the state archaeology office at the Connecticut Archaeology Center. At this office, it maintains comprehensive site files and maps, has in-state networks of supportive public, conducts research into the state’s archaeological sites, serves as a clearinghouse of information, coordinates the salvage of archaeological sites, and represents Connecticut on national issues pertaining to archaeology.
Archaeological Resource Preservation
The OSA has state-mandated responsibilities for the preservation or archaeological excavation and reburial of human remains encountered during construction activities. In this regard, it works closely with the Native American tribes in our state for projects that affect burials and sacred sites; and the preservation of unmarked burials.
OSA Museum
The OSA museum serves as the repository for all anthropological collections at the university and for artifacts found on state lands. In this role it has responsibility for the curating of Connecticut’s archaeological / anthropological collections, totaling over 600,000 artifacts.
Public Awareness
The OSA works to create public awareness and support for archaeological preservation, including museum exhibits and a variety of public presentations and outreach activities. It also works closely with federal, state and local governments in the preservation of Connecticut’s archaeological and historical heritage.
Connecticut State Archaeologist:
Sarah Sportman, PhD
Sarah Sportman holds a B.A. in History from Union College (1999), an M.A. in History/Historical Archaeology from the University of Massachusetts Boston (2003), and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut (2011). She has worked as an archaeologist for 20 years, studying the archaeology and history of Euro-American and pre-colonial Native American groups in New England and New York. Sarah has worked in both cultural resource management and academia. For the last five-and-a-half (2020) years, she held the position of Senior Archaeologist for AHS, Inc./PAST, Inc., working primarily on projects in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She became CT State Archaeologist in 2020, a position she continues to hold.
Sarah’s dissertation, Halcyon Days: The Historical Archaeology of Community and Identity at Hammondville, New York, 1870-1900, focused on daily life in a 19th-century company-owned mining village in the Adirondacks. Her primary research interests include Historic-period and Pre-contact Native American archaeology of the northeastern United States, zooarchaeology, ethnohistory, Colonial-period New England history, 19th-century immigration and labor, and foodways.
To view Dr. Sportman’s Curriculum Vitae, please click Sarah Sportman CV.
Past State Archaeologists
Brian D. Jones, PhD
Dr. Brian D. Jones served as the state archaeologist with the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Archaeology Center in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Connecticut (UConn). He was appointed to the position of CT State Archaeologist on July 18, 2014, following the retirement of Dr. Nicholas F. Bellantoni from that position. He served in that position until his passing in 2019.
As excerpted from the press release by the CT State Museum of Natural History announcing his appointment, Dr. Jones had been working in the archaeology field for over 24 years, most recently as Senior Archaeologist with Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. in Storrs, Connecticut.
He received his undergraduate degree in Anthropology at Oberlin College in 1986. After living and traveling in Southeast Asia, he studied European prehistory at the University of Cologne, Germany. He returned to the U.S. in 1992 to complete his Ph.D. at UConn, Storrs. Brian was the Supervisor of Field Archaeology at the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation between 1998 and 2004, after which he worked at Archaeological and Historical Services. In 2008, he took the position of Associate Director of UMass Archaeological Services in Amherst. Brian also taught as an adjunct in the Anthropology Department at UConn since 2004. His primary research focus was the archaeology of northeastern Native American cultures. His dissertation explored human adaptation to the changing climate at the end of the last Ice Age. He was also experienced in geoarchaeology (the relationship of archaeology to landscape and soil formation processes) and stone tool analysis.
As was the case with Dr. Bellantoni, the duties of the State Archaeologist are many, but primarily include the preservation of archaeological sites in the state. He served as an Adjunct Associate Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UConn, as well as a State Commissioner for the Commission on Culture and Tourism and sits on the State Historic Preservation Council.
A list of Brian’s papers and talks can be found at Brian Jones Info.
On July 4, 2019, Dr. Jones passed away unexpectedly. Click Here to read remembrances of Brian.
Nicholas F. Bellantoni, PhD
Dr. Nicholas F. Bellantoni is emeritus Connecticut State Archaeologist and an associate research professor in the Department of Anthropology in the University of Connecticut. He served as the state archaeologist with the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Archaeology Center in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Connecticut. He earned his BA in Anthropology at the Central Connecticut State University and his MA in Anthropology at University of Connecticut. He received his doctorate in Anthropology from UConn in 1987 and was shortly thereafter appointed state archaeologist. He retired from that position in 2014, being replaced by Dr. Brian D. Jones.
Nick is the co-author of “In Remembrance: Archaeology and Death” and has also contributed to journals such as the Journal of Forensic Science, Journal of Archaeological Science and to the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. He most recently has authored “The Long Journeys Home: The Repatriations of Henry ‘Opukaha’ia and Albert Afraid of Hawk” and “And So the Tomb Remained: Exploring Archaeology and Forensic Science Within Connecticut’s Historical Family Mausolea.“
His duties included the preservation of archaeological sites in the state. He served as an Adjunct Associate Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UConn, as well as a State Commissioner for the Commission on Culture and Tourism and sat on the State Historic Preservation Council. At his retirement, he was President of the National Association of State Archeologists. He has also assisted state and local police departments with investigations involving the discoveries of unmarked graves and homicides. He assisted the New Haven Police Department when human skeletal remains were found during construction at Yale-New Haven Hospital and on the New Haven Green when Superstorm Sandy toppled the Lincoln Oak.
In addition, he participated in an extensive series of talks around the state, on subjects ranging from the archaeological history of Native American tribes for the past several thousand years, forensic archaeology, even garden archaeology; as well as field trips to various archaeological and geologic sites of interest. An engaging and popular speaker, he expects to continue to give talks (on a reduced schedule!) for the forseeable future; and they will be included on this web site’s Upcoming Events page.
His research background includes the analysis of skeletal remains from eastern North America. He has been excavating in Connecticut for over 30 years.
Douglas F. Jordan, PhD
Douglas F. Jordan, who became Connecticut’s first state archaeologist in 1963 and taught anthropology at the University of Connecticut, and who held that position until 1987, passed away on July 29, 2006, at the age of 80.
He was born and raised in Wakefield, MA, on the shore of Lake Quannapowitt. As a young man he served in World War II, laying communications line for the Army’s 69th Division.
He attended Dartmouth College for his bachelor’s degree and received his MA and PhD in anthropology from Harvard University. After working for the National Park Service and the Florida State Museum, in 1963 he started teaching at the University of Connecticut.
He was appointed State Archaeologist of Connecticut, curated the university’s archaeological collections and ran the UConn summer field school during his nearly 25 year career in Connecticut.
He and Barbara Snow Miller were married in 1968.
Long after retiring he continued to do research on his academic specialization, primitive technology. He was a life-long student, inventor and tinkerer, engaging in pursuits such as cryptography, genealogy, electronics, woodworking and computer programming. For many, many years he split his time between Storrs, CT and his family’s longtime summer retreat in Andover, NH.
Click Here to read remembrances of Doug.