The Allegheny Valley Project is offering volunteer learning opportunities for the 2016 Field Season in Allegany, NY. The season runs from July 6 to August 16, 8AM to 5PM Monday through Saturday. Volunteers can set their hours within this time frame, and may join us for any duration they choose. In the past we’ve had volunteers who participated for one day, those who came out for a week or two, and a few that have participated for the duration of the season.

We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in scientific discovery. No experience is necessary, as new volunteers are teamed up with seasoned volunteers for hands-on learning. Volunteer opportunities range from excavation to lab processing to paperwork. Participants under the age of 14 need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. We welcome local volunteers, and those from anywhere around the world. There is no charge to participate, but costs for volunteers may include: 1) travel to and from the site, located in Allegany, New York; 2) meals; 3) lodging expenses; 4) admission fees at field trip locations. We may be able to provide assistance in arranging travel and lodging, if requested.

This is our fourth year working at an ancestral Haudenosaunee village site called Bockmier 1, dated to around AD 1250. So far we have mapped out part of a longhouse, revealing a series of hearths and post molds, we have recovered botanical remains and several large sections of ceramic vessels within a cylindrical storage pit, and we have begun to investigate a possible palisade. Radiocarbon dating places the village between 1200 and 1250 AD. Bockmier 1 also contains components from other time periods. Artifacts suggest the site was occupied from the Middle Archaic (around 6,000 years ago) through the early Late Woodland, when the ancestral Haudenosaunee lived there. Our investigations will lead to a better understanding of the subsistence strategy and settlement pattern of the local ancestral Haudenosaunee group, known as the Ohiyo Haudenosaunee (Allegheny Iroquois), who are the earliest known maize horticulturalists in the valley. We will also gain insight on the early development of longhouses in the region.

Bockmier 1 is located on a certified organic farm along the Allegheny River in the scenic Allegheny Plateau region of southwestern New York. There is a short (1/5 mile) hike from parking to the site. We can provide a shuttle for anyone who is unable to hike to the site. Wildlife is abundant, and the rugged hills are carpeted in lush green forest. Summers in this region are generally mild, but can be humid or rainy. The average high temperature for July is 79º F (26º C).

For more information contact Steve Howard at avp.archaeology@gmail.com. Be sure to visit the AVP blog at alleghenyvalleyproject.com and our Facebook page.