Partner Profile: the University of South Alabama (USA) Archaeology Museum

In July of this year, the USA Archaeology Museum hosted a three-day teacher workshop on Project Archaeology’s Investigating Shelter and Investigating a Shotgun House, with partial funding from IHE. Assistant Director and Education Curator Jen Knutson, a Project Archaeology Master Teacher, led the session.

The Museum and USA broadly have made connection with the public outside the university a strong priority. As Jen explains, “The USA Archaeology Museum is important to our community because it shows students of all ages why protecting and preserving the past is important for future generations and helps them to learn about other cultures.”

USA, its Center for Archaeological Studies, and the Museum recently celebrated 50 years of archaeological research. In that time, USA archaeologists have uncovered an impressive body of knowledge about the human history of the Gulf Coast, via more than 1,250 projects. This work has contributed to greater understanding of the region’s cultural heritage, for example, of ancient Woodland cultures, mound-building Mississippian peoples, early French settlers, and post-Civil War African Americans.

A museum exhibit interpreting that heritage was on display until earlier this year; a virtual preview is still available on the university website: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/.../c53605ffdf0f4c2dbc8332d4...

Thanks for all you do for cultural heritage education, University of South Alabama!