Celebrating 2023 Archaeology Month at Menokin
Menokin celebrates 2023 Archaeology Month this October with a series of Q&A interviews with experts in this exciting field of study. Each of the archaeologists listed below links to their full interviews. Enjoy!
Kiana Wilkerson
Menokin's own Kiana Wilkersons is the Descendant Research Associate at Menokin! Her primary responsibility is to learn about the enslaved persons at Menokin and also connect them to their modern-day descendants. Before starting this position, Kiana was an archaeologist. Kiana states, “The skills I’ve learned in the field of archaeology helped me prepare to be the researcher I am today.” Read Kiana’s Q&A blog post here.
Taylor Brown
Tayloe is finishing up her Master’s in Historical Archaeology at the University of West Florida, while working part time as an Archaeology Assistant with the Florida Public Archaeology Network. She spends most of my time managing our region’s museum, where I greet guests and maintain our exhibits. She acts as the connection between the field of archaeology and the public. Read Taylor’s Q&A blog post here.
Julia King
Our next guest for the celebration of Archeology Month is renowned archaeologist and anthropologist Julia King of St. Mary's College. Julia is professor of anthropology and chair of the department of anthropology and sociology at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a four-year public liberal arts college in southern Maryland. Read Julia King’s Q&A blog post here.
Dave Brown
Dave Brown is the Co-Director of the not-for-profit Fairfield Foundation and Co-Owner of DATA Investigations LLC, a cultural resource management firm, both based in Gloucester, Virginia. Dave also teaches history and historic preservation at The College of William & Mary. He co-leads a team of public archaeologists and work with communities across eastern Virginia to promote the preservation of our cultural resources. Read Dave Brown’s Q&A blog post here.
Christopher Pasch
Christopher is Field Director with the Archaeology Department at James Madison’s Montpelier, a plantation and house museum located in Orange County, Virginia. Montpelier was a 5,000 acre plantation owned by the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was home to over two hundred enslaved Americans. Christopher’s job is to manage project strategy and supervise the day-to-day of archaeological surveys and excavations at Montpelier in addition to teaching and public engagement. Read Christopher’s Q&A blog post here.
The Story of the Locket
In 2009, archaeologists made one of the coolest discoveries at Menokin while working in the cellar under what was once Francis Lightfoot Lee and Rebecca Tayloe Lee’s bed chamber. Amongst the dirt and rubble, they found a locket that features a cameo of a woman and a locket of hair in the back.
Who did this locket belong to? Who is this woman? Letters from Francis Lightfoot Lee’s brother, William, may just be the key to unlocking this mystery. Read the blog post here!