Students taking the class for 6 credit hours are required to participate on Saturdays in addition to the M-F schedule. In the future, Saturdays will be our "volunteer days" for interested folks to try their hand at professional archaeology -- more information on that soon. We weren't far enough along yet today to accomodate volunteers, so we worked our abbreviated Saturday schedule (9-3) just with the crew. In the morning, we continued shovel tests. Below Dr. Eubanks is quizzically contemplating the battery-powered fan snuck in by Amanda, Lauren, Melody, and Crystal.
After lunch, we closed up and I gave the students a tour of Bledsoe's Fort Historical Park -- the location of the 1995-1998 and 2001 MTSU field schools at Bledsoe's Fort (1783-1795). We started at the Rogan Stone Cottage, where I borrowed a pair of Hugh's sunglasses to appear cool.
From there we trooped down the trail to visit the site of Bledsoe's Fort.
There we contemplated the contributions of MTSU archaeological field schools to the development of Sumner County's first historical park.
Then moved on down the trail to visit the "Cave of the Skulls" and ultimately to the Bledsoe/Belote Cemetery (also known as the Pioneer Cemetery).
A slow moving but productive first week. Now we are off to our one day of rest before opening some excavation areas on Monday.