Hi everyone!

This past Sunday, Nov. 4th 2012 the Market Street Chinatown Archaeological Project hosted its second Public Archaeology Event of the Fall at History Park in San Jose! Stanford undergraduate and graduate student volunteers (most veterans of the Oct 13th Public Archaeology event) were joined by volunteers from Notre Dame High School in San Jose.

Playing out against the musical backdrop of a bluegrass band, the Stanford volunteers hosted well over 150 kids and their parents at 4 different stations (excavation, screening, artifact identification, and artifact reconstruction) meant to simulate the archaeological process that has been used to unearth, analyze and curate artifacts from the San Jose Market Street Chinatown collection. A final station was located within the Chinese American Museum at the Ng Shing Gung and provided the Public Archaeology Event participants an opportunity to gain a broader appreciation of Chinese American experiences in San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley from the mid-19th century to the present and the specific role that archaeology has played in reconstructing the history of the Market Street Chinatown and the experiences of its inhabitants.

While the excavation station is usually the most popular, we had SO many participants this time around that ALL stations were continually busy! Not only did our volunteers more than earn their keep, they all left quite fulfilled thanks to the sheer number of Junior Archaeologist Badges awarded to participants who completed all the stations!

As always, thanks very much to all the participants, volunteers and our hosts at History San Jose for an amazingly successful and fun day at History Park!

Please mark your calendars for our next Public Archaeology Event:

January 27th, 2013 at History San Jose’s Peralta Adobe (more details in the coming weeks!)

Look forward to seeing you there!

 

Hi everyone!

Sunday, November 4th, Stanford University, History San José, and the Chinese Historicaland Cultural Project will be hosting another Public Archaeology Event that is FREE and open to the general public. This hands-on event is designed to introduce children from age 4 to 12 and their families to archaeology. Children will participate in “mock” excavations and study authentic archaeological artifacts to learn about San Jose’s hidden history. It is a fun and educational event for the entire family!

The event is part of an ongoing series of programs organized by the Market Street Chinatown Archaeology Project, a research and education partnership among the Stanford Archaeology Center, History San José, and the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. This event is sponsored by the Stanford Archaeology Center, the Department of Anthropology, the Haas Center for Public Service and Asian American Studies at Stanford University, as well as History San José.

Public Archaeology Event
When:  Sunday, November 4th, 2012, 11:00PM to 3:00PM
Where:  History Park at Kelley Park
         1650 Senter Road
         San Jose, CA 95110

In addition to the Public Archaeology Event, there will be live music and a craft activity for children at History San Jose’s History Park on November 4th.

Please, help us spread the word about this event to anyone that might be interested! Should you have any questions about the event or about the Market Street Chinatown Archaeology Project and the work that we do, you are welcome to contact me (mskane@stanford.edu).

We have additional Public Archaeology Events scheduled in the winter, on Sunday, January 27, 2013 and Sunday, February 24, 2013, if you are unable to attend this event. If you would like additional information about these events, please contact me (mskane@stanford.edu).

Thanks for your time and we hope to see you at our event on the 4th!

Megan S. Kane