By day I’m a travel blogger, and by night I&#8217 [...]

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Just Below Your Feet is Stephanie Bowen, right, and Sara Griggs

A year ago, during American Archaeology Field School, one of my students asked about Cultural Resource Management in Pennsylvania. I told her about CRM and about PA Act 70, which has devastated professional archaeology in the Commonwealth, and encouraged her to research the topic as an independent study, a capstone project for her American Studies major.

As we discussed the idea, I encouraged her to create a multimedia project with her research. Instead of writing a scholarly paper on the topic, I suggested she publish her research immediately, educating the public as she educated herself. If she’s to help public archaeology survive into the 21st century, when people barely look away from their mobile phones or computer keyboards, then she needed to capture their attention using the instruments they prefer: convergent media on the Internet.
Stephanie Bowen, a senior Archaeology/American Studies major at Lycoming College,  studied the effects of PA Act 70 on Cultural Resource Management archaeology and preservation and, with another Lycoming student, Sara Griggs, created a documentary film, “Just Below Your Feet.”

Here’s a snapshot of an email she sent to potential interviewees:

In the 10-plus years since the passage of Act 70, no study has been conducted on the effect of this law. My goal is to investigate how PA Act 70 has helped or harmed Pennsylvania archaeology and to determine if the government has been successful in meeting the archaeological needs of the Commonwealth.

Some cultural heritage professionals perceive that PA Act 70 has contributed to a lack of cultural preservation on the state level. By recommending archaeology be conducted by the state, has the Commonwealth assumed too large a burden for its resources? Has this resulted in a loss of  historical and cultural knowledge, research and employment?

Lycoming College graciously donated enrichment funds for the team to travel, and Northcentral Chapter 8, Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, also sponsored the project, helping the duo solicit donations.

Steph  created a Facebook page to promote the documentary. See it here:

https://www.facebook.com/JustBelowYourFeet

The team traveled throughout Pennsylvania, as evidenced by the “Crazy Person Wall” above, which features a map of the state and pins with string stretched to all of their filming locations.  They interviewed professional and academic archaeologists, spoke with landowners and developers and politicians.  The massive project provides unparalleled insight into Act 70 and the status of archaeology in Pennsylvania, which should serve as a lesson for all of the United States.

It was an exhilarating experience to be adviser and mentor for Stephanie. Her enthusiasm for, and dedication to public archaeology revives the same feelings within me. To say I’m proud of her achievement is an understatement. I’m overwhelmed and humbled.

Watch this rough-draft, 15-minute snapshot of the 50-minute “Just Below Your Feet” documentary in production:

This free eBook, “My History Is America’s History: 15 Things You Can Do to Save America’s Stories,” is a guidebook to help families and individuals to explore family history and discover how our own family stories connect to the history of our nation.
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Personal Timeline

Use this guidebook to document your life, from childhood through adulthood.
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Family Tree

This one-page basic form for getting started on documenting your Family Tree.
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Public Archaeology

As a historical archaeologist, I work with museums and non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, public and private schools, and avocational archaeology groups.  Services I offer include:

• Field trips
• Field schools
• Hands-on heritage programs
• Historical research, oral histories
• Ethnographic research and interviews
• Interpretive exhibit, video development
• National Register assessments, nominations
• Testing, data recovery programs

I also am an instructor at Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA, teaching archaeology methods and theory, which includes a field school.

For those of you who are totally new to it (or at least [...]

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Loch Ness, Scotland

I thwarted my husband’s vacation plans. Days before he purchased tickets for a Caribbean cruise, I suggested Scotland.
In the blink of an eye, I wasted months he spent researching itineraries. Gone were his plans to lounge poolside on the lido deck, dine on all-he-could-eat buffets and enjoy nightly live entertainment aboard a floating mega-mall.
He tossed them aside in an instant when I pointed out Scotland has spooky ruins, damp castles and foggy moors. We’re passionate about history and figure we can cruise when we’re old. Besides, who wants to spend December snorkeling in warm, tropical waters when they can stand beside the frigid waters of Loch Ness, which is close in latitude to Juneau, Alaska?
It’s been a dream come true, traveling abroad to ancient cities and world capitals, and we’ve added Rome, London and Dublin to our scrapbook.
There’s one vacation I would like to take, but he may not agree as readily to this idea.
As an American Archaeologist, my experience in the field abroad is non-existent. I’ve peeked at archaeological sites during my travels, and admired the results of antiquities research in various museums, but I’ve never had the opportunity to dig overseas.
I think my husband may pull out the cruise ship brochures when I tell him I’m looking at archaeological vacation packages. He doesn’t care to get dirty unless it’s in his own garden.
What most people don’t realize about archaeological vacations is the work you’ll do is a service to all humanity. When you contribute to an archaeological dig, as either a shovel bum or a lab rat, you are a “Steward of the Past.” You help conserve heritage for future generations.

Visitors volunteer for a day at Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail (Muncy, PA)

Without the help of volunteers, most archaeological sites wouldn’t get dug, either. Although there’s a lot of interest in prehistoric and historic sites, there’s not a lot of money for excavation and preservation.
One way museums offset the expense of archaeological research is to team up with volunteer vacation groups. It’s a win-win situation, since the volunteer not only gets to visit exotic locations, they get to play Indiana Jones.
And is it fun? Heck yeah!
Anthropologist Kent Flannery once wrote, “… archaeology is still the most fun you can have with your pants on.”
As an archaeologist, I’ve met hundreds of people who want to spend an hour, a day, a week, even a month working on my digs. Entire families have joined my projects, some flying across the continent to spend their vacations with me, squatting in the dirt, brushing soil from rusty nails, screening mud for artifacts. Others want to spend their time washing those artifacts and still others, identifying and cataloging them.
To this day, it amazes me that people will pay me to let them play in the dirt and lift heavy buckets.
It’s also fascinating that a person will excavate a piece of broken glass, then handle it with care given to expensive crystal. That same person probably walked by and ignored dozens of pieces of broken glass between the parking lot and the dig site.
So, what is the difference between litter and artifacts? Context.
Context makes material things important. We want to know, “What is it? Who made it? Where was it found?”
Context makes our memories important also. We want to remember, “Where did we go? What did we do? Who did we see?”
Because memories are important, my husband gallantly tossed aside our trip to the islands. Instead of dining from the trough on a cruise ship, we will have Christmas Lunch at Edinburgh Castle. We will board the Royal Yacht Britannia, walk the Royal Mile to Holyrood, tour Rosslyn Chapel, hike the ancient volcano of Arthur’s Seat and maybe pet a Hairy Coo (the long-haired cows of Scotland). We do have a short cruise planned; it’s just a smaller boat and we’ll be watching for the Loch Ness Monster. And with respect, we’ll visit the Battlefield of Culloden, where thousands of highlanders fought and died with brave hearts for their “Bonny Prince Charlie.”
These are memories we’ll treasure, most of them thanks to the volunteers who helped to preserve them.

