Nacogdoches Archeology Fair this weekend
By: Audrey Spencer
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News
The Nacogdoches Historic Sites Department is hosting Blast from the Past: Nacogdoches Archeology Fair this Saturday on Festival Plaza downtown from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in celebration of Texas Archeology Month.
The fair is free of charge. The SFA Archeology Club will host a simulated archeology dig, and Jeff Williams of the SFA forestry department will do a presentation on the El Camino Real de los Tejas. Other activities will include: pottery making, rock painting and flint knapping, the art of making projectile points from rock; demonstrations of blacksmithing, cooking pioneer food, and atlatl, prehistoric spear hunting; music courtesy of Sweet Song String Band from 9 am. to 1 a.m.; storytelling by the Texas Folklore Society from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and Civil War re-enactor encampments. The 9 Flags Building on North Pecan Street will also be open for people to view a real-life archeology excavation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We've been discussing and working on this for over a year," Brian Bray, Nacogdoches historic sites manager, said. "Archeology is a big part of who we are. We decided to try and share it with the public."
Archeology is a big part of Nacogdoches' history. There have been several digs at the Durst Taylor Historic House and the Sterne Hoya House Museum and Library and elsewhere in the city.
"Part of the history of homes is learned through archeology," Bray said. "(Archeology is) just one way to learn history of where you are and where you come from."
The fair's events are geared toward all ages and aim to bring history to life.
"It's a hands-on, real-world, fun experience for everyone. It's different from what you get from a history lecture," Bray said. "You can't hear clanging or smell the fire from a blacksmith's shop from a textbook. You can't hear string music or story telling from a book…. It's stepping out of the classroom so you're not hearing about history, you're seeing it."
SFA provided knowledge for the event that city coordinators did not have.
"The city and the University are working more and more together every day," Bray said. "We don't have all the expertise that the University (and staff) does, and even if they're not physically giving time, they're helping."
The fair is located within walking distance of Saturday's Homecoming Parade route.
"We hope the Homecoming Parade will bring people," Bray said. "As soon as it's over, people can just walk on down."
The fair is free of charge. The SFA Archeology Club will host a simulated archeology dig, and Jeff Williams of the SFA forestry department will do a presentation on the El Camino Real de los Tejas. Other activities will include: pottery making, rock painting and flint knapping, the art of making projectile points from rock; demonstrations of blacksmithing, cooking pioneer food, and atlatl, prehistoric spear hunting; music courtesy of Sweet Song String Band from 9 am. to 1 a.m.; storytelling by the Texas Folklore Society from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and Civil War re-enactor encampments. The 9 Flags Building on North Pecan Street will also be open for people to view a real-life archeology excavation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We've been discussing and working on this for over a year," Brian Bray, Nacogdoches historic sites manager, said. "Archeology is a big part of who we are. We decided to try and share it with the public."
Archeology is a big part of Nacogdoches' history. There have been several digs at the Durst Taylor Historic House and the Sterne Hoya House Museum and Library and elsewhere in the city.
"Part of the history of homes is learned through archeology," Bray said. "(Archeology is) just one way to learn history of where you are and where you come from."
The fair's events are geared toward all ages and aim to bring history to life.
"It's a hands-on, real-world, fun experience for everyone. It's different from what you get from a history lecture," Bray said. "You can't hear clanging or smell the fire from a blacksmith's shop from a textbook. You can't hear string music or story telling from a book…. It's stepping out of the classroom so you're not hearing about history, you're seeing it."
SFA provided knowledge