The Arkansas Archeological Society's Tunican Chapter officers and Board of Advisors with Monticello Mayor Zachery Tucker accepting the Archeology Month proclamation
The Arkansas Archeological Society's Tunican Chapter officers and Board of Advisors with Monticello Mayor Zachery Tucker accepting the Archeology Month proclamation.

UAM Research Station, March 2016

Each March, the Arkansas Archeological Society and the Arkansas Archeological Survey, in cooperation with museums, colleges, libraries and other groups across the State, hold a series of events, displays, presentations, and hands-on activities to celebrate Arkansas’s cultural heritage as discovered through archeology. Last night, the Tunican Chapter and the UAM Research Station began the celebration last night on the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus.
On March 1, Monticello Mayor Zackery Tucker issued an Archeology Month proclamation during the Tunican Chapter of the Arkansas Archeological Society’s monthly meeting. The proclamation recognized Arkansas’s significant archeological heritage that holds important clues about our rich and diverse history and acknowledged how fragile these sites are as they are endangered by erosion, uncontrolled development, looting, or vandalism. The proclamation also recognized the Tunican Chapter and the UAM Research Station for their ongoing research on the Taylor House and other sites in southeast Arkansas as well as their efforts in preserving our past.
That same evening, UAM’s Division of Music co-hosted an Archeology Month talk by Jim Rees, an Arkansas Archeological Society volunteer. Mr. Rees talked about music archeology, the study of the role of musical instruments in past cultures, and the musical artifacts from Arkansas and the surrounding areas. In this presentation, he showed us two of the most significant music artifacts that have been found in Arkansas and underscored the important role of musical instruments in Arkansas’s Native American past.
Arkansas Archeological Society volunteer Rim Rees discussed music archeology, the study of the role of musical instruments in past cultures, and the musical artifacts from Arkansas and the surrounding areas in an event co-hosted by the UAM’s Division of Music.
Arkansas Archeological Society volunteer Rim Rees discussed music archeology, the study of the role of musical instruments in past cultures, and the musical artifacts from Arkansas and the surrounding areas in an event co-hosted by the UAM’s Division of Music.

 

It’s not too late to celebrate Arkansas Archeology Month. The UAM Research Station has partnered with KAGH 104.9 FM, Crossett, Arkansas’s oldest radio station, to share a series of small radio spots called “The Archeology Minute.” These one-minute long broadcasts will air every day in March. The Archeology Minute will not only educate the public about what archeology is and how archeology is done, it will also provide listeners with many facts unique to Arkansas archeology. Topics range from the latest excavation sites to the archeological history of Arkansas. You can hear the Archeology Minute each weekday morning during the Miller in the Morning show.
Arkansas Archeology Month proclamation by the city of Monticello.
Arkansas Archeology Month proclamation by the city of Monticello.

 

Monticello Mayor Zackery Tucker issuing an Archeology Month proclamation during the Tunican Chapter of the Arkansas Archeological Society’s monthly meeting on March 1st
Monticello Mayor Zackery Tucker issuing an Archeology Month proclamation during the Tunican Chapter of the Arkansas Archeological Society’s monthly meeting on March 1st.

 

In addition, for the month of March, the UAM Library is hosting a small exhibit on the archeology of Camp Monticello, a World War II Italian prisoner of war camp. On March 14, you can learn how to identify historic bottles at the UAM Research Station Lab. From March 21-25, the UAM Research Station is hosting a Spring Break Dig at the Taylor House, the 1840s plantation in Drew County. Archeologists are aiding architects and historians in the restoration of the Taylor House, an 1846 cypress-log dog-trot that is currently being restored by the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Archeological excavations in 2014 located the kitchen, the cellar, and the house porch piers. This year the week-long excavations will focus on the original location of the smokehouse and other outbuildings. Volunteers are welcome. To coincide with the Spring Break Dig, on March 24, Desha County 4-H is hosting a Quad Day Field Experience at the Taylor House. Families are invited to learn about historic and prehistoric lifeways and the role archeology plays in uncovering the past.
For more information about archeology in the UAM Station area, contact Dr. Jodi Barnes, jabarnes@uark.edu, and be sure to visit our Archeology Month web page to find an event near you!
March 21-25, the UAM Research Station is hosting a Spring Break Dig at the Taylor House, the 1840s plantation in Drew County. The weeklong excavations will focus on the original location of the smokehouse and other outbuildings. Volunteers are welcome.
March 21-25, the UAM Research Station is hosting a Spring Break Dig at the Taylor House, the 1840s plantation in Drew County. The week-long excavations will focus on the original location of the smokehouse and other outbuildings. Volunteers are welcome.