Archaeology for a Day?! --Don't Mind if I Do....

One of the great things about working at a local historical society is that there is always something new going on. For the last two weeks, the Dutch House, one of the museums that the New Castle Historical Society operates, was the home of an archaeological dig. While the Dutch House has two garden areas, one is about to be turned into a Delaware native plant garden. The planting of trees and shrubs will potentially disturb any existing archaeological sites as their roots penetrate the landscape. For this reason, now seemed as good a time as any to begin this type of project.

The Dutch House (back view)

While NCHS has conducted some archaeological research at the Amstel House where their offices are located, this was the first time any digging occurred at the Dutch House. For the past two weeks a team of archaeologists from John Milner Associates, Inc were on site aided by a number of volunteers from the community. I was lucky enough to take a break from my tour writing to volunteer one day. And what a blast is was!

Ground Penetrating Radar (commonly referred to as GPR), historical surveys, and maps were used to give the archaeologists some idea of where there may be anomalies beneath the surface and where earlier structures existed. Most of the excavations entailed creating 2.5' by 2.5' test pits, or units, that were excavated layer by layer. In each layer the dirt was sifted and we put any objects we found into plastic bags with a specific description of which unit and at what layer it was found. Without this information the objects have no context, and would therefore be near useless. Among the activities I got to participate in included sifting dirt, picking out objects, cleaning the objects, and then re-bagging them to be taken back to the lab to be processed later.

The Dig Site

Many of the excavation sites turned out to be at least 3 feet deep if not more, much deeper than the archaeologists were expecting, and in one unit it was more that 5 feet before the eighteenth century surface was reached. These excavations suggest that the New Castle landscape, which is today rather level, was most likely much more varied in elevation.

Amy, one of the Archaeologist working on one of the units.

In terms of objects, I was amazed by the variation and amount of material found in just 10 test pits, a small fraction of the garden's total size. Many of the objects included pottery shards, including a piece of Borderware, which may date to the seventeenth century; glass pieces; nails and other metal ware, clay marbles, buttons, and a thimble. In what is believed to be a trash pit, a near in-tact mineral water bottle from Wilmington was unearthed. This trash pit also produced a number of larger pieces of pottery.

Jen, another archaeologist working on the trash pit, which you can see was expanded past the 2.5' by 2.5' size typically excavated

Excavating the mineral water bottle in the trash pit.

It was an interesting diversion, but my tour is also well on its way as my internship moves into its final weeks. The script is almost finished and I will soon begin recording a test version of the tour. This version will be used on a test group to find out what people like and dislike about the tour, as well as a time for final fact-checking with a group familiar with New Castle's history. While I am rather nervous about being the voice behind the audio tour for this test version, the plan is for the final recording to have a cast of characters to narrate the different histories, stories, and primary source excerpts. So stay tuned!!

** All these photographs were taken by me!

Happy 235th Birthday Home of the Red, White, and Blue!!

Today I am back at work at the New Castle Historical Society after a nice and refreshing weekend celebrating Independence Day. It seemed appropriate to blog on this first day of the workweek because Independence and the Revolutionary War play such an integral part in the history of New Castle, some of which I want to share with you today.

On June 15, 1776 the Delaware General Assembly passed a resolution stating that Delaware was fighting in the American Revolution. Today every June on the first Saturday Delaware and particularly New Castle celebrate Separation Day in honor of Delaware being the first state to separate from England.

Delaware was home of three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Thomas McKean, Caesar Rodney, and George Read I. In perhaps one of the most famous events in Delaware's history, Caesar Rodney rushed to Philadelphia in July of 1776 in time to break the deadlock in Delaware's vote for Independence, because George Read voted against it during the July 2nd vote. While Read was a leading opponent to British taxes, he was worried that Delaware was not quite ready to separate from England. Nevertheless, once the decision to declare independence was made, Read also signed the document.

(George Read I)

In New Castle, George Read is perhaps most revered for being a signer of all three great state papers: the Olive Branch Petition of 1775, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of 1787. Read was incredibly influential in convincing Delaware's leaders to adopt the Constitution, and Delaware became the First State by approving the Constitution on December 7, 1787, a designation Delaware holds onto proudly even today.

This is just one story that I am working into my tour as the summer progresses. Sometimes there is a tendency to emphasize the Revolutionary and Federal periods while discussing the town because they are perhaps the most recognized by visitors. But the town has so much more history, 235 years worth in fact. In addition, it is important to see the shades of gray in every story, like that of George Read I who was conflicted regarding whether he was making the right decision or not, and what the outcome would be.

Sources:

1. Image from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GeorgeRead.gif

2. Fradin, Denis Brindell. The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence. New York: Walker & Company, 2002.

