Community invited to attend free archaeology event Saturday at Colonial Williamsburg

The community is invited to dig into history with archaeologists from across Virginia this Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A public archaeology day will be held at Colonial Williamsburg’s Custis Square site, located on the corner of Nassau and S. Francis streets, across from the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

The free event is presented by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA), the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the Archeological Society of Virginia, the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, and the Virginia Archaeology Charitable Trust.

Guests will enjoy exhibits and hands-on activities presented by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA), the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the Archeological Society of Virginia, the Southeastern Archaeological Conference and the Virginia Archaeology Charitable Trust. 

Visitors will have the opportunity to observe ground-penetrating radar in action, view artifacts from sites around the Commonwealth, and talk to archaeologists excavating at Custis Square.

“Archaeology offers a way of understanding history that reaches across barriers like age, race or political orientation,” said Jack Gary, executive director of archaeology at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “Everyone’s story is recorded archaeologically, so archaeology is for everyone.” 

Virginia archaeology spans more than 16,000 years and includes sites representing American Indian, European and African American cultures. Visitors to the Nov. 16 public archaeology day will have the opportunity to interact with archaeologists and their collaborative partners from over 30 organizations including the Pamunkey, Nottoway, Monacan, and Patawomeck tribes; James Madison’s Montpelier & Descendant Community; Jamestown Rediscovery; Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and Colonial Williamsburg.

The City of Alexandria’s Archaeology Museum will be onsite with hands-on activities related to four 18th-century ships recently excavated at the waterfront, while archaeologists from the Department of Historic Resources will discuss shipwrecks recently discovered from the Battle of Yorktown. 

“Archaeology is an important tool for learning about the past,” said Dr. Elizabeth Moore, state archaeologist for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. “It helps fill in the gaps written records cannot address and it produces objects that provide tangible and meaningful connections with the people who lived in the past.

Parking for the event is available in the Merchants Square area and at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center where a complimentary bus service will take visitors to the Art Museums stop a short walk from Custis Square. 

The event is weather permitting. For more information, click here.