FSJAP Alum: Meghan Williams

Hello all! My name is Meghan Williams and I was a part of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project from the Summer of 2017 till the Spring of 2019. I played a few roles in the Project (field student, public outreach coordinator, and museum intern), and I deeply enjoyed my overall experience with the Project. In July 2017, I was a student during the 42^nd Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Field School. That is when I fell in love with archaeology and knew I would want to pursue it as a career. I graduated from Western Michigan University in December of 2017, and that following summer I was one of the public outreach coordinators for the 2018 field season. Afterwards I decided to stay with the Project a bit longer as the museum intern until the spring of 2019. My time with the Project has exposed me to so many different experiences, and has taught me so much about archaeological techniques, public engagement, disseminating information, and curation work.

Meghan Williams excavating during the at Fort St. Joseph in 2017. Photo by Emily Fletcher.

           During my time with the Project I had the opportunity to meet incredible archaeologists and many others who shared a passion for history. I have made lifelong friends, and those I know I can rely on to help me with my research and future career, because they are always available to answer my questions or proofread my work. One of those individuals is Emily Fletcher, who was my pit partner in the 2017 Archaeological Field School. She has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and even recommended her study abroad university when I was applying for my master’s programs. One of my fondest memories of field school was with her. We were incredible pit partners because we knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and used that to our advantage. For example, she was much better at drawing the level maps than me, so when we had to map a level I would measure and plot, and she would draw. We were a very efficient team, in that sense. I enjoyed excavating and swapping stories with her. She told me about the University of Aberdeen and her adventures in Scotland. It was both inspiring and encouraging to hear about archaeology in other parts of the world and how it is done. We are now both pursuing a master’s degrees under the large dome of archaeology. She is currently at Purdue University studying Digital Archaeology, whereas I am at the University of Aberdeen studying Osteoarchaeology. 

Meghan Williams and Emily Fletcher during the 2017 Archaeological Field School. It had been a long hot day! Photo by Meghan Williams.

Before I move onto my current studies, I have one more memory I would like to share. Ele Hein and I were the public outreach coordinators for the 2018 Archaeological Field School. We got on like two peas in a pod, and I am forever thankful for her patience and hard work. FSJAP is a wonderful project and it is not always the glamour of the field, or invigorating discussions at the lecture series, but sometimes it is the mundane more behind-the-scenes work. We spent many hours working side by side at the Stables, library or museum and I am very fond of those memories. We spent many hours working on banners, flyers, pamphlets, and it was during that time that my work ethic and time management really blossomed. It is interesting to look back now and be proud of those stressful times; however, we beat those hurdles and I have a killer work ethic now. 

I am currently completing my MSc in Osteoarchaeology at the University of Aberdeen. Right now, I am working on my master’s dissertation and I am set to graduate in November. I love living in Scotland and learning about their history through archaeology. Archaeology has this wonderful aspect in its ability to tell unknown stories. I have learned so much here and I am excited to continue learning about the world through archaeology. The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project has given me many opportunities and I am thankful for all of the skills I have learned. My time as public outreach coordinator and museum intern greatly assisted in my ability to communicate and disseminate archaeology to the public. To me archaeology is ultimately for the public, and one needs to have the skills in communicating our knowledge in a way that the public can understand. Fort St Joseph has taught me how to hone these skills, as well as fuelling my interest in public archaeology. 

I hope everyone is staying safe during these uncertain times. 

Best, 

Meghan 

From Fort St. Joseph to Fort Ticonderoga: An Alumni Update

Hello Fort Followers,

John Cardinal here, and I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe! I participated in the 2013 field school, was a Fort St. Joseph co-intern with Aaron Howard from 2014 to 2016, and worked as site photographer during the 2015 field season. A lot has happened since graduating from Western Michigan University and moving on from the Project. It's hard to believe it has been five years since I was last a part of Fort St. Joseph! 

After the 2015 field season, I volunteered for a month as an archaeological crew member at Fort Michilimackinac, then continued as the Fort St. Joseph intern until spring 2016. After I obtained my degree in history and anthropology, I worked seasonally for Mackinac State Historic Parks (Fort Michilimackinac) as a paid archaeological crew member under the direction of Dr. Lynn Evans. During the off seasons, I worked a variety of jobs in order to diversify my skill set, including volunteer work for the collections department at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

John working at Fort Michilimackinac as a professional archaeologist. Photo Credit: Anonymous.

