Department of Historic Resources to Host Archaeological Pop-up Workshop in Smithfield

Published August 8, 2023

Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
August 8, 2023

Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

—Bring local artifacts to the Isle of Wight County Museum to be identified by professional archaeologists and share stories of the community’s past with experts and other visitors—

RICHMOND – Have you recently come across an artifact that you would like to know more about? Are you wondering about an object you’ve uncovered on your property? The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) is holding an archaeological pop-up workshop at the Isle of Wight County Museum, located at 103 Main Street in Smithfield (23430), on August 23, 2023, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bring local artifacts that you’ve found in your community to the museum to be identified by professional archaeologists. The event is free and open to all members of the public.

Three experts will lead the workshop to help identify and tell the histories of objects found within the local communities of Isle of Wight County:

  • Mike Clem - Eastern Regional Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Mike is an expert on archaeology in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
  • Laura Galke - Chief Curator, Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Laura is a specialist in the colonial period of Virginia.
  • Chris Egghart - Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Chris is an expert in stone tool manufacturing and technology during the pre-European contact eras of Virginia.

Visitors at the workshop are encouraged to limit the number of items they bring to no more than 10. Don’t have an item to bring? No problem! DHR experts plan to show a few artifacts from the department’s collection.

Through this event, we hope to educate and inform visitors about how artifacts were used and why they were important to the people who used them. We want to provide you with information about the items you’ve found while you tell us about the county’s past. This will help us all better understand the lives of those who came before us and made Isle of Wight their home.

If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact the museum at (757) 356-1223.

*Please note: This event is for educational purposes. We do not provide estimations on the monetary value of items, and we do not wish to procure artifacts at the event.

###

DHR BLOGS
The medieval European seal matrix recovered from a local property in Smithfield, Virginia.

Translating the Inscription on a Medieval Catholic Seal Matrix

DHR and DEQ staff hosted an archaeological workshop at the Isle of Wight Museum in Smithfield in August 2023.

Sharing Artifacts and Stories in Isle of Wight County: Archaeological Workshop Highlights Regional History

Ceramics recovered from the oyster shell surface deposit in the Poropotank River.

An Introduction to the DHR Threatened Sites Program

Mayo Bridge in Richmond, Virginia

Sudden and Horrifying: The Vauxhall Chain Bridge Disaster

The artifact fragment that was delivered to the DHR conservation lab for treatment

Artifact Spotlight: A Different Type of Cauldron

Eyreville in Virginia's Eastern Shore

Reconsidering the Colonial Era at Virginia’s Eastern Shore: The Archaeology of Eyreville

POINT OF CONTACT

Related Press Releases

Virginia Receives More Than $176,000 in Save America’s Treasures Grant Funds from National Park Service and Partner Agencies

State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Black Political Activism in Charles City County

6 New State Historical Highway Markers Approved