During this snowy
winter, exciting things related to Fort St. Joseph (FSJ) have been occurring.
Dr. Michael Nassaney has been collaborating with the Kalamazoo Valley Museum
and Joseph Hines, a designer with Project Arts and Ideas. The last few months
these plans have started to take shape and now we are ready to share the
exciting news with all of you. In January 2015, an exhibit called “Evidence
Found” will open at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The exhibit is designed to
communicate in an interactive format what archaeology is, what archaeologists
do, and the presence as well as the importance of archaeological sites in southwest
Michigan. The primary archaeological site presented in the exhibit is Fort St.
Joseph. Artifacts uncovered at FSJ and photos of the site will be on display. One
section of the exhibit will include the presentation of information and
artifacts from five other sites in Southwest Michigan. Those five sites are
the Native American mound in Bronson
Park, the Warren B. Shepard homestead site, Ramptown an Underground Railroad
site, Dieffenderfer a Late-Woodland site, and Schilling a pre-contact sweat lodge.
In accompaniment to the photos and artifacts, archaeological procedures and
tools will be on display and interpreted for the visitors.
I participated in
the 2012 Archaeological Field School at Fort St. Joseph and I worked in the lab
the following Fall semester. I am collaborating with Dr. Nassaney and Mr. Hines
on the preparation for this exhibit. One of my responsibilities is to conduct
background research on all the sites. For each of these sites, I am also
suggesting a way that the sites can be interpreted in order to connect the
purpose of the activities at each site to present people and activities. Another
task assigned to me is to assist in obtaining and selecting photos and
artifacts from the sites. I am selecting a sample of photos taken during field
seasons at Fort St. Joseph.
Participation in
this project is part of my thesis for the Lee Honors College. For my thesis, I
am conducting the research on the sites and I am selecting artifacts and photos
associated with them. This project fits with my future career plans, as I hope
to someday work in a museum. This project is beneficial to my future career as
I am learning more about the research and planning that goes into the design of
an exhibit in a museum. When I work in a museum in the future, I will have a
better idea of how to plan and design exhibits because I worked on this
project. Keep checking back for more information on the Project and details on the museum display!-Tabitha Hubbard