The things I learned from the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Fort Michilimackinac, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, and various other jobs and hobbies have given me a unique set of skills. In the early summer of 2018, a good friend of mine and fellow Fort St. Joseph alumni Catherine Davis, shared a job posting for, you guessed it, yet another fort! Fort Ticonderoga in Upstate New York, on the shores of Lake Champlain, was looking to hire a Preparator. This newly founded position would include the construction of exhibits, making individual storage and display mounts for collection objects, assisting with on-site archaeology, among other tasks. My previous work history of archaeology, collections handling, general tinkering, and college apartment maintenance presented me a unique opportunity. 

John assembling a museum display at Fort Ticonderoga. Photo Credit: Fort Ticonderoga Staff

I accepted this position in late summer of 2018, and I have been a part of the Fort Ticonderoga team ever since! Since I have started working here, I have learned a lot about the current methods for displaying collection’s objects, disseminating information, on-site real-world archaeology, and how institutions function as a whole. I firmly believe that in order to understand archaeology’s role in today’s institutions, one must have a well-rounded set of experiences. 

Best,

John Cardinal

Raegan's Alumni Update

A projectile point found in Wisconsin. Photo by Raegan Delmonico.

Hey Fort Followers! 
It's Raegan here, the 2019 lab coordinator back with another FSJ blog! Since my last video blog at the end of the 2019 excavations at Fort St. Joseph, Ive been able to get my foot in the door and work on my first few commercial archaeology jobs! At the end of the 2019 field season, I headed west to Wisconsin! I worked with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Cultural Resource Management on a phase III project in Sheboygan. It was definitely a learning experience for me. I was able to gain experience working with lithic projectile points and stone tools, this was a big change compared to the french colonial artifacts I had previously worked with. The excavations were also a lot bigger, as we worked on large blocks divided into 2x2m units brought down in 10cm levels. It was a really awesome experience, and a really cool project to be a part of!

A weekend hike into Bryce Canyon. Photo Credit: Anonymous

Once the project in Wisconsin came to an end, I geared up to work on another project even further west in Utah! The project in Utah was a Phase I survey, which means a lot of hiking! The project started in northern Utah in the Uinta Wasatch Mountains, it was difficult terrain but the views were so pretty. The archaeology was also pretty cool, we recorded both historic and prehistoric sites. We surveyed land in southern Utah too. Getting paid to hike and record archaeology all day, while surrounded by beautiful red rocks, was totally wild. I've learned so much from all of the projects I've worked on so far and I can't wait to gain more experience in archaeology!

Obsidian blade excavated in Souther Utah. Photo Credit: Raegan Delmonico.

My Adventures at the SHA

Hi everyone,

This is Cameron getting back to you all on some of my recent happenings with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. A month ago, a few of us from the Project (past and present) took a trip to Boston to attend the Society for Historical Archaeology’s conference (the SHA). This conference is what Dr. Nassaney calls “The granddaddy of all the historical archaeology conferences,” and it would be my first archaeological conference. Better yet, I would be presenting a poster about public archaeology during the 2019 field season at Fort St. Joseph. So, you could say that I had waited in anticipation for this trip for months. 

During the beginning of last field season Dr. Nassaney had suggested that I should organize some students to make a poster for the SHA. I proposed that it could be about public archaeology, given that I have learned a lot from and enjoyed that facet of the Project. After I had put my initial idea out there, I organized a group of us to work on the poster, which included Raegan, Erika, Alex, Dr. Nassaney, and Hannah. So, throughout the rest of last year we worked on the poster, prepping it for the conference. 

The poster we produced for the conference. Design courtesy of Cori Ivans. 

Getting to the conference was an adventure in itself. Alex and I carpooled to Erie Pennsylvania in a rental car to stay the night at Evan’s apartment. Evan had spent the last semester at Mercyhurst as a graduate student under the tutelage of Dr. Malischke, so he hooked us up with a ride from Erie to Boston in a large van with four other people. We really hit it gold on our ride there, as we had a spacious van to relax in as we traveled through the rest of Pennsylvania, the entire length of New York, and into Massachusetts. 