If they can’t reach a screen, put ‘em on a bucket. Lycoming College student Kathleen Eierman works with two young volunteers at the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail (Muncy, PA)

Since we can appreciate their efforts, next year, I’ll suggest we spare a few vacation days and work as volunteers at an archaeological site. Imagine being the person who discovered the golden horde now on display at the British Museum!
Perhaps you’ll consider a volunteer archaeological opportunity next time you’re making vacation plans. There are dozens available, from small historical society digs in local parks and pastures, to large university excavations at Roman ruins.
So why consider voluntourism?
Unlike college students enrolled in a field school and their instructors, volunteers on vacation can work at archaeology sites during the day, then skip the lectures. I know, roughing it in the field is supposed to be part of the charm of an archaeology dig, but I’m a woman in my 50s. I’m not interested in going to the bathroom behind a tree, sleeping on a cot, or eating dirt with my peanut butter sandwich. I want  dinner at a five-star restaurant, 800-count Egyptian cotton sheets, air conditioning, a private bathroom and wifi.
I want the selfish gratification of a vacation and the personal satisfaction of performing a good deed, and I can have both as a voluntourist.
So where do I want to go?
From an Iron Age hillfort in Scotland, to an ancient pottery mound in Italy, from prehistoric villages in Mexico, to underwater sites off the coast of Spain, opportunities are plentiful. There are dozens available, from small digs in parks or pastures, to large excavations at Roman ruins.
While perusing the Archaeological Institute of America website, I found an interesting project: a church site and graveyard survey in Ireland. There are a lot of interesting projects on the AIA’s Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin, and I like that I can sort them by geographic location.
Another resource is Earthwatch, although its expeditions aren’t limited to archaeology. This group offers paelontological digs as well as environmental projects working with elephants or dolphins.
I’ve also bookmarked Archeolink’s comprehensive website and plan to explore its numerous links to historic tours and volunteer opportunities.
Now how do I select only one? And, how do I convince my husband it’s a grand idea?

Canfield Island overlooks the Susquehanna’s West Branch

Canfield Island is a recent addition to the Susquehanna shoreline, having been added during the 19th century during Northcentral Pennsylvania’s lumber boom. But, before sawyers toiled in the mill, processing logs into lumber, American Indians called the area home. In fact, for the past 4,000 years or so, people have traveled to the river’s edge at Canfield, following the seasons as they hunted and gathered and eventually farmed.

Northcentral Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology excavated at Canfield Island during the 1970s and ’80s, under the watchful eye of James Bressler, the region’s self-taught archaeological expert and patron of prehistory. I joined Northcentral Chapter 8 at Canfield Island in 2003, bringing along my Lycoming College archaeology field school. The students experienced public archaeology as they learned method and theory alongside non-students of all ages. In fact, Bressler was in his mid-80s at the time, still spry enough to join the group and point out interesting features that cropped up during the excavation.

All artifacts, field notes and reports generated by the Lycoming College archaeology, working with Northcentral Chapter 8 and its partner the Lycoming County Historical Society, are curated at the society’s museum.

Please enjoy the following photo gallery from May 2003.

Archaeologist James Bressler visits Riverfront Heritage Park named in his honor.

A stroll along the James P. Bressler Heritage Trail on Canfield Island is invigorating and educational. It’s also tranquil, this quiet spot along the Susquehanna River’s West Branch.

The trail is part of Loyalsock Township’s Riverfront Park and is dedicated to James P. Bressler. A scholar and educator beloved in his community, Bressler carved a niche for himself in the region’s prehistory and history books with his archaeological investigations.

Located on Canfield Island in Loyalsock Township, the park contains a significant prehistoric Indian village. Bressler and members of Northcentral Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology excavated prehistoric sites in the area for many decades and Bressler is responsible for having the island listed with the National Register of Historic Places

“That is, in my estimation, one of the best-kept secrets in the county,” Bressler said about the trail in a previous interview. “This is a unique attempt to integrate a number of different things. First of all, local history is really not being taught in our schools because there are too many competing things to teach. I understand that. But this is a unique way to combine a pleasant walk, a history lesson, and nature study. It’s just a pleasure to walk around there.”

Excavating Native American sites for the past four decades, Bressler led several digs on and near Canfield Island, a small spit of land turned into a manufactured island by 19th-century lumber mill owners. Publishing his findings in a series of monographs, Bressler and volunteers from Northcentral Chapter No. 8, Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, have added immensely to the area’s knowledge of Native American culture as far back as 5000 B.P. (Before Present).

With this tribute to Bressler, the township acknowledged his expertise and the significance of his archaeological research. “Seldom ever, in my life, has a dream come about as this one has. This whole thing is an answer to a dream,” he said.

The park has more to offer than just scenery. When designed, park plans included a tree identification area, a butterfly habitat, and eagle nesting towers and owl boxes. In addition to the James Bressler Interpretive Trail, Riverfront Park features a pavilion, a boat dock, several fishing access points, a large multipurpose field and a bike path.

“It’s very important to everybody. In the fist place, the Susquehanna River, in my estimation, is one of the greatest assets Pennsylvania has. Fresh water flowing by your doorstep. But if you have no access to it, you’re limited in how much you can enjoy it,” he said. “This park is part of a much larger, long-range plan.”

