RMSC Cumming Nature Center: Family Archaeology Days
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sun, 10/16/2022
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
FAMILY ARCHAEOLOGY DAYS
September 11 & October 16
Family-friendly event
Grab a trowel, hop into the trench, and join archaeology professors and students from SUNY Brockport as we uncover the story of a 19th century homestead located at the Nature Center. Did it burn down or collapse? Where was the kitchen? Whose bones and teeth are found in the yard? Help us piece together the story of Frost Town, an abandoned logging settlement founded at the end of the 18th century in the old-growth pine forests of the Onondowagah, or Seneca, people.
At Family Archaeology Days, participants will literally be in the trenches as they learn about the history of Frost Town and the basics of archaeological fieldwork, including:
- Methods of excavation
- How to properly clean artifacts
- Tricks for identifying artifacts
This event is part of a multi-year project that provides public access to Frost Town Archaeology (FTA), a SUNY Brockport archaeology field school site that’s located at the Cumming Nature Center. Students in FTA focus on the Hall Homestead site, a residence built by an early settler of Frost Town. During Family Archaeology Days, visitors have the opportunity to help excavate a less fragile homestead located closer to the Visitor Center, complementing the work being done at the Hall Homestead.
Participants can choose between four 1.5-hour timeslots. Each ticket will give a group of up to 6 people access to a single trench for their timeslot. Participants will check in at the Visitor Center and walk a short distance to the dig site (a bathroom will be available). Please dress to get dirty and bring water to stay hydrated! We'll supply kneeling pads and various excavation tools. This program is suitable for all ages and is perfect for families, Scouts, and other educational groups.
PURCHASE TICKETS
$20 per group
Each group ticket gives up to 6 people access to one excavation trench for their 1.5 hour timeslot.
Sunday, September 11th
Sunday, October 16th
LET'S GET DIGGING!
What is field archaeology all about? Dr. Alex Smith of SUNY Brockport shares the elements of archaeology you can look forward to exploring during Family Archaeology Days.
What is field archaeology all about? Dr. Alex Smith of SUNY Brockport shares the elements of archaeology you can look forward to exploring during Family Archaeology Days.
QUESTIONS?
Contact the Cumming Nature Center team at 585.374.6160 with questions about this event. Learn more about Frost Town Archaeology and the dig at Frost Town at frosttownarchaeology.com.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.