Angel Mounds to Host Scholar Lecture Series

Angel Mounds State Historic Site will begin hosting a new lecture series Jan 24 at 6pm. The first lecture will be presented by Jeremy Wilson. He will be looking at the anthropogenic transformation at Angel Mounds. But if that doesn't tickle your fancy do not worry, there are many other lectures you can attend. And the best part is its FREE! The lectures will be held on site at Angel Mounds. Please see the list below for all other lecture opportunities.

SATURDAY, FEB. 8 - 1:00pm

Mississippian Cosmology

by April Sievert, Dept. of Anthropology

  

SATURDAY, FEB. 22 - 1:00pm

End of Prehistory: A Historian's 

Perspective on America's Ancient Past

by Christina Snyder, Dept. of American Studies & History

  

FRIDAY, FEB. 28 -  6:00pm

Yankeetown Pottery

by Susan Alt, Dept. of Anthropology

 

 

ANGEL MOUNDS STATE HISTORIC SITE 8215 POLLACK AVENUE Evansville, IN 47715

Student Carissa K. at Angel Mounds

Over the summer I worked at Angel Mounds State Historic Site. Day camps are what the summer is all about. We do whatever we can to make the camps authentic and fun. We work late hours and get to work early, but it is all worth it. The counselors are like family, which gives each camp a great feel because we are not afraid to act strange and silly.

This year we even added a Hunger Games themed camp, where the campers learned ancient and modern survival techniques and took part in their very own Hunger Games at the end of camp.
Angel Mounds is an amazing place to be. Everyone has the same opportunities and interns are asked to do a variety of things including planning and running their own activities. I love the camps because they are so different from those I’ve seen. We go on field trips to the Parthenon Museum, Burdette Park, and Scales Lake to give the kids a fun day of play and relaxation that still relates to camp.
 
We do so many activities it is hard to choose a favorite. We give the campers real materials to work with, like flint for arrow heads or magnesium for their Roman army kits. We want the campers to get the feeling of what ancient people would have worked with and do our best to avoid cardboard and construction paper. We make sure they always have something to take home.
Angel Mounds is relaxed, fun, and gives everyone involved great experience and friendships. It is an amazing part of my life and I encourage those looking for an internship or a place to volunteer to go there.

I got to be Aphrodite during Greek camp. We each
had campers as “children”, which made them demi gods for the week.

Student Carissa Kepner at Angel Mounds

Interning at Angel Mounds during the spring semester and in summer 2012 has been one of my most enjoyable college experiences so far. I have had many opportunities to solve problems and be creative and inventive, and I have really enjoyed getting to know the Angel Mounds staff.

Carissa stands next to a seed sorter at the spring Farm Fest event at Angel Mounds.

The first thing to know is that Angel Mounds isn’t a big museum, and you shouldn’t go into an internship at this site thinking that you’re going to be handling and cataloguing a lot of artifacts. In fact, most of what the interns do is interact with the public and help plan and run events. I have developed my people skills and improved my public speaking skills at Angel Mounds by giving presentations to visitors and helping out with off-site presentations in the community. I am very proud of my ability to talk to people on the phone, as when I started I was terrible at it and now I can talk smoothly and professionally. This summer I have been planning, setting up, and running events for the four themed day camps organized by Angel Mounds. I was even allowed to plan one entire day of camp with help from the staff. There is a lot of give and take between the interns and the staff that makes Angel Mounds feel like a family. There is a lot of trust that develops between the staff and their interns, and the staff members really made me feel like my work was contributing to the good of the site.

I helped kids build this boat for Angel Mounds Extreme Egypt camp and we all got to try it out.

I learned a lot from my time there, not only about the history of the site and Mississippian culture, but also about all of the different kinds of work that go into running a museum. Although the internship is unpaid, it is well worth your time, especially during the summer when you keep constantly busy. If you are willing to learn and work hard, you will have a lot of fun.

Students Screen Soil from Hovey Lake Site

Around 20 UE students, most of them archaeology and art history majors, screened soil from the Hovey Lake Site west of Evansville on Saturday March 24.  The soil had been taken to Angel Mounds for screening.  Lots of interesting artifacts and ecofacts were discovered, including a nice rim sherd with handle from a Mississipian vessel.  Thanks to everyone for their help!

Student Summer Plans 2011

The Department of Archaeology and Art History is pleased to announce the summer plans of its majors, which include internships and employment at a variety of institutions and participation in archaeological projects in the US and in Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Hungary, Romania and Cyprus.

Lizzie B., PAST Foundation's Slobodna Underwater Field School, Key West, FL
Elizabeth B., Internship with the History of Prince William Forest Park’s 45 Cemeteries and Homesteads, National Park Service, VA
Josephine C., Internship with Palm Beach County archaeologist, FL
Elizabeth F., Excavations at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Italy
Amber F., Excavation and Internship at James Madison’s Montpelier, VA
Chris G., Summer Program Coordinator, Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center, Fort Collins, CO
Kevin K., Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project, Turkey
Kaman L., Internship in the Department of Membership and Development and paid position in the museum, Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science, IN
Rachel L., Excavations at the Porolissum Forum Project, Romania
Stephanie L., Education Programs Assistant, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, IN
Samantha M., Excavations at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Italy
Ben O., Internship at the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University, IN
Marley R., Excavations with Courson Archaeological Research near Perryton, TX
Alyssa R., Internship at Evelyn Lehman Culp Heritage Collection, IN
Anna S., Totah Archaeological Project Field School, NM
Katy S., SHUMLA Field Methods in Rock Art Field School and Internship, TX
Sara S., National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduates funded Koros Regional Archaeological Project, Hungary and Cyprus
Leah T., Internship at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon, VA
Lauren W., National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduates funded Fellowship in Bioarchaeology, University of Notre Dame, IN
Colleen W., Excavations at Tell Timai, Egypt
Porsche W., Facilitator at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

In addition, five Archaeology majors will participate in the Summer Session I trip to Jordan in May-June led by Professors Byrne, Ebeling and Milner: Nate B., Emma D., Emily M., Ashley M., and Marie M.

Mann Site on NPR

Click here for NPR's "Prehistoric Treasure in the Fields of Indiana," which talks about the Mann Site and the exhibit of amazing artifacts at Angel Mounds through January 14.  If you haven't seen the exhibit yet, you should!