Vt. archaeological work gets major funding boost
Castleton University will provide up to 40 paid internships to continue archaeological exploration at the historic Granger House after receiving a nearly $500,000 grant.
(Gareth Henderson)
A local university will create a new museum and a host of learning opportunities at an archaeological site in southern Vermont, thanks to new funds for an ongoing project.
Castleton University will provide up to 40 paid internships to continue archaeological exploration at the historic Granger House after receiving a nearly $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The money aims to support education in archaeology, geography, history, and related fields.
The grant will fund the creation of a museum and learning laboratory at the Granger House on the campus in Castleton. Along with the internships, there will be a summer field school and numerous public outreach efforts. In embarking on the Granger House Project, Castleton University will develop an innovative approach to education in the humanities by emphasizing community engagement and fostering the development of job-ready skills, according to the official announcement on Thursday.
The Granger House Project centers on renovating and repurposing the home. The new museum will celebrate an inclusive history of Castleton through interactive exhibits, photography, and 3D-printed copies of material culture that visitors can manipulate and study. The museum will serve as a venue for a wide range of public programming with an emphasis on K-12 education.
“The preservation of sites like Granger House have traditionally served to commemorate the history of white European settlement, but such an approach does more to obscure than to elucidate the true history of the early United States,” said Andre Fleche, project director and professor of history, in a statement. “Granger House sits just miles away from significant Native American archeological sites, and, according to the Library of Congress’s Historic American Building Survey, the home may have had ties to the Underground Railroad. This project will investigate those histories in an effort to forge a ‘more perfect union’ between the fields of Native American, African American, and early American history.”
At the center of the project are learning communities that will provide enrichment for paid student interns. During the summer up to 40 students, under the guidance of trained professionals, will supervise volunteers and K-12 school groups as they conduct archaeological investigations and other research at Granger House. Advanced coursework during the spring and fall 2022 semesters will focus on local history and help prepare exhibits and train students for active roles in the museum.
In Thursday’s announcement, Matthew Moriarty, director of archaeology and co-director of the project, noted the many opportunities for students.
“They’ll have a chance to participate in this project from start to finish, gaining valuable hands-on experience in everything from archaeology to archival research to 3D scanning to museum exhibit development,” Moriarty said. “We also think this museum will be a great benefit to local educators, providing a place where they can bring their students and explore the richness and diversity of local history.”
Castleton’s Granger House Project will underscore the continued relevance and importance of the humanities in higher education’s fast-changing landscape. By emphasizing hands-on projects and skill development, Castleton University will reinvent the role of student-faculty research at teaching institutions, according to the grant announcement. The Granger House Project will demonstrate that interactive, place-based immersion in the humanities can successfully prepare students for the workplace and for a lifetime of active citizenship.
Castleton University was awarded the grant as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) program. SHARP grants were funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and are designed to preserve humanities jobs and support the reopening and rebuilding of humanities programs.
Granger House is one of the oldest in the town of Castleton and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed and built by Noahdiah Granger around 1800 and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The home is an important local example of Federal-style architecture and features one of the outstanding extant spiral staircases by the noted Vermont architect and craftsman Thomas R. Dake.
— Gareth Henderson
Road trips, playlists and artwork
Long road trips were made for hours of music, and we were treated to lots of great tunes as we made our way West last week, crisscrossing 15 states.
The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Knoxville’s historic Old City. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Long road trips were made for hours of music and family memories, seeing each state as a square in a quilt, with the highways as the thread that sews them together. We were treated to lots of great tunes that served as the backdrop to our trip as we made our way West last week crisscrossing 15 states. That's thanks to the Chuck Worrell playlist on Spotify, grounded in distinct guitar-picking Texas country music — a classic (thanks, Perrin!). What better way to make the trip?
Each day of the trip was the beginning of a new adventure with twists and surprises. As we pulled into the historic Old City of Knoxville, Tennessee, there was no plan except exploring with an open mind, and being curious. I recently learned one of Chuck's favorite novels was Lonesome Dove. And it so happened, we were greeted in the Old City by a restaurant named Lonesome Dove Western Bistro — you never know what you'll find when you travel. This historic area had a number of interesting architectural specimens, including the bistro building layout spanning the block. It was a moment in history, just waiting for the camera lens to happen by.
One of the greatest gifts of traveling is taking in each place with a fresh perspective — one that sees things others may miss. I took that perspective into Knoxville’s downtown, where the arts are alive. Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, I discovered some artwork in a place I didn't expect to find it just a block from the famed Tennessee Theatre.
A mural of Dolly Parton in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Walking by the alleyway of a one-way street, some brilliant colors caught my eye. I looked back to see country music icon Dolly Parton smiling back, from what would otherwise be a non-descript brick wall. This artwork was part of brightening up an alleyway in Knoxville which had been an eyesore for some time, until a local effort to enliven this alley took place about 5 years ago. It’s further proof that art, and the inspiration accompanying it, can always surprise you, by showing up where you might not usually look for it.