In his honor, Loyalsock Township developed a one-half-mile walking trail. Interpretive signs stretch along the trail, describing prehistoric life along the river, as well as events from modern times.

A “Welcome” sign acknowledges trail underwriters and orients the visitor.

The signs use photos, maps, illustrations and text to help visitors learn about three archaeological sites, The West Branch of the Susquehanna River (Otzinachson), the Sheshequin Trail, the Canfield and Colton Sawmill, the death of Capt. James Brady, the Revolutionary War “Cannon Hole.”

“It’s all a part of what we call heritage. This is what everybody inherits. But few people know about it. What good is an excavation, for instance, if we don’t issue a report and say, ‘Here is what we found. Here is what it means.’ Unless you say that, what have you done? Nothing but vandalism. Destroyed an irreplaceable resource,” Bressler said, adding, “So if you undertake doing a dig, you also undertake the responsibility of doing it in detail and making it part of the permanent record. That’s not a sermon; that’s a doggoned fact. That’s why I’m doing it.”

It is primarily because of Bressler’s research that Canfield Island was named to National Register. His research and excavations were, Bressler said, the Alpha; the trail is the Omega.

“By itself (archaeological research), it is incomplete. It has no means of expressing itself. It’s manifested in the trail. There, you’re touching the past. And if you want to know a great deal more, you come up here (Lycoming County Historical Society) and flesh out your interest. It’s all part of a larger effort.”

The James P. Bressler Heritage Trail is open to the public. Directions to the park: From I-180/US-220, take exit 23B toward Montoursville/Warrensville Road. Merge onto East Third Street/Old Montoursville Road. Turn right at Canfield Lane (0.4 miles) then turn right at Greevey Road. The park entrance is 0.3 miles on the left.

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Hobie Mirage Kayaks

Hobie, a leading catamaran design company, expanded and introduced a line of sit-on-top kayaks, fishing kayaks and float cats. One of its more useful boats for use on local creeks, lakes and rivers is the pedal-driven Hobie Mirage Kayak.

A river reputed to be “a mile wide and a foot deep,” Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River’s depth is due to its age. During millions of years of existence, the mighty river has literally moved mountains and eroded the landscape to its present shallow, rocky state.  There are few areas that are amenable to boaters on the Susquehanna and, because of this, the boat perhaps best suited is the kayak. And given that the river, which is fed by numerous creeks and streams, has a strong current in places, the Hobie Mirage is the kayak of choice.

The Hobie Mirage is a unique boat with three forms of propulsion – you can pedal it, paddle it or sail it. Pedaling is quiet and creates no splash, and leaves your hands free for fishing, taking photos or holding a drink.

This sit-on-top kayak can be used by people of all ages and sizes thanks to its movable seat mount. It is a lightweight pedaling kayak that can be adapted to fit paddlers from age six to eighty, from four feet to over six and everyone in between.

The MirageDrive is simple and easy to use, and you pedal effortlessly similar to a bicycle. The larger leg muscles produce more powerful propulsion versus arms using a paddle.

The manufacturer tested the heart rates of several kayakers at varying speeds in several paddled kayak models. In every case, the heart rate, or effort expended to maintain a particular speed, was three to ten percent less for pedaling versus paddling.

This means the MirageDrive converts the effort of the human body into forward thrust more efficiently than a paddle.

Underwater, Hobie’s MirageDrive fins work similar to a penguin’s fins. Steering the kayak is easy with the hand-controlled rudder and, when not in use, the fin blades can be tucked up against the hull, making for beach landings.

Hobie builds the boats with a variety of recesses for stowing gear. A plug-in cart makes for easy portaging across rocky terrain both in, and out, of the water.

If you’re sailing, you steer with one hand, control the mainsheet with the other hand and pedal with your feet. The fins provide lateral resistance like the centerboard of a sailboat. The optional sail furls around the mast and can be stowed on the deck. Stretch cords hold it in place.
It’s the kind of boat that offers versatility and ease of use, which means it’s a boat that will be used more often.

Test drive the MirageDrive

By ROBIN VAN AUKEN

Boat shows are a great place to compare kayaks

FLORIDA—After viewing the Hobie Mirage line of kayaks at boat shows in Annapolis and Baltimore, my husband, Lance, and I decided we were interested in buying a couple. But, at about $1,600 each, we wanted to “test drive” the boat first.

There are few Hobie dealers in Pennsylvania, and none that were renting the kayak during the winter. We made the difficult decision to leave town (and a few inches of snow) and visit our hometown in Florida. Using the Internet, I had contacted a variety of kayak dealers in the Tampa Bay area and found one that rented Hobies for the day.

We reserved two Hobie Mirages – the Outback, a kayak that’s designed for fishermen, and the Revolution, a hybrid that offered the utility of the Outback, but the speed of the Adventure line.

Take a look at Hobie’s Web site for descriptions and details on its complete line of watercraft: www.HobieCat.com.

We also rented a trailer, wanting to see how easy it is to load and tow the kayaks. If it’s easy, we’ll probably use them more often. At least I hope so; I already have an Old Town sit-inside kayak that is collecting dust in my garage. It’s too heavy for me to heft on top of my car, so I seldom use it.

Test driving the pedal-driven Hobie Mirage Kayak was fun and easy, and the flippers could be raised in the shallows. The ability to switch between paddle and pedal meant more time on the water, and more distance covered in less time.

We got an early start and drove to Fort DeSoto, a Florida state park that recently claimed fame as America’s best beach in 2005 and in 2008. We were impressed with the changes to the park, such as new sand for the formerly shell-strewn beach, bike paths, boat launches, kayak rentals, concessions and other vendors, as well as a dog park.

We scouted the area for a quiet spot among the mangroves to launch. It only took us a half-hour to prepare the boats – 20 minutes of that was to figure out that we couldn’t figure out how to use the sail, and to slather on sunscreen. It may have been mid-winter here, but on the Gulf of Mexico, the temperatures were nearing 80.

