WILLIAMSBURG — Colonial Williamsburg is offering a chance to dig into history with archaeologists from across Virginia on Nov. 16 at its Custis Square site.
The site is located on the corner of Nassau and S. Francis streets across from the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. The event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is free to attend and will feature exhibits and hands-on activities in celebration of the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA) 50th anniversary in 2025.
“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.”
According to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation , 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 foundation said.
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. The foundation added guests 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.
“The Council of Virginia Archaeologists is proud to play a role in celebrating fifty years of archaeology in the Old Dominion,” said David Brown, president of COVA. “With over thirty organizations and communities joining us from across the state, we are proud to highlight the many contributions Virginia has made to better understanding the history of the American people.”
“Archaeology is an important tool for learning about the past,” added 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, which is a short walk from Custis Square.
