Come to the dig at Sappington House to see the high school kids dig. Also hear some speakers talk on topics related to archaeology and local history. The talks will be held in the Library of Americana which is just behind the Sappington House and next to dig site unit two. The library is air conditioned and comfortable. Limited seating available. The talks are held daily from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in the afternoon.
Speakers listing
Wed, June 1- Enid Barnes, Sappington House Foundation, head docent and historian on “The Thomas Sappington House and Family”
Thur, June 2 – St. Louis County Preservation Historian, Daniel Gonzales, on “Historic Sites of Saint Louis County Parks.”
Fri, June 3 – Bill Iseminger, Asst. Site Manager/Public Relations at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, speaks on “Doing Archaeology and Prehistoric Cultures at the Confluence.”
Sat, June 4 – Two speakers, both at 1:00 to 2:00. David Newmann, Park Guide at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site will be outside and Enid Barnes of the Sappington House Foundation will give her talk a second time in the Library Americana.
Sun – closed
Mon – closed
Tues, June 7 – Eyreka Grider, acting as a curator for the University of Missouri-St. Louis archaeology laboratory
Wed, June 8 – no speaker. Library in use for SCHS board meeting.
Thur, June 9 – Paul and Ginny Branson, from St Louis Science Center
Fri, June 10 – Alan Banks, from Mound City Archaeological Society
Sat, June 11 – David Newmann, Park Guide at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Descriptions of the talks
Bill Iseminger
“Doing Archaeology and Prehistoric Cultures at the Confluence” by Bill Iseminger, archaeologist at Cahokia Mounds. Bill Iseminger, archaeologist and assistant site manager at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, will present a program on “Doing Archaeology and Prehistoric Cultures at the Confluence.” He will review the various procedures archaeologists use to survey, excavate, analyze and interpret what they find, followed by a discussion of the various cultural traditions that are found in the Greater St. Louis area, with a focus on the complex culture of Cahokia Mounds in Illinois.
Daniel Gonzales
“Historic Sites of Saint Louis County Parks” by Daniel Gonzales, St Louis County Parks Preservation Historian. Explore the many historic structures contained within the Saint Louis County Parks system. These include Jefferson Barracks, the Museum of Transportation, the Frank Lloyd Wright House at Ebsworth Park, and much more.
Enid Barnes
“The Thomas Sappington House and Family” by Enid Barnes, Sappington House Foundation, head docent. Enid will give a brief history of the Sappington family and a history of the Sappington House.
David Newmann
“A Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier” by David Newmann from Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Park Guide David Newmann will portray life as an army private during the American Civil War. Children and adults alike will learn what it was like to eat, drill, and recreate like a soldier in the 1860’s.
Eyreka Grider
“Collectors and Amateur Archaeologists; What’s the Diff?” by Eyreka Grider, 2016 graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Eyreka will discuss the difference between collectors, amateur archaeologists, and professional archaeologists and how they view each other. She also will cover what to do if a collector/amateur finds an artifact.
More about Eyreka; she graduated magna cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in anthropology and certificate of archaeology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in May 2016. She is currently acting as a curator for the university’s archaeology laboratory. She specializes in stone tools (lithics) and the archaeology of food. She has a keen interest in historic preservation in relation to artifact collection among collectors and amateur archaeologists.”
“Material Culture of Early North American Civilizations” by Paul and Ginny Branson. Paul is an archivist at the St Louis Science Center and Ginny is a Sappington House docent. They will present the four major time periods of the pre-historic North American civilizations; Paleo, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian, finally touching on the historic era.They will discuss and present example items of material culture of these eras, especially weapons and tools.
“Prehistory of the St. Louis Area” by Alan Banks. The talk will include an overview of prehistoric cultures in the area followed by discussions on some artifacts from the St. Louis area and Missouri. I will also discuss responsible collecting and give a commercial for the Missouri Archaeological Society.
About Alan, he has been a collector of artifacts for over 50 years. He grew up in Shannon County in southern Missouri and there were many prehistoric campsites near where he lived. Archaeology for him is a hobby, not a profession. He worked at McDonnell-Douglas and Boeing for over 30 years and is now retired. He joined the Missouri Archaeological Society about 1964 and eventually became president of the organization in 1996 and served for 6 years. He has had a serious interest in prehistory most of his life.
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