Inside the Archives: Files, Ledgers, and…Darkness?

Hi everyone! I am back to detail another week of working in the archives.

Last week I shared with you the agenda for the summer. Just to recap: I will be weeding out files and documents that Auburn Heights will then discard. I will be pulling out documents to scan, I will construct a temporary finding aid, and will analyze the files to find ways in which they are useful historically and for research purposes, amongst other things.

The process is in full swing! I have started the procedure of weeding out files. Even though various documents will be disposed, I still keep track of them. I developed a master file that includes all the files, ledgers, and document, plus their location within the room. I have another list that includes documents that I am pulling out for scanning, and yet another list that include files and documents that the repository will eventually discard.

So far, I have pulled out many ledgers, which will go out for scanning. The ledgers date from the 20^th& 21^stcentury, as early as the 1920s. It’s incredible to see documents that have such age and history on them. I have to be careful when handling these ledgers, both for my sake and for the ledgers’ sake. The ledgers are old and worn, the binding on some are starting to fall apart, the pages of others are brittle and fragile, and some are growing mold. So, care must be taken.

My experience thus far within the world of archives has been filled with discovery and adventure. I have stumbled upon a bird’s nest and have spotted a herring. This week proved no exception. However, this week was not as spectacular. For five minutes, I was thrown in complete darkness. I could not make heads or tails of anything and could not see my hands outstretched in front of me as I blindly made my way out of the room, searching for a source of light. The power had gone off! Luckily, it didn’t last long and I was able to get back to work! I’m all for adventures, but hopefully no more of ones where I’m plunged into absolute darkness!

Retz

Catalogs, Photographs and InDesign. Oh My!

I can’t believe my time at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts is almost half way over! After spending the first two weeks of my internship completely engrossed in the catalog for the DCCA’s first satellite show, Young Country, I thought that sending the raw materials to the publisher meant that our part was complete, but boy was I wrong! Once the designer was finished working his magic he sent the PDF back to us and everyone in the office got a copy and we all went over the catalog with a fine-toothed comb making sure that everything was perfect. I’ve learned about aspects of Adobe Reader that I never knew existed!

Now that the Young Country catalog has officially gone to press, my duties have shifted back to the everyday duties of a curatorial assistant. My big project has been to organize files on the DCCA server. There’s a lot of redundancy in the computer system, so it has been my responsibility to restore order and clear out duplicate files.

Another of my tasks related to the computer has been resizing installation shots of the exhibitions at the DCCA. One of our generous board members comes in at the beginning of every exhibition and takes photos of the work in the galleries. The shots he takes are beautiful, high resolution .tif images, which if I placed on our internal server would take up all the space we have, so it has been my job to resize the images and file them away in their respective artist’s files. While doing this, I noticed that not all of the installation shots from previous shows had not been resized before they were filed away, so I am now going through and resizing all the images from the past six years of installations. It's a daunting task, but something I enjoy doing.

Also during the past two weeks I have dusted off my InDesign skills and created Call For Entries for both the upcoming MFA Biennial and the 2013 Member’s Solo Shows. I have also been doing a lot of research on curatorial practices and theories as well as artists who use social media as a basis for their artwork. It’s really exciting to see first hand how popular culture affects the art scene. Next year the DCCA will be having an exhibition dedicated to social media’s influence on contemporary art.

DCCA Summer Art Camp 2011: Explore, Imagine, Create started this week and even though I’m not directly involved in that aspect of the museum, I cannot wait for the end of the week showcase where the children will present the projects they have been working on all week.

Money, Money, Money, Monayyyyy, Money!

After a week-long hiatus and a trip back to my hometown in Wisconsin, I have returned to the NAA to continue my work. Unfortunately, however, this post will be mostly sans pictures as I have been spending much of my time working on collecting information for grant opportunities.

The Newark Arts Alliance, Inc. is funded partially by the Delaware Division of the Arts, sales from the member and exhibition gallery, membership dues, and donations. But a big part of their funding also comes from grants being that they are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. What this means is that every year, the Alliance must apply for grants to fund its programs such as Camp Imagine (an arts camp providing scholarships making participation virtually free for underprivileged youth), Art to Go (a program that brings art projects to at-risk youth in the community) and various other events such as Drum Circle and Poetry Readings.

So basically, what this means is that I, as an intern, am charged with the task of researching various funders for grants so that the Alliance can keep paying the bills and rent every month!