I chose the pretty blue Revolution, leaving my husband with the beige Outback. I had looked forward to this moment and was excited about adding another boat to our “fleet.” Within minutes I was frustrated and disappointed. The seat wasn’t adjusted properly and I was reclining too much. The pedals were too far away. The kayak was too narrow and my bottled water wouldn’t sit properly in the recessed drink holder. Meanwhile, Lance was pedaling circles around me and exclaiming about how much he enjoyed the boat.

After a half-hour of gritting my teeth and cursing myself for believing the boat show salesman, I asked if we could switch boats.

That’s when it all went right. Like Cinderella, my rear end found the perfect fit. Lance took a few extra minutes to help me adjust the pedals before jumping into his kayak. Finally, I was able to pedal and paddle circles around him. We both decided that for us, the Outback was the best kayak. We spent a couple of hours speeding past other kayakers – who stared covetously at our boats – exploring the mangroves and salt flats of Mullet Key. We quietly approached nesting eagles and snapped photos, watched fish forage just inches below the surface, and luxuriated in the sunshine.

So, it’s decided. We’re ordering a couple of Hobie Mirage Outbacks and a trailer soon, giving us yet another option to enjoy the lakes and creeks and rivers of Pennsylvania.

See you on the water.

Working with Muncy Historical Society and the students (past and present) of Muncy Jr/Sr High School, historian Robin Van Auken created a 30-minute DVD oral history project that features 35 alumni and current student interviews.

Historical Society volunteers and Muncy students collaborated on this important project as one component of the 75th anniversary celebration of Muncy’s High School. Since the release of the DVD, several alumni have passed away, reinforcing the importance of conducting oral histories for preservation of a community.

Each contributor received a DVD of their interview; more than 12 hours of raw video was edited into this glance through school days during the 20th and 21st centuries. DVDs are available from Muncy Historical Society.

Pennsylvania Route 554

Pennsylvania’s forests reflect a history of choices — from peaceful coexistence between humans and the forests to the massive harvesting of the forests in the late 1800s. Pennsylvania’s borders encompass 17 million acres of forestland, almost 4 million acres of which are publicly owned. However, more than 12 million acres are under private ownership. Which of today’s choices will affect Pennsylvania’s forests tomorrow?

THE LUMBER MUSEUM
Pennsylvania’s Lumber Museum preserves the rich legacy of Penn’s Woods and tells the story of these beautiful woodlands.

THE HERITAGE REGION
The Lumber Heritage Region holds a key to the rich heritage of Pennsylvania’s forests–from the struggles of the pioneers to the cut-and-run practices of the early lumber industry to the conservation efforts that led to the managed forests of today.

Funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and The Pennsylvania Lumber Heritage Region, Copyright 2007 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Woodhicks

The Lumber Heritage Region holds a key to the rich heritage of Pennsylvania’s forests–from the struggles of the pioneers to the cut-and-run practices of the early lumber industry to the conservation efforts that led to the managed forests of today.

Pennsylvania’s forests reflect a history of choices — from peaceful coexistence between humans and the forests to the massive harvesting of the forests in the late 1800s.

Pennsylvania’s borders encompass 17 million acres of forestland, almost 4 million acres of which are publicly owned. However, more than 12 million acres are under private ownership.

Which of today’s choices will affect Pennsylvania’s forests tomorrow?

Funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and The Pennsylvania Lumber Heritage Region, Copyright 2007 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Susquehanna, stretching approximately 440 miles from New York to Maryland, is the longest river on the East Coast. Its North Branch, which begins at Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, N.Y., often is regarded as an extension of the main branch. Its primary tributary, the West Branch, rises in western Pennsylvania and joins the North Branch near Sunbury. The river drains into in the Chesapeake Bay.

The ancient river is possibly the oldest major system in the world, far older than the mountains through which it flows. Geologists believe that the mighty Susquehanna cut through the mountains even as they were forming nearly 300 million years ago. If so, the river predates the Atlantic Ocean. Time, however, has reduced the river to a shallow waterway. Early settlers lamented that the Susquehanna was “a mile wide, a foot deep.”

The river is so shallow, small islands appear in the summer

The West Branch of the Susquehanna River, when navigable, afforded an economical and ready means of transporting articles down river, but to push a large boat or even a canoe against the rapid current, or over the shoals and rifts, was a formidable undertaking.

West Branch of the Susquehanna River

The first attempt to navigate the river by steamboat worked. The “Codorus” was 60-feet long, 9-feet wide, had a sheet-iron hull. Unloaded, its draft was 7 inches. The boat made a successful trip up the Susquehanna from Harrisburg in March and April 1826, reaching Binghamton, N.Y. The second attempt, however, ended in disaster. The “Susquehanna,” at 80-feet with a beam of 14 feet, carried nearly 200 people. On May 3, 1826, the ship attempted to pass Nescopeck Falls (also called Nescopeck rapids). There, the river’s high ridge and shallow water forces the water into a narrow channel, creating a whirlpool. Navigation there is normally impossible, but the captain thought that the high water would permit it. The steamboat went aground on the rocks near the shore. A crew was holding down the safety valve, and the strain caused a boiler to explode. Although the boat was not seriously damaged, two men were killed by escaping steam. Many others were scalded. The accident put an end to steamship navigation of the Susquehanna and led to renewed interest in building the Pennsylvania Canal. Dug by men whose tools were picks, shovels and wheelbarrows, the local canals measured 28-feet wide on the bottom, 40-feet wide at the top and 8- to 10-feet deep.

The West Branch Canal was constructed between 1828 and 1834, formally opening on July 4, 1834. At this time, the canal only reached the mouth of Loyalsock Creek. The first packet boat to navigate the West Branch Canal was the “James Madison.”

Shawn Gardner

Artisan Shawn Gardner, of Fair Chase Designs, presents on prehistoric technology and Native American art. This is presentation is suitable for people of all ages, including families and school-aged children.

Gardner lives in Montoursville, often presents programs to people who visit his teepee on school field trips. He also offers seminars and classes. Gardner specializes in making custom bows, arrows, quivers, antler and bone carvings, and jewelry of horn, wood, stone and silver. Utilizing prehistoric methods, he manufactures drums and musical instruments, makes birch bark baskets other containers, hunts and processes animal hides, knaps flint and manufactures stone tools and weapons,

Gardner brings many items of interest to his presentation, which is educational as well as entertaining. To learn more about Gardner’s unique gifts, seminars and classes, contact the artisan by calling 570-368-2489.

