From Field School to Now

 

Hello Fort Followers! 

You may remember me from my multiple roles at Fort St Joseph and my update from about a year ago, but in case you do not… Hi! I’m Meghan Williams and I’ve been associated with the Project since the summer of 2017. 

As the museum inter, I would create and
fix artifact displays to use as outreach tools.

My journey with Fort St Joseph began when I was a student of the field school. Then, I became an independent study student working in the Project's lab to the public outreach coordinator to the museum intern. My time at Fort St Joseph truly shaped my archaeological career. The experiences and opportunities gained helped me to accomplish my master’s degree and pursue a career in archaeology. The Project taught me the how-to’s on curatorial work and post-excavation processes. This includes the process of cleaning artifacts brought back from the field, inventorying new artifacts and confirming the inventory of past work, and writing archaeological reports and blogs to keep the public and followers updated with ongoing work. 

As an update to my last blog, I have completed my MSc in Osteoarchaeology. I am now in the process of deciding whether to continue with the academic route and pursue a PhD, or continue my career in archaeology through museum work or commercial archaeology. Either way, the skillset that I acquired at Fort St Joseph will help me advance along my journey. I discovered my love of archaeology at Fort St. Joseph and its importance to the local community and history. 

I must say that Fort St Joseph’s dedication to including the community has shaped my thoughts on how archaeology should be conducted. I see archaeology as not only important to the archaeological community, but also important to members of the public due to the fact that the excavation being conducted is tied more to the local history than to the interests of the archaeologists. Therefore, I shall always value the interest of community members as I continue my career in archaeology.

So, thank you Fort St Joseph!

Meghan