The Vermont Division for Historic
Preservation has recruited pre-school through college teachers
and others to help excavate a rare, mid-18th century French
settlement in Addison, Vermont in July and August. Professional
archeologists from the University of Maine at Farmington are
overseeing the dig and next month’s survey of Addison,
Bridport, and Panton residents to see what they have discovered
in their own backyards.
“You can’t help but be excited by the project
and to bring that excitement into the classroom,” said
John Peterson, a history and anthropology teacher at Rutland
High School and the College of St. Joseph. “One of the
most important aspects of the project is that it brings together
teachers from pre-school to college level for networking and
sharing of resources. We are making arrangements to visit
each other,” said Peterson who is also the president
of the Vermont Alliance for Social Studies, which endorsed
the project.
The teachers, who sign up for one-, two-, or three-week sessions,
dig in the mornings and attend lectures and classes in the
afternoon. For their efforts, they receive credit for graduate
school or for Highly Qualified Teacher status under the No
Child Left Behind initiative. In turn, the teachers’
methods of inquiry will be compiled into lesson plans for
schools in the area.
For example, one middle school teacher will incorporate elements
of the project into a year-long exploration of the Lewis and
Clark expedition, Peterson said. Using materials from the
excavation and survey, another teacher is developing a project
based on the Hasting Foundation’s Relics and Ruins model.
Elementary school teachers will incorporate geometry lessons
into the curriculum because of its use in the archeological
dig. Peterson added that the project “really charges
our batteries.”
“This is participatory history. It takes all of us
to bring it to life,” said Elsa Gilbertson, project
director and regional historic site administrator for the
Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
The dig and survey are part of the Lake Champlain Voyages
of Discovery: Bringing History Home project, which will
teach the community how their own local area connects to world
and national history and encourage historic preservation of
these internationally significant places. The project was
funded by a $250,000 Partnership for a Nation of Learners
Community Collaboration grant from the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) and the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting.
There are numerous farms on the fertile shoreline of Lake
Champlain and area farmers sometimes find French coins and
ceramic pieces while plowing their fields, said Gilbertson.
“During the survey, we might also be able to find out
from them about old roads and vegetation and document them
as best as we can. The surveys can be incorporated into land
use plans to ultimately preserve or conserve this region.
We want to reinforce or instill the feeling that this is a
great place.”
The dig and survey sites are located in the Champlain Valley,
which was the home of the Iroquoian and Abenaki people for
almost 500 generations. In 1609, the lake was discovered by
French explorer Samuel de Champlain. In the late 17th &
18th centuries the French and British battled for control
of the region.
Most archeology projects are done through the environmental
review process conducted when someone wants to build on a
site, Gilbertson said.
“The IMLS grant allowed us to do this project just
for the pure joy of learning,” she said. “We’re
totally blown away by the interest in the project. Usually,
we struggle to get people’s attention. People involved
in the project have so much energy and everyone is intellectually
stimulated.”
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, parent organization
of the Chimney Point State Historic Site, partnered with the
Bixby Memorial Free Library and Vermont Public Television
on the project. In addition to the dig and surveys, the project
will use the occasion of the upcoming 400th anniversary in
2009 of Samuel de Champlain first entering Lake Champlain
to:
- Research and make an hour-long documentary about all of
the cultural groups and many significant events of the area.
The project will also provide historic content for the Champlain
Quadricentennial commemoration in 2009.
- Engage communities in discussions and local research
through public programs and discussions at the Bixby Library,
Chimney Point, and around the region.
- Encourage lifelong learning and interest in the history
of Lake Champlain.
- Create an interactive Web site with a virtual archaeological
investigation, oral histories, and traditional tales of
indigenous cultures. Project partners will also develop
a Chimney Point exhibit on the archaeological discoveries
and design educational materials for Champlain Valley schools.
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