Flintknapping

Knapping is the shaping of flint, chert, obsidian or other conchoidal fracturing stone through the process of lithic reduction to manufacture stone tools, strikers for flintlock firearms, or to produce flat-faced stones for building or facing walls, and flushwork decoration. To learn more about Gardner’s unique gifts, seminars and classes, contact the artisan by calling 570-368-2489.According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, flintknapping or knapping is done in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of the final product. For stone tools and flintlock strikers, chert is worked using a fabricator such as a hammerstone to remove lithic flakes from a nucleus or core of tool stone. Stone tools can then be further refined using wood, bone, and antler tools to perform pressure flaking.For building work a hammer or pick is used to split chert nodules supported on the lap. Often the chert nodule will be split in half to create two cherts with a flat circular face for use in walls constructed of lime. More sophisticated knapping is employed to produce almost perfect cubes which are used as bricks.

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Tools

There are many different methods of shaping stone into useful tools. Early knappers could have used simple hammers made of wood or antler to shape stone tools.

Hard hammer techniques are used to remove large flakes of stone. Early knappers and hobbyists replicating their methods often use cobbles of very hard stone, such as quartzite. This technique can be used by flintknappers to remove broad flakes that can be made into smaller tools. This method of manufacture is believed to have been used to make some of the earliest stone tools ever found, some of which date from over 2 million years ago.

Soft hammer techniques are more precise than hard hammer methods of shaping stone. Soft hammer techniques allow a knapper to shape a stone into many different kinds of cutting, scraping, and projectile tools.

Pressure flaking involves removing narrow flakes along the edge of a stone tool. This technique is often used to do detailed thinning and shaping of a stone tool. Pressure flaking involves putting a large amount of force across a region on the edge of the tool and (hopefully) causing a narrow flake to come off of the stone. Modern hobbyists often use pressure flaking tools with a copper or brass tip, but early knappers could have used antler tines or a pointed wooden punch; traditionalist knappers still use antler tines and copper-tipped tools. The major advantage of using soft metals rather than wood or bone is that the metal punches wear down less and are less likely to break under pressure.

Uses

In cultures that have not adopted metalworking technologies, the production of stone tools by knappers is common, but in modern cultures the making of such tools is the domain of experimental archaeologists and hobbyists. Archaeologists usually undertake the task so that they can better understand how prehistoric stone tools were made.

Knapping is often learned by outdoorsmen for survival tactics. Knapping for the supply of strikers for flintlock firearms was a major industry in flint bearing locations, such as Brandon in Suffolk, England, where knappers made strikers for export to the Congo as late as 1947.

Knapping for building purposes is still a skill that is practised in the flint-bearing regions of southern England, such as Sussex, Suffolk and Norfolk, and in northern France, especially Brittany and Normandy, where there is a resurgence of the craft due to government funding.

(SOURCE: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flintknapping)

Barbara Barnes

Barnes operates Emerald Falls Pottery in her Montoursville studio. There, she creates her stoneware vessels and teaches wheel-thrown pottery. She specializes in terra cotta garden vases, flower vases, unique art deco-style pottery and primitive pit-fired vessels. She also creates unique table-top water fountains.

All are hand thrown and most are made of high-fire stoneware, which she fires in an electric kiln multiple times until she gets the effects that are unique to her wares. She has shown her work at many Pennsylvania and New York state gift shops and galleries. She has been juried for many major arts festivals in Pennsylvania and New York.

To learn more about Barbara’s pottery and to schedule lessons, contact her through her website: www.EmeraldFallsPottery.com.

To download Barbara’s Pottery Review, click here Emerald Falls Pottery Review

Primitive Pit-Fired Vessels

Earth, wind and fire create the wondrous look and feel of pit-fired vessels. Each vessel goes into the pit in the same manner. After the smoke and fire licks the sides of the vessel weaving its magic hues, it becomes a thrill with every completed pot.

The basic steps are simple, but are complicated by the forces of nature; the humidity, outside temperature and the sun or clouds can affect the overall appearance of each piece. It is desirable to fire one piece at a time, due to the chance of multiple explosions and cracking due to the stress the pot undergoes.

A pit is dug large enough to accommodate the wares and the materials used for the fire. The burnished bisque fired pottery made of stoneware or porcelain is placed on a bed of coals and then surrounded with combustible materials and set on fire. The fire burns inward and with careful attention and constant care the fire burns for four to six hours. The fire is smothered with sawdust. After overnight cooling, the charred vessel is washed and when it dries the pot is polished over and over again to a high satin sheen.

Images from Smoke

When Barbara is creating stoneware, she often will see images in the mottled, dark smudges left behind by smoke during the firing process. As she burnishes the pottery the images become more dominant, similar to shapes in clouds. You may not see the same thing Barbara does, but let’s give it a try. Below are several pots with images that Barbara sees. Can you see them too?

Care for a Pit-Fired Vessel

Treat the vessel as you would a wooden piece. Approximately every three months, with a soft dust cloth, dust and wax the surface with Pledge or wax. Much like raku pottery, pit-fired vessels are decorative only and are not water tight or food safe.

Joy McCracken

Joy McCracken is a spinning and weaving expert. McCracken demonstrates the craft of creating fabric from animal hair to students. One of her specialties is drop spindle spinning, an early technique for making yarn without a spinning wheel.

When she heard how the women of Bolivia used drop spindles as they were fetching wood and water for their families, McCracken asked for a basket filled with wool and a drop spindle for Christmas in 1989. She took lessons, bought her first spinning wheel shortly thereafter and then moved on to weaving, and followed with her first loom purchase.

Owner of a farm, she raises various types of goats, sheep and other animals that provide the raw materials for her work, paying particular attention to animals that produce long, strong wool fibers. She uses her interest in historic textiles and love of children’s literature to demonstrate and instruct at Bradford County ’s home textile museum, at Muncy Historical Society’s educational events, at Lycoming County ’s Day Camp and at the Warrior Run-Fort Freeland Heritage Days Festival.