Once we arrived at our hotel in Boston, we crammed six of us into a double, which included Evan, Alex, Raegan, and two other students from Mercyhurst. Let’s just say that we were all living in close quarters for the next five days. But this wasn’t too bad. All of the best memories are made with a slight tinge of adversity. And besides, most of our time was spent meandering about the hotel and the city. 

All of this transpired between Monday morning and Tuesday night. But, once I had my early rise on Wednesday, the conference had finally begun, and I was ready to have at it. I spent my first day going from to presentation to presentation, listening to a variety of archaeologists discuss their research. This is what the majority of the conference consisted of, along with networking with other archaeologists. Which combined with all the late-night revelry, could easily lead me to burn out too quickly. I had to remind myself that I should treat my time like a marathon not a sprint, I had the entire week to meet new people. 

            By the time Thursday night came around somehow a group of us managed to sneak our way into a party thrown by the University of Massachusetts Anthropology department. You could say we were unofficially invited, but we didn’t know anybody there. So yeah, technically we crashed their party. This kind of carousing around while attending presentations and networking, continued on throughout the entire conference, and when Friday rolled up, I had burned out. I just didn’t have the will to pace myself knowing that I could be missing out on the next potential adventure. So, with my presentation coming up on Saturday, I knew that I would have to get up early since it was scheduled in the morning. A commonsense approach to time management would obviously imply that I should go to bed early, but this wasn’t the case. 

With a bit of caffeine, I woke up feeling invincible and ready to take on my first presentation. Fortunately for me, despite my depletion the presentation went well. People were interested in the poster, and honestly it was much more of a relaxed setting than I had anticipated. People would stop by to check out our poster and ask questions. It was a good opportunity to show people what I have done for the past two years at FSJ, and how the Project conducts public archaeology with the Niles community. Afterwards Alex and I celebrated by having some oysters for lunch. But once again my exultant mood from my recent success started to wane, and the effects of the conference began to hit me. I tend to get despondent when I am feeling depleted, so despite my fear of missing out I had to get some rest if I wanted to enjoy the rest of my stay. 

Raegan and I the morning of our presentation. Photo by Erika Hartley. 

            With my final hours of the conference at hand, I had managed to utilize the most of my time to meet more professionals. This was one of my most important goals I had in my mind. Initially when I first arrived, I thought it would be best to playthings safe and act formal. But, after a few days immersed in the conference atmosphere, I realized that I had to lighten up a little or else people would think I was a rookie. Not that I wasn’t honest about my status as a burgeoning archaeologist and a first-time attendee, I just didn’t want to seem too green. This worked in my favor as I accomplished my goal, as I had met potential employers and professionals whose work interests me. And with the conference coming to a close I spent my final hours enjoying my time with friends over some Italian cuisine, and drinks at the hotel bar. 

Fort St. Joseph members past and present reunite during the SHA. Photo by Amber Neeley.

            Overall attending the SHA was a rewarding experience that I plan on repeating in the future. I made some good memories and good connections. Leaving the conference was a hassle given that six other people were packing at the last-minute on about three or four hours of sleep. We still managed to get by without harming one another. It was an eight-and-a-half-hour ride from Boston back to Erie, and another five for Alex and I to drive back to Michigan. It was a quiet ride back, but we all survived the SHA. And reflecting back on it all, I realized that my adventures with these people aren’t over, as we are all working towards our future as archaeologists. 

Until next time,

Cam

Mary Ellen's Fort St. Joseph Story

Hi everyone,

My name is Mary Ellen and I am an FSJ addict. I was asked to share the story of how that came to be. Over the years, I have had privilege to be part of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project in many different ways—as a summer camper, volunteer on the site, member of the Advisory Committee, cook, etc. But the interest and commitment to FSJ began long before there was an archaeological project, and, I am not the only member of my family to be involved. So, how did it happen?  (If you were ever my pit partner, you have heard all of this so can just skip to the end?)

Mary Ellen's niece Abby was a summer camp participant in 2002. Photo by Mary Ellen.

For as long as I can remember, my mother would frequently drive past the giant Fort St. Joseph boulder at the intersection of Bond and Fort Street in Niles. She would tell us all about the day her third grade class had walked there in 1933, and the teacher would say “someday they are going to find the fort”. But it wasn’t just my sisters and I that she would tell this story to. In later years, she would find a way to drive by the boulder when she took her grandchildren or great-grandchildren to preschool or to McDonald’s for lunch. Obviously, finding the fort and keeping its history alive has been her passion, and she has made it ours too.  

