Alexandria, VA – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources celebrates Archaeology Month each October through special events and programs throughout the state. This year, Alexandria Archaeology kicked off the celebration with the SeeWorthy Archaeology Festival on Saturday, October 1, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Ben Brenman Park.
Archaeology enthusiasts of all ages will discover how wooden ships were reused in the 18th and 19th centuries as landfill, test the physics behind moving large ship timbers, and meet maritime and terrestrial archaeologists working in the region. The event includes a ribbon cutting of three new signs that tell the story of the ships excavated from the waterfront and the preservation journey that led one to conservation and three to storage in Ben Brenman pond this year.
Alexandria has a long history of archaeological stewardship. Building on decades of community-based archaeological efforts, City Council adopted one of the first archaeological protection codes in the country in 1989. Under the code, the City of Alexandria’s Archaeology division recovers, preserves, and studies the layers left behind as the city grows and changes, including the ships along the waterfront.
City archaeologists do not do this alone. A partnership between archaeologists and the public began over 50 years ago and continues today with the support of residents, the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, and the many volunteers that form the backbone of the archaeology program, serving as essential stewards of the city’s history.
The waterfront sites highlighted during the SeeWorthy Archaeology Festival are just a fraction of our city’s shared history. The ground below modern Alexandria contains a record of the lives of Native Americans, European colonists and later immigrants, enslaved and free Black residents, and many others. To learn more about archaeology in our area, visit the free Alexandria Archaeology Museum and public lab on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory (Tuesday-Friday 11-4; Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 1-5).
All ages are encouraged to take part in one of Alexandria Archaeology’s many free events this month. The SeeWorthy Archaeology Festival will kick off the month’s celebrations at Ben Brenman Park on Saturday, October 1.
Alexandria Archaeology Museum will celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Tuesday, October 11, with a new exhibit case mapping past and present Native American tribes and nations and showing how archaeologists learn more about the lives of people living in the past by studying changes in stone projectile point technology.
On Wednesday, October 11, the annual Ben Brenman awards will be presented by the Alexandria Archaeological Commission during the City Council meeting. On Saturday, October 15, Alexandria Archaeology will be out at Robinson Landing with hands-on activities, a block-wide Scavenger Hunt, and free guided tours with City archaeologists.
The following Saturday, October 22, archaeologists will join the Torpedo Factory Art Center for Art Safari, an Alexandria tradition for more than a quarter-century, with activities for kids and families throughout the building.
Finally, on Wednesday, October 26, Texas A&M University archaeologist Chris Dostal will give a free virtual lecture, “A City Built on Ships: Reconstructing the 18th-Century Ships Excavated from the Waterfront.”
Learn more about these and other upcoming events by following Alexandria Archaeology on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or visiting the free museum on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
ICYMI: ALEXANDRIA CELEBRATES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION IN PROCLAMATION DAY CEREMONY