The New Canoe

She’s gone. Dan picked “To Blave” up one bitter, cold day in April and headed for Wisconsin. He sent us a note; he and his son finally went sailing after picking up a new battery and repairing the gas tank.

Meanwhile, we bought a 14-foot, red Old Town canoe and have been going out to Bald Eagle Lake in Northcentral Pennsylvania. We wanted something simple and easy and quick for the summer. We plan on replacing our zippy little Precision K15 but with what, we’re not sure. I’ve suggested we go to a few boat shows — the Annapolis Bay and Boat Show, the Newport Boat Show, the Baltimore Boat Show … the list grows.

Truth is, I like going to boat shows and stroking shiny gel coats, sniffing that new boat smell. I like all boats — big ones, little ones. Fat ones, skinny ones. Wooden ones, glass ones. Boats with masts and boats without. We’re leaning towards a powerboat now so we can travel the canals throughout New York and Canada. It’s also easier to pull up to the pier in Georgetown on the Potomac if we’re not fighting bridges and shallow drafts.

I’ve been admiring the Ranger Tug for a few years. Now wait, before you point out that this site is “Small Boat Sailors” keep in mind that you can still be a sailor on a power boat — just can’t sail it. And the tug is trailerable, coming in 25, 27 and 29-foot lengths, so it is small.

Plus, we could ship the Ranger Tug to Europe and sail — err, navigate — the canals in France, scoot along the coastline of the Mediterranean, hangout in the turquoise bays of Greece, then back up to the UK and cross the channel and spend the summer over in England on the Thames.

In our own backyard, here in the United States, we can make the Great Loop. I just read an article about a man looping in a pontoon boat.

So, tucked away in the back of our minds is the upgrade to the Precision 23 (Boat No. 2 — the canoe doesn’t count) and then, when there’s a bit more cash in the stock fund, trade up a few more feet for the Ranger Tug. It’s a plan.

Ranger Tugs

Muncy Historical Society

Muncy Historical Society and Museum of History, a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization founded in 1936, focuses on preservation and conservation of the rich history and heritage of Muncy and surrounding communities – its people, businesses, education, arts, traditions and folklore – by sponsoring educational programs and activities, through research and publication of our history, and interpretation of the museum’s collection for the community, including schools, colleges, community groups and professional historians.

The museum and research library are located at 40 N. Main Street, Muncy, Pennsylvania. In 1936 Mrs. Forrest Clapp donated her husband’s family homestead, the Thomas Clapp House, to the town of Muncy for the purpose of housing the Muncy Historical Society Museum of History. The oldest 2 ½ story section was built in 1812 and features the original fireplace and squirrel-tail beehive oven. The back staircase leads to the second floor bedroom which features pieces of locally-made furniture and the Society’s fraktur collection.

The museum collection includes a WPA-commissioned replica of Fort Muncy and military gallery, Native American artifacts, diverse and impressive artwork, a working barn loom and William Lowmiller’s jacquard attachment and a sampling of his woven coverlets.

The Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail is 11 acres of historical and environmentally significant property that is a park and trail to be utilized by all Lycoming County, Pennsylvania residents, as well as tourists and visitors to the Susquehanna River Valley.

The 8-Square School Marm

The Society operates the “Eight Square,” a fully restored one room schoolhouse, built in 1872, on the site of Lycoming County’s first public school. This frame structure replaced the original 8-sided log structure built in 1796. Volunteers conduct one-room living history programs by appointment. The annual Strawberry Festival and Old Fashioned School Social is held at this site in Moreland Township, approximately 3 miles east of Clarkstown, left onto Church Road from Route 442.

Muncy Historical Society’s Pennsylvania Canal Packet Boat is the reconstruction of an authentic 1860s packet/passenger cabin that has become the Society’s traveling educational exhibit. The project received 2004 Honorable Mention Award from PA Federation of Museums Historical Organizations and 2004 Certificate of Commendation from the American Association of State and Local History.

Contact Muncy Historical Society, 40 North Main Street, P.O. Box 11, Muncy, PA 17756, (570) 546-5917. On the web at http://www.MuncyHistoricalSociety.org, or e-mail MuncyHistorical@aol.com

Jack Davis and his monument to Exodusters

DUNLAP, Kansas — On a lonely, country road in Dunlap, Kan., a monument soars. An engraved stainless steel plaque stretches between two pillars of limestone and marks the family farm of a freed slave.

Built by Jack Davis, whose family bought the farm more than a century ago, the monument honors the thousands of African Americans who fled the lower Mississippi Valley for Kansas, seeking a better life.

Sometimes called “Exodusters,” a derogatory term coined by newspapers of the time, they’re former slaves who left the South in 1879 after Reconstruction failed to grant them the benefits of citizenry: the freedom to live as they chose, vote freely and own land. Instead, Reconstruction resulted in the Black Codes, new laws that reinforced oppression, exchanging the chains of slavery for the yoke of tenant farming and sharecropping.

But more than abject poverty, Exodusters fled the anarchy and violence that followed the Civil War when marauding ex-Confederate soldiers and angry Southerners forged the Ku Klux Klan. This “tide of disorder” swept through the South with its members stealing livestock, burning barns, terrorizing and killing African Americans.

Most immigrants were spurred by word of mouth, while others followed organizers such as Benjamin “Pap” Singleton of Tennessee and Henry Adams of Louisiana. Entire communities immigrated to Kansas, “the Garden Spot of the World” and home of abolitionist John Brown.

The story of the Exodusters is a difficult one to tell because, as historian Nell Irvin Painter writes in ” Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction,” it was a movement “of poor, rural Southern Blacks not sufficiently Westernized to write their own histories,” largely ignored by scholars.

It’s an important story to Davis, who built his monument to Kansas Exodusters and his family after a life-changing event: doctors diagnosed him with stage IV pancreatic cancer in spring 2010.

“My doctor finally listened to me in March 2010. She said I had spots and lesions on my liver,” Davis said. “I went to the VA (Veteran’s Administration). They said ‘don’t worry about your liver; you have stage IV pancreatic cancer. You have three months to live.’

