This summer I had the opportunity to participate in the Public Archaeology Institute program. During this program, I spent five days in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia practicing and learning about archaeological field techniques with 11 other American high school students from all around America. Although I spent most days excavating my 1 by 1 meter unit, I also got the opportunity to visit archaeological laboratories and various active archaeological sites in the area.

During this program, the other students and I dug at a site called Custis Square, which was the home of John Custis IV. It was also the home of Daniel Custis, who was the ex husband of Martha Washington, who eventually became the wife of George Washington. Currently, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the world. The site is excavated with the vision of one day using the artifacts found to build a garden that emulates what life was like for the Custis family in the 17th and 18th centuries. Here is an article about the dig at this place.

I found many different types of artifacts while excavating my unit. Some of the most common items include glass, rusty nails, oyster shells, burnt metal, porcelain, and white-ware. However, the craziest item that was excavated on my unit was a Massachusetts militia jacket button from the Civil War. This was by far the most unique item found throughout the entire duration of the program, and was very cool to be able to see and hold a piece of history from the Civil War. Even though this program required students to work in over 90 degree heat and humidity, I really enjoyed being able to experience and partake in Archaeology for the first time.