News

November 6, 2007
College Offers Specialized Training in Archaeology

From left, nursing student Tripp Owens and instructors Steve Herring and Paul Tolbert work to loosen a dugout canoe from the Tar River bed. The canoe is estimated to be from 200 to 300 years old.

Edgecombe Community College is offering a volunteer training program to help students, employees, and community members learn how to work as field assistants at archaeological digs.

Interest in this program began with the discovery in October of an old pole boat in shallow water in the Tar River near Old Sparta bridge off N.C. 42. Drought conditions also led to the discovery of a dugout canoe last week. The canoe is estimated to be from 200 to 300 years old.

Steve Herring, instructor in geography, religion, and development studies, and Monika Fleming, Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair and chair of the English department, have obtained approval from the Office of State Archaeology for a research project examining the cultural context of the Old Sparta shipwreck.

An application is pending for an underwater archaeology permit. Permission also has been obtained to begin a dig on dry land investigating the history of the old bridge and elevated roadway at Old Sparta. One project allows for work in the river when the water is low, and the other provides for work outside the river bank when the river is high.

Several other smaller sites also have been identified which will require further research. This archaeological project will focus on the various bridge structures, use patterns of the waterway and docks, and the construction of the elevated roadway. The research objective is to determine when these various structures appeared at Old Sparta, how they were used, and how they might relate to the sunken pole boat.

Volunteers who wish to work on the site need to attend a training and orientation session with Herring. Training sessions will be organized as volunteers become available. They will sign a waiver of liability and an agreement pertaining to the disposition of artifacts found during the dig.

Volunteers must be in good physical condition, and they must be prepared to spend time outdoors. Most of the activity on this project is planned for Friday afternoons, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. Volunteers do not need to make a long-term commitment to the project.

ECC hopes to formalize this program by offering a class in archaeology through Continuing Education. This course will later become part of the college’s certificate program in historic preservation, for which planning is under way.

For more information, please contact Herring at 823-5166, ext. 180.

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Tarboro: (252) 823-5166 2009 W. Wilson St., Tarboro, NC 27886

Rocky Mount:  (252) 446-0436 225 Tarboro St., Rocky Mount, NC 27801