“I just take life a day, a week at a time,” he said. “I have gone past the doctor’s timeline and am doing good. I could make it years longer. Not likely, but possible.”

So with the time he has left, he built the monument, which consists of donated steel and two massive slabs of limestone, purchased from Higgins Stone Co. of Wamego, Kan. The twin, rough-hewn pillars stand 10 feet out of the ground in the garden of the former family farm, which Davis sold in 2010 to his neighbors and friends Clayton and Patricia Finney, who moved in the area as a young couple and now operate a ranching business, Wright Creek Ltd.
There, Davis recalled, his family raised cattle, horses, hogs, chickens and other livestock, and grew wheat, milo, sorghum as silage for the cattle, corn, alfalfa and prairie hay.

“My grandfather always had a large garden. Everyone who came to our house, if they left hungry, it was their fault. I remember hearing the older folks say they starved, but if they went to the Davis place, they got full,” he said.

The son of a mixed-race couple, Davis didn’t grow up with his mother. “My daddy never married, and I haven’t either. I was the only child my dad had. Because of racial differences, families would not let them marry.”

As a child, he called his aunt Velera Davis “Mommie,” and would listen to her stories. “Since I was a child, I listened to the older folks talk. Unfortunately, my memories of the stories and the people are vague.”

One of his favorite memories of growing up in Kansas was the sense of connectedness.

“The older people were always ‘Cousin’ or ‘Aunt.’ It seemed like a big, extended family. They’ve since moved all over the U.S. and some are quite famous,” he said.

Davis also moved quite a bit, working as a “Jack of all trades, master of none,” he said.

His experience includes stints as a roofer, farmer, painter and a mechanic. He’s driven 18-wheelers in all 48 contiguous states, as well as dump and oil field trucks. A third assistant engineer, he’s served on ships around the world, including tankers, ore carriers, dive boats, supply boats and fish processors and catchers.

“I was going to sea making good money. While at home, I was rebuilding buildings and fences, trying to keep the place up,” he said. “Then, from 1979 to 1986, vandals destroyed the property. No one knew anything. My family tied up the farm. When I got it back, I could not rebuild. There were no others that I could pass it to that could and would successfully farm the place. I sold the family farm that my Dad and his father spent their lives building.”
It was a close friend’s eldest son, Terry Lyon, who helped “Uncle Jack” erect the monument along Road 300, Lyon County, in Americus, Kan.

“He has been an invaluable help, loaning tools, equipment, his help, the use of his place,” Jack said. “This would have been a lot more difficult without him.”
Although it is tucked away in rural Kansas, the monument is important to Davis personally, and should be important to the descendants of all Exodusters, he said.

“Very few people are even aware of the Exodusters. People forget, or deny, their history. Many have never heard of the contributions of their ancestors,” Davis said. “The descendants of the Kansas colonies have moved all over the U.S. and various countries. Some are successful; others are on welfare or in between.”

It is his hope that a local historical society will help preserve the monument. His lifelong friend Ustaine Talley, now in her 70s, is gathering notes and oral histories for the event. She is planning a dedication ceremony in August.

“I have tried to use durable materials so it will last for centuries,” he said. “I hope it lasts as long as the land.”

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A Monument to Exodusters by Robin Van Auken is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.robinvanauken.com.

P15K on Lake Owasco

We sold our Precision 15K, an excellent starter sailboat. Hold on, I have to wipe a tear from my eye.

It moved to Wisconsin. A local judge there wants to use it on a lake. We corresponded for a few months and I sent him a little video of “his new boat.” Made it harder to let her go.

It came with galvanized Performance tilt trailer, a like-new 3.5 Tohatsu gas outboard motor (never used), an electric trolling motor with marine battery and charger, a tiller stay, a masthead float, transom-mounted boarding ladder, mainsail cover and jib sock, dock lines and all the accouterments that a savvy sailor would need. It’s a fast, yet comfortable daysailer with fixed, lead-ballasted keel, factory colored sails and a roller-furling jib.

Saying Goodbye

The tiller stay is handy for raising sails and also just steering. This boat is so responsive that the slightest touch can change its trajectory. A tiller stay helps us keep on course when we’re distracted with other chores.

We would recommend a Precision daysailer to anyone looking for a fast, fun boat. It was a great choice for us and when it’s not in the water, it is a beautiful lawn ornament. If you can’t be in a boat, at least be able to look at one.

So why have we made the choice to sell, if it is a perfect boat? A combination of reasons — time, a change of location, health. But the real reason is the boat wants to sail more than we can and it would be a shame to leave her on the hard.

A review by Bob Perry says this about the Precision 15K:

“An ideal trainer or family daysailer, providing both versatility and up-to-date performance. The cockpit is 9 feet, 4 inches long and the side decks are wide enough for comfortable hiking. The side decks will also help prevent swamping in the event of a knockdown. No centerboard means no centerboard trunk to interfere with the cockpit. The rig is a simple sloop rig with swept-back spreaders. It doesn’t get any more basic than this. There is a mainsheet traveler, and some attention to the vang is all that’s needed to take care of leech tension. Jib lead tracks are adjustable for close sheeting angles.”

David Stone launches his sailboat at Rose Valley Lake in the mid-afternoon as fishermen haul out their boats.

The temperature simmered in the mid-90s last Sunday, but it did not deter the sailors from a rendezvous at Rose Valley Lake. As the bass boats trailered out, sailboats took their spot. There seems to be a mutual agreement – sailors do not disturb the fishermen in their early morning forays, and fishermen clear out when the sun zeniths.

It was a near-perfect day, sunny with a light breeze. Although David Stone’s opinion of perfect sailing is in the fall, he’s at Rose Valley every other Sunday during spring and summer overseeing the sailboat races.

On this race day, three Sunfish competed against each other, racing around large, orange buoys. Stone won the race with second place going to Bud Thomas, and third to Greg Bressler.

Stone, 66, is commodore of the Rose Valley Racing Club and he has two sailboats: A Sunfish that he trailers to the lake on Sundays to race against other club members, and a 17-foot Hunter that he keeps in a slip at Lake Blanchard, Bald Eagle State Park. He gives lessons on both boats.