The 2015 Appreciation Award stands as a recognition to the commitment of the Drolet family to the history and legacy of Fort St. Joseph. Photo by Mary Ellen. 

She would also tell us about how the Fort St. Joseph boulder had been dedicated in 1913. Moving the 7-ton boulder, which is nearly 11 feet in diameter, from a farm about a mile away to its current location, was a project of the Women’s Progressive League. When the project proved more expensive than expected, the school children in Niles had collected nickels to complete the project. The point being that preserving the fort’s history has always been a grass roots and community-based effort.

            Mom’s walk to the site was 20 years later. But it was another 65 years before, as a result of another community lead effort, archeologists from Western Michigan University came to Niles in 1998 and found credible evidence that the location of the boulder was very close to the actual site of the fort.

  

            From the 1930s to the present, the City has hired consultants to recommend ways to promote the local economy—and every report has included “build on the unique history of Fort St. Joseph”. And throughout that time, there have been many efforts to “find the Fort” and build a replica.  For years, whenever the City was considering a proposal involving the fort or development in the area, we would spend an afternoon delivering her letters to members of the City Council expressing her support.

In the late 1970’s, when the City hired Dr. Joseph Peyser to translate French historical documents to help locate the site, my Dad was a member of the City Council. He encouraged my Mom to enroll in Dr. Peyser’s class on Fort St. Joseph at IUSB.  Not surprisingly, for months conversation at home was dominated by what she had learned in that class.

In 1991, Mom was particularly chagrined that the 300^th anniversary of the Fort had passed without a celebration, and although there were many people interested in the fort, they were not working together and there was no common vision.  So, there was another day of hand-delivering invitations to anyone who had expressed interest in a meeting at the lower level of the Mini Mall.  The outcome of that meeting was an agreement to form Support the Fort, Inc., a non-profit organization, with the mission of preserving the history of Fort St. Joseph, and eventually constructing and operating a reconstruction. Support the Fort has raised money, put on reenactments, educated local groups, and worked with schools to increase the visibility and importance of our local history.

Mary Ellen with her mother, cousin, and nephew at a rendezvous in the late 90's. 

            By 1998, Support the Fort had gained community support and had raised enough money to finance limited exploration.  In October 1998, Professor Michael Nassaney from WMU’s anthropology department, with the help of student volunteers and some of our local Support the Fort members, explored the site and found enough artifacts and other evidence to believe that the actual fort site had been found.  

            Since that time, public archaeology has offered so many opportunities to be involved. And as the project continues, these opportunities keep expanding!   

           
            It’s in the DNA!

                                     
Best,

Mary Ellen Drolet

A Summer Camp Experience Recounted by Jamie Bennett

Hi everyone, this is Jamie Bennett from the Fort St. Joseph Advisory Committee!

A little over a year ago, the City of Niles announced it had openings for several committee positions available.  Since I have a love of history and felt like I had too much free time, I applied to join the Fort St. Joseph Archeological Committee.  In January of 2019, the city approved adding me to the committee, and I was excited to be involved with Fort St. Joseph Archeology!!  

At one of our spring meetings, Dr Nassaney invited the committee members to join the summer camp. While Dr Nassaney gave an amazing account of the activities to the committee, it is a completely different experience being there yourself.  My older son had attended the camp and enjoyed it. So I decided, yes, I’m in!! But due to a scheduling conflict with work, I signed up for the 2nd week with high schoolers from July 22nd until July 26th.  

Before the camp began we were given a packing list of items to bring, and were informed that we would meet at the Niles History Center for the first day of camp. There, we were introduced to our instructor for the week, Tim Bober. The camps are broken down into two parts: We would meet in the morning at the Niles District Library at 9 AM for a lecture and classroom work. In the afternoon, the campers ride over to the site for lunch with the college students and archaeology team. After lunch, campers work with their own camper excavation units!   

Tim Bober is currently a college professor of archeology at WMU. He passed out binders with reference materials about general archeology, nomenclature, and history related to Fort St. Joseph in Niles. The materials were extra reading and unassigned, which I find is the best. Honestly, I was exhausted everyday after camp. I asked Tim if he uses the same lectures each year, which he replied he does. Tim was very animated and engaging during the lectures. He definitely has a passion for the materials he presents. He was also a great source of information for those interested in pursuing archeology as a non-academic career.

