News release

Register for the First Public Archaeology Day

Communities, Culture and Heritage (Jan. 2011 - Aug. 2021)

Four Nova Scotia Museum sites are giving people a chance to work with archaeologists as part of Public Archaeology Day on June 13.

The province's first Archaeology Day will involve co-ordinated excavations at Uniacke Estate Museum Park in Mount Uniacke, McCulloch House Museum in Pictou, Cossit House in Sydney and Highland Village in Iona, Victoria Co.

"Archaeology holds enormous potential for revealing evidence about people whose lives are not well illuminated by the historical record," said Jonathan Fowler, an archaeologist who will be conducting the excavation at Highland Village. "Working shoulder-to-shoulder with non-archaeologists, and getting a chance to show them the ropes, is always a lot of fun."

Archaeology Day is an opportunity to learn about excavation and recording features and artifacts. Museum staff anticipate the digs could lead to new discoveries that would enrich the story of each museum site.

"Public Archaeology Day is an exciting opportunity to showcase and celebrate history in a unique way, by providing everyone that physical connection to the past that only archaeology can do," said Darryl Kelman, an archaeologist that will be conducting the excavation at McCulloch House.

Registration for the excavation at Uniacke Estate Museum Park is full. The deadline to register for the events at McCulloch House, Highland Village and Cossit House is June 6. Rain dates for each site are listed on the website.

For more information and to register, go to http://museum.novascotia.ca/public-archaeology-day .