However, there was also plenty of art out in the open, where you would expect it. A major example is "Postcard from Knoxville", a mural created in 2013 to honor the "artists, musicians and visionaries that continue to make Knoxville a great place to work, live, play and visit." Crafted by artists Bobbie Crews, Ken Britton, Walt Fieldsa, Curtis Glover and Randall Starnes, the mural adorns the side of the Knoxville Visitors Center building. It was indeed an inspiration to capture this piece of the city's creative soul. And I love the opportunity to bring this postcard home and share it with all of you. The world's creativity, and its unlimited reflections, never cease to amaze.
— Gareth Henderson
“Postcard from Knoxville,” created by artists Bobbie Crews, Ken Britton, Walt Fieldsa, Curtis Glover and Randall Starnes. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Still innovating
As we drove home to Vermont from Maine on Sunday evening, I couldn't help thinking about the long trajectory from the work of history to that of today.
Scarborough Marsh provides majestic scenes along Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
As we drove home to Vermont from Maine on Sunday evening, I couldn't help thinking about the long, varied, dynamic path leading from the work of history to today’s greatest achievements.
Passing the impressive location of Bath Iron Works, with massive equipment lighting up the Kennebec River’s shores as seen from Route 1, I was struck by the many decades of ship-building and innovation that took place there, starting in 1884, through World War II and the present day. The company's work defined a region and helped shape history.
Today, innovation defines us still. During a pandemic, millions have taken to sewing machines at home and in groups to create masks for hospitals and other organizations. Retail technology has adjusted with the popular shift to curb-side pick-up, and conferences and events will keep innovating further in the virtual realm.
These examples of U.S. ingenuity will only grow in the coming months, and, to be sure, it's a pattern seen in many sectors. A number of advancements we can't fathom yet, and many of them we won't know about for some time. However, we can rest assured they're underway, because when it comes to new ideas for pressing issues, that's what we do as a people. We are problem-solvers, and present challenges will lead to advancements that will impact generations to come.
— Gareth Henderson
Staying cautious
As Vermont continues to gradually reopen, a number of organizations are cautiously navigating that road.
Matt Powers, executive director of the Woodstock History Center in Woodstock, Vermont, moves some items back into the center’s office on Friday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
As Vermont continues to gradually reopen, a number of organizations are cautiously navigating that road. Buildings with multiple uses can make it a tougher balancing act.
That’s where the Woodstock History Center finds itself. Museums, galleries and libraries fall under the state’s retail protocol, and the History Center has each of those functions under its roof, as Executive Director Matt Powers noted.
The center does not have a firm reopening date yet, but just last Friday, it began a gradual effort to move staff back into the building.
“We’re going really slow and being very thoughtful about how we’re going to do it,” Powers said in a recent interview.
For example, the new work scheduling will include no more than three staff members in the facility at a time. New protocols will include temperature checks as well, as required by the state. The center has also bought masks and will have hand-sanitizing stations. Keeping historical items and spaces clean, in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, is a whole other set of rules the organization is still figuring out, Powers said.
While it remains closed to the public, the organization will continue to do curbside donations of historical items, and by appointment only. Research requests are now only taken online. As for the back lawn area, signage is upcoming that encourages masks and social distancing.
The center has started to feel the financial impact of the pandemic in recent weeks, with fewer parking space rentals and a decline in e-memberships, Powers said. The organization did not have its annual spring appeal this year.
“We’ve been financially okay up until fairly recently,” Powers said.
The History Center previously set up a cash reserve fund, which Powers said has been helpful.
“All of our staff is working right now, thankfully,” he said.
Like many workplaces, the History Center employees have been working remotely and meeting regularly on Zoom.
“The most important thing has been focusing on the health of the staff and trying to keep them busy,” said Powers, who has six employees there. “Everyone has been really pleasant and patient.”
Fortunately the work has been there. The center’s team has been working on installing four major exhibits, adding virtual tours to the website (which has already been in the works), and also considering changes to the scenic lawn area by the river, including adding more interpretive functions and wayfinding.
“If our doors are closed, we need to be doing things outside,” Powers said.
A big priority has been working out how to accommodate library rentals in order to keep that income, Powers said. Also, the organization is seeking grants to help keep things running.
He noted the importance of what Vermont’s museums offer visitors.
“We are cultural drivers of the economy,” Powers said. “People aren’t going halfway across the world to go to the best T-shirt shops.”
But fulfilling that cultural mission will look different this year. Powers has been talking with other historical societies and also regional and national groups to exchange ideas and gain advice. He said the Norwich Historical Society is another group which has a multi-use facility as well.
“We’re all hoping to break even,” Powers said.
Early on, he said, a lot of similar nonprofits struggled to know when to seek assistance, since the focus was understandably on more significant needs like food and unemployment. But Powers remembered a webinar in which an expert with a national organization encouraged historical societies and similar organizations to seek the help they needed.
“She said, ‘You’re part of the local orchestra, just like everybody else.’”
— Gareth Henderson