While we didn’t work with the WMU students, we did tour their units every day after lunch. The students provided details about their units, such as features and artifacts of interest. This year, the project had done something new. We had decided to take a look underneath the 20th century landfill. It was a bit surreal to be standing on piles of garbage and looking down into their units. The WMU students worked inside these trenches surrounded by mounds of modern day waste.  

Afterwards, we headed down to the camper units where we would work in pairs. The site had three camper units. Each unit had its own individual uniqueness. The campers rotated often, so we all excavated in each of the units, and worked at the wet screens.  Personally, I enjoyed leaning over scraping small areas in the units, only digging 2 or 3 centimeters of the rich dark soil, and standing in the blazing sun with a hose getting muddy and wet at the wet screens. To each our own as there were several campers who enjoyed the wet screening!!  

During the excavations, there is a lot of down time. During our first day, Tim encouraged us to talk about our hobbies while we excavate. And each morning, we had an exercise to discuss something fun that had happened during the previous evening. That made the experience more enjoyable for me. Not only were we learning about the history of the fort and archeology, we were connecting and learning about other people.

The units I worked on were started by the middle school campers during the previous week. And after the work we had accomplished, the life long learners would continue to work in the same units the following week. The camper units in themselves did hold several interesting discoveries. There was a large piece of pottery which held my interest and imagination. We also found lots of bones. The campers learned skills completing documentation, troweling, and wet screening. Our instructor, Tim Bober, was very supportive and fun. It was a great experience. My younger son can’t wait until he can go to the camp as well!! 

Happy New Year,

Jamie Bennett

Comstock Middle School Visit

             Greetings fort followers! This is Cece here to tell you about our recent visit to Comstock middle school. On Wednesday morning, Cam and I ventured over to Comstock with our artifact case, an archaeologist’s toolbox, and some fun activities in hopes of getting Mrs. Bloom’s seventh grade social studies class interested in archaeology. 

            After the first bell rang and morning announcements were given, Cam gave a brief presentation on what it means to be an archaeologist. One central point was the importance of viewing other cultures from a neutral standpoint, with an open and curious mind. Without this, we risk comparing other cultures to our own preconceived notions and making false judgements. 

          

             The first activity was meant to emphasize the importance of context to an archaeologist. The kids broke into small groups, and each group received a notecard with a place written on it; we used a farm, grocery store, garage, and restaurant. Each group had to draw four different items that might be left behind at their given place, and then pass them on to the next group, who then had to guess where the items might have come from. With each round, one item was taken away, making it more difficult to accurately infer the context of the items. The kids did really well and had a lot of fun! 

           

            Next, Cam and I distributed a bag of garbage (which, of course was washed), to each group. The kids emptied the bags and were challenged to come up with inferences about the garbage. Who might have thrown away fast food bags and coffee cups? A family? A college student? Someone who has little time to cook? I assembled a garbage bag of my own with empty cans of beans, an empty carton of tomatoes, and a few bottles of coffee drinks made with almond milk. I asked them what they thought, and they said the person was probably a vegan, maybe in their twenties…they nailed it! 

           

            After this activity, the kids got to look at the case of artifacts we had collected from Fort St. Joseph. The bones and musket ball brought about many questions, as well as the ear bob, and the fur. This gave us an opportunity to tell them about the fur trade, and the relationships between the French colonists and the Native Americans. Afterwards, we displayed an archaeologist’s toolbox. We told them the importance of digging slowly and carefully with a trowel, and about making accurate measurements with our measuring tape and plum bob. 

           

           In the final moments of class, the kids got to ask us questions. Of course we got the famous, “do you dig up dinosaur bones?” But, one of the kids came up after class was over to get more of an inside scoop on how to make it into the field. Cam and I were able to visit two classes, and both Cam and Lucy returned on Friday to see two more. It was a great experience, seeing the subjects of archaeology and anthropology through the young and excited minds of seventh graders. Thank you so much to Mrs. Bloom, the seventh graders, and Comstock Middle School for having us! Hopefully we get to see some of you again during the field season, whether it be during the middle school summer camp, a Friday pit tour, or the archaeology open house. 

Until next time,

Cece