He’s been with the club for 20 years and said he prefers his Sunfish because it’s easy to rig and sail and there are more racing opportunities with it. Stone, who lives in Williamsport, began sailing more than 50 years ago, as a child growing up in Michigan. Still, he said, even as knowledgeable as he is, checking and rechecking the weather is imperative. Once he was caught in a violent thunderstorm on Rose Valley, similar to the one that swept through the valley two weeks ago. It was, he said, his most unpleasant experience on the lake.

Bob Fisher of Nippenose Valley owns a 1979 O’Day Daysailer. The 17-foot-long sailboat has a 24-foot mast that he rigs and raises in the south parking lot of Rose Valley Lake. When his wife, Bonnie, accompanies him to the lake, she brings along a folding chair and sits and reads. She does not sail, especially since Fisher’s first attempt at sailing the O’Day in April resulted in a knock down on Rose Valley Lake.

“I tried to sail the first time since attending U.S. Navy sailing school in Norfolk 10 years ago,” Fisher, 58, said. “There were gusty winds and I found I had not retained many sailing skills.”

A Penn State graduate, Fisher is a Navy reservist with 18 years experience. He is an instructor with the Center for Navy Leadership Mid-Atlantic Region, Washington D.C. He also provides contributory support to the Navy’s Office of Naval Research, judging the Naval Science Awards Program.

“After nearly tipping over – the water actually came over the side of the boat – I headed for the closest dock just to get on land again. That closest dock ended up being about three miles from where I had launched and I had to walk back,” he said. “Then and there I made up my mind I was not going to try to sail without formal sailing lessons, which I received from the Lake Glendale Sailing Club.”

Lake Glendale Sailing Club, in Prince Gallitzin State Park, near Altoona, offers an annual one-week sailing instruction day-camp in late June. The camp is for children ages 8 and up, and adults.

Fisher and his son, Bob Jr., both took lessons with his O’Day on Lake Glendale in June. He said the experience at camp has been his most pleasant, to date.

“We were trying out our newly acquired sailing skills and, with a stiff wind of 15 miles per hour (about 12 knots), we were able to sail all around the lake and even got back to the same dock we left from,” he said. “I learned that to sail safe and enjoyably you should have professional lessons.”

Three Sunfish sailboats race around large, orange buoys on Rose Valley Lake. David Stone won the race with second place going to Bud Thomas, and third to Greg Bressler.

Locally, sailing lessons are available through the Rose Valley Sailing Club. Stone, who has a U.S. Sailing Instructor’s Certificate, offers beginning and intermediate lessons for $15 per hour to Y.M.C.A. members, $20 for non-members.

Fisher, who works for the Department of Environmental Protection as an emergency response manager, joined both Rose Valley Sailing Club and Lake Glendale Sailing Club six months ago. He said he enjoys the clubs’ camaraderie and group activities.

“They have sailboat races, picnics and get-togethers that help to continue interest in the sport of sail boating. They also offer an opportunity to increase your skills just by being around others who know how to do it better than you do,” he said.

Also, joining a club and meeting others gives the members a chance to evaluate a variety of sailboats and equipment, he said.

The O’Day he purchased is very similar to the boats he used at the Navy sailing school, and was featured in a boating magazine he had read.

“They have been around from the early 1970s and have a good reputation,” he said. “It is large enough to feel comfortable in, yet small enough to trailer. It was reasonably priced. A good used O’Day Daysailer can be purchased for between $1,000 and $4,000.”

Although it’s difficult to sail in a region dominated by powerboats, mountains regions have great lakes, mainly because of the topography and valleys with dams, Fisher said.

“Many lakes have powerboat power restrictions on them, making them great for sailing. For example, Rose Valley Lake does not allow any power except electric, and of course sail. Glendale Lake has a 20-horsepower size restriction, which limits boat size and speed to a level that sailboats are not intimidated,” he said. “On the other hand, Bald Eagle State Park has unlimited horsepower, so the boats are large and go so fast as to be annoying and unsafe at times to sailboats; and that lake also allows personal watercraft, which can be particularly annoying.”

Information about the lakes mentioned is on the Internet at www.rosevalleyboatclub.com, www.lakeglendalesailingclub.org and www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks.

Van Wagner

Since he was a child, Van Wagner has been singing, strumming, rambling, and picking his way through the hills of Pennsylvania. With more than 100 original songs under his belt, and co-production of nine albums, Van has developed a unique style of musical expression. He has performed several times in Europe as well as all over the United States.

His style is a hybrid of influences from bluegrass to blues. His songs tell the story of growing up in rural America. Coal mining, iron milling, lumbering, religion, and farming all work their way into Wagner’s songs. His hometown of Danville Pennsylvania is often the focus of his songs. Danville’s people, places, and rich history continue to inspire Wagner to write about small town life.

Educational Programs by Van Wagner

Tall Timber
Hard Coal
Iron In Their Veins
What Once Was

Videos by Van Wagner

Music Videos
Pennsylvania History Videos

Songs by Van Wagner

Listen to Songs

Lyrics

A-M | N-Z

Essays and Short Stories

The Worst Water In The World
Not One More Teaspoon
Big Water Big Land (Montour County Fracking)
Hard Coal Navy. Coal Dredging on the Susquehanna
“Fire In The Hole” Black Powder Making in Danville
Expansion (Urban Sprawl Essay for Montour County)
Liberty Iron Furnace
What Once Was
My Time at R&R Coal
We Vote With Our Dollar
Getting Kids Hooked on History
Interview with Cy Kelly
The Jerseytown Coal Mine
The Story of The Montour Log Raft
My Time in the Idaho Timber
The Ore of Montour
Danville Charcoal Making
Buffalo in Pennsylvania by Watershed
Danville Brick-making

Merchandise

Albums and book

Projects (past and Present)

The Hard Coal Boysl
Sour Mash
Monogram Music
Van Wagner Trio
History Alive Boys
Chigliac Feedhorn

News clippings

Links

Photo Album