The 2021 Fort St. Joseph Open House!

 Hello everyone, my name is Reid. I’m a senior anthropology major at Michigan State University, with a concentration in archaeology. I’m interested in historical archaeology in the United States between the 1850s and the 1950s, and I’m specifically interested in how the politics of memory affect the way our society does archaeology, conservation, and the presentation of information regarding sites that have experienced a genocide or other violent conflict. You might remember me from the garbology blog post from mid-July. Now I’m back with a second installment, this time focusing on the open house that was held on August 7th and 8th.As an archaeologist, living up to the image presented by Indiana Jones is an impossible task. The fact is that in real life archaeology there are no bullwhips, rampaging boulders, or booby traps. It’s just a lot of dirt, hard work, and tiny bone fragments. When you put it like that, why would anyone turn off Raiders of the Lost Ark in favor of driving out to an actual archaeological site?

Public archaeology and community service learning are two key components of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. The community involvement with the project has helped shape its research design and make the field school that runs alongside it unique. The open house that usually runs for a weekend towards the end of the field school is perhaps the best example of the public facing dimension of the project.

The open house has been carefully designed and improved over almost 20 years to provide an authentic and interesting archaeological experience. Students stand by open excavation units to explain what, why, and how the dig is being conducted, as well as answer questions about the history of the site and how the fort is incorporated into the history of Niles. We also have an incredible group of living history reenactors that come for the weekend. They provide a glimpse into the past, displaying crafts like blacksmithing and fiber arts, educating about French colonial food ways, and offering the opportunity to ride in an authentic birchbark canoe. This is where the open house really shines-- the blending of an education and entertainment. (And it’s free! Come visit us next year!)

Every iteration of the open house goes through little tweaks and changes from year to year. For 2021 one of the biggest changes that was made was site accessibility. Three volunteers (Gary, Lynn, and Niel), the field school lab coordinator (Lucy) and a field school student (Ashley) spent a Saturday clearing vegetation and creating gradients for the paths leading to and from the floodplain. This meant that for the first time there was a wheelchair and motorized accessible route around the whole site. These changes were a big step towards making Fort St. Joseph accessible not just to the general public, but to the whole public. We hope that you’ll come and visit us next year!

Students and staff enjoying a birchbark canoe ride
after the open house!

Students creating an artifact case for the open house!