INDIANA – In 2019, State Archaeologist Amy Johnson proposed a new Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) public archaeology initiative which would highlight an archaeological site from each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
The collaborative project involves DHPA archaeologists and various archaeology colleagues writing features for a general audience. Archaeologists have chosen their site(s) to highlight based upon past fieldwork they have conducted, research interest in a particular site (precontact or historical), or for a variety of other reasons. Just in time for September’s Indiana Archaeology Month, the DHPA is pleased to announce the online launch of this project.
Highlighting Hoosier Archaeological Sites: Examples from 92 Counties is a StoryMap through ArcGIS on the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology webpage, and viewers are able to click on a region of the state, and then county, and read about the featured sites.
Currently, 39 sites are available, and in the future, additional sites and case studies per county will be added; so, check back now and again to look for newly added sites. In the StoryMap documents, archaeologists have tried to minimize the technical details and summarize the facts into a simple format, integrating photographs, diagrams, and maps where possible to better educate and inform the public about the practice and significance of archaeology around Indiana.
Amy Johnson is the Editor of the submissions, with Co-Editors Rachel Sharkey, Research Archaeologist, and Division Director Beth McCord. Director McCord has placed the submissions into the StoryMap format. Officials say the public will enjoy reading about these important places in Indiana’s counties.
