Blast from the Past: Nacogdoches Archeology Fair

Saturday, October 24 from 9am to 1pm in Downtown Nacogdoches

The day will be filled with activities for people of all ages from hands on activities to demonstrations to music.

The SFA Archeology Department will be hosting a simulated archeological dig that will allow kids to participate in a real dig and learn what an archeologist does. There will be a demonstration where you can learn how to hunt with a spear like prehistoric peoples. A flintknapper will be at the event to demonstrate how arrowheads and other projectile points were made out of rock. There will also be a blacksmith demonstration, and antique tool demonstration. Pioneer food, some recipes from as far back as 1850, will be given out to anyone who wants a little taste of the past. Also, presentations will be made on the El Camino Real de los Tejas by Jeff Williams of the SFA Forestry Department along with a demonstration by the Columbia Regional Geospatial Services Center and the Center for Regional Heritage Research showing people where they are in the world by using GPS equipment.

The Texas Folklore Society will be doing a 30-minute performance of storytelling, cowboy poetry, and a history of the society and the Sweet Song String Band from Grand Prairie, Texas will be playing old-time string music throughout the day.

Also, the 9 Flags Museum will be open so that visitors can see a real archeological dig in progress. According to Dr. Morris Jackson, owner of the 9 Flags Building, “The excavation in downtown Nacogdoches allows researchers a glimpse into the international, intercontinental, intertribal, and interracial cultures found along the Camino Real in the borderlands of the Spanish empire of the 1700's and early 1800's. It is hoped that our archeological and historical research and effort will lead to a better understanding of that heritage and that we will be able to display and interpret those findings in the Nine Flags Museum downtown in the future.” The building is located in the Downtown Square at 108 North Pecan. Dr. Jackson will open the Nine Flags Museum from 11am to 1pm during the Nacogdoches Archeology Fair.

Archeology is a large part of the history of the City of Nacogdoches. There have been numerous archeological digs at the City’s two historic sites, the Durst Taylor Historic House and Gardens and the Sterne Hoya House Museum and Library. There have also been digs downtown in the pocket park and in countless other parts of the city and county.

Admission to the event is free. Each child will receive a sticker and a folder that is full of information about archeology and flyers will be passed out at each event to help everyone better understand the history behind what they are participating in.

Come join us in Festival Plaza on Saturday, October 24 from 9am to 1pm and learn about the rich history of East Texas. For further information call Jessica Wood, Curator of Collections and Education at 560-5426 or email woodj@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us or visit http://www.ci.nacogdoches.tx.us/archeology/.