Wake Forest University
Archeology Field School
Summer 2003
Historic Bethabara Park
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

May 28- July 2, 2003

The summer field school is a six-week course in archeological methods and theory for undergraduate students. The course also will briefly introduce the student to the related fields of public archaeology, historic preservation and cultural resources management.
A prerequisite is one course in anthropology or history, preferably in archeology and/or physical anthropology (exceptions may be granted). The field school carries six (6) hour credits for undergraduates (Anthropology 381 and 382).

RESEARCH:

This summer's excavations will be conducted at Historic Bethabara Park, one of the state's premier archaeological parks located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, only 2 miles from the campus of Wake Forest University. Bethabara was one the first Anglo-American settlements in the Carolina backcountry. Established by Moravians in 1754, the town was located on a large tract of land they named Wachovia. Though principally a town for the Moravian congregation, Bethabara grew into an important frontier commercial center in the last half of the eighteenth century. During the French and Indian War, Bethabara was a refuge for early settlers on the Carolina frontier. A palisade was constructed around the town's center and the mill complex at this time. The town was also prominent during the American Revolution. This summer excavations will be focused on Bethabara's mill site, and preliminary documentation of a cemetery and other historic era and prehistoric sites will be undertaken. This research is part of an on-going effort by the Wake Forest University Archeology Laboratories to understand the interactions of Moravians, other Anglo-Europeans, African Americans, and Native Americans in the 18th century Carolina Backcountry.

FIELD:

Students will work in the field five to six hours each day, Monday through Friday. Students will learn the basic techniques associated with several types of field investigations, including excavation, testing and survey. In addition, students will learn surveying and cartography skills (transit, alidade and the Brunton compass), and how to interpret remote sensing data from previous ground penetrating radar and magnetometer studies. Parts of the site will be mapped using Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques. A historic cemetery will be explored and documented, and other nearby sites may be documented as part of an ongoing regional survey.

LABORATORY:

Laboratory work will be conducted in the late afternoon each day. Students will inventory and classify artifacts recovered from the excavations (typically consisting of pottery, brick and stone debris, glass, iron, animal bone, and carbonized plant remains) in accordance with standard laboratory procedures. Students will be introduced to the principals of collections management and receive specialized instruction on specialized attribute recognition, ceramic technology, principles of archeological inference, and artifact conservation.

EVALUATIONS:

Each student will be expected to participate each and every day, and each will be required to complete a short research project based on their fieldwork and laboratory analysis. Another requirement will be directing a public tour of the archaeological site and the surrounding archaeological park.

TRAVEL:

There will be special trips, including weekend trips, to prominent historic sites, archives, museums and archaeological sites in North Carolina or surrounding states. Several of these will require overnight travel. We will attempt to make travel accommodations that require little or no expense for students, but some camping may be necessary and an occasional overnight stay in a motel may be required.

OTHER:

There will also be several guest lectures by leading professionals during the course, and several visits to other archeological sites, historic sites and museums in the area.

COST:

Undergraduate tuition is $2460.00, or $440 per hour. Accommodations will be provided in field headquarters at no additional charge. Food costs are the student's responsibility (a field kitchen is available).

HOUSING:

Students will be housed at no cost in the archaeology research facility at Historic Bethabara Park. Facilities are basic, but adequate, with separate bunk type sleeping arrangements and shared bathrooms.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

All completed applications and signed regulation forms must be received by May 10, 2003. Students applying from any university other than Wake Forest must provide a written letter of recommendation and medical release form. No application will be considered complete without receipt of all necessary components. Notification of acceptance/non-acceptance will be made within seven days of receipt of a completed packet. Tuition is due to the Registrar's office by May 16, 2003.

Download the application here. (This is an Adobe PDF. To open and print it, you will need the free Acrobat Reader.)

SCHEDULE AND MISCELLANEOUS:

Field school participants will gather in the Archeology Laboratories at Wake Forest University at 9 am on Wednesday, May 28, 2003, for a general orientation and registration. Housing will be available on Monday, May 26th for those who wish to arrive prior to registration and help set up the field headquarters. Fieldwork will begin on Wednesday, May 28th.

It is anticipated that the field school will have 5 to 10 students, with roughly equal numbers of males and females. Transportation to and from local stores and shops for necessities is available to those without personal vehicles. Students should bring their own linens and/or a sleeping bag, towels, and other personal items. Cooking and eating utensils/equipment are provided, but all students will assist in routine cleaning and maintenance of the housing, cooking and laboratory facilities.

Interested students should contact the Wake Forest University Summer Session Office for additional information about tuition and registration.

For more information or to submit a completed application, please contact:

Kenneth Robinson,
Director of Public Archeology,
Archeology Laboratories,
Wake Forest University,
P.O. Box 7807 Reynolda Station,
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
call (336) 758-5117
fax (336) 758-3378
or e-mail robinskw@wfu.edu.