What I have found is this wonderful opportunity through the Delaware Valley Grantmakers. Through its common application form, the DVG allows non-profit orgs to apply for various grants from different funders without having to deal with the hassle of figuring out the requirements for each specific grant. It really streamlines the process and although I still have to make sure they accept the general cover letter and various attachments, for the most part, it makes my job much easier. I have already identified 4 funders who provide grants for which we are eligible. My next task is researching the ins and outs of applying for grants so that I can write something cogent and persuasive to each of the funders.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, I'd like to include some pictures from the Garden Tour 2011 which was held on June 11. We sold over 70 tickets and it was a hit!! Check it out:

This is a bench artfully created as a seat for Garden Tour participants to take a relaxing break from their stroll

Lori, one of the gardeners, poses for a candid shot in her garden.


There were even art and plant sales at the Garden Tour! People could purchase plants and art to decorate their own homes.
One of the ponds full of carp on the Garden Tour. So relaxing to sit next to the running water!!


Next, we have a Members Only Exhibit coming up next week. Starting this weekend, members of the Newark Arts Alliance can drop off art pieces and they will be juried into the show for next week. On July 8th, there will be a reception with all of the artists/members whose work will be displayed.

Call me crazy, but working here at the Alliance has really inspired me. I plan to submit a piece of my own this weekend and see if it's accepted into the show. I won't be bitter if it's not, there is some serious competition around this place and some really talented artists. Tune back next week to find out if they choose my work and a preview of the rest of the show!!

Meeting of Minds

Hi all, it’s Retz again.

While I have been mostly in the archives at the mill, I did resurface from beneath the piles of files. During the week, I had a meeting with the director concerning what to do with the files. The meeting took place at the mansion in Auburn Heights. The grounds there are beautiful and breathtaking. Auburn Heights has the largest collection of operating steam cars and there’s even a steam train on the site!

After the meeting, we decided that for the duration of the summer, after the appraisal process, I will double check records recommended for disposal, so records that important records are not accidentally discarded. Working with the Historic Site Manager, I will help determine the importance of the collection, its long-term value for research and historical purpose. In essence, this means determining which records will interest the present and the future generation.

Auburn Heights plans send out to scan older records, ledgers, and documents in a more delicate state that they will keep in the collection, after I have prepped them for scanning. Scanning the documents will provide longevity to the collection and will open up the material to a wider audience. After the documents come back from scanning, I will check the files back in. I will also construct a temporary finding aid for the collection. This finding aid will help locate files and folders quickly until the records are stored in a permanent location.

Back at the mill site, I always encounter something interesting. Last week, I discovered a bird’s nest inside the archives. This week I spotted a herring. The mill is located next to a creek and one day I saw the awesome creature gliding above the water, with its huge wings spanned out. Wonder what I’ll discover next week!

So Much History, So Little Time

After a couple weeks at my internship at the New Castle Historical Society I seem to have a handle on the layout of town and at least a basic knowledge of all the history that New Castle has to offer.

Last week I had the opportunity to accompany Bruce Dalleo, Education Coordinator at the NCHS, as she gave a presentation to a group of students about reinterpretation regarding the Society's museums. Reinterpretation is important because it has to do with how to tell all the different stories embodied in one building. Buildings, like people, can change enormously over time, and house museums particularly have the job of telling all those different stories through different exhibits and tours.

For example, regarding the Amstel House: does the historical society tell the story of Dr. John Finney who built the house, Nicholas Van Dyke (Sr.) who became Governor of Delaware and lived in the house, or Van Dyke's daughter Ann who lived here with her husband Kensey Johns after Governor Van Dyke moved out? And that only covers the period from 1738 when the building was constructed until around 1790 when Ann and Kensey Johns moved into their new home in town. What about the time between 1790 and 1929 when the building was opened as a historic house? It seems to become more complicated the more you think about it!

I am encountering the same issues as I work on this project. For a tour that will cover nearly 200 years of history and possibly 60 to 70 sites, I am finding that researching all of the history of these buildings and the individuals that lived in them is perhaps the easiest part, it is the logistics of organizing the tour that may be the most difficult.

And some of the logistics I am thinking about off the top of my head include:

* Determining a walking route that flows both historically and physically (After all, you don't want people criss-crossing back and forth all over town!)

* Choosing which buildings and which stories you want to tell, because you can't tell them all, and there are SO many interesting ones! (While I may find everything interesting, I have to make sure that the tour is long enough for people to learn important things about New Castle, it can't be so long enough that they lose interest.)

* Balancing the types of information you want to include. (For example these tours are meant to appeal to everybody in some capacity, thus you have to make sure you strike the right balance between architecture history, history of the town, the stories of individuals, and between the secondary narrative and primary source excerpts)

These are all things I am trying to keep in mind as I work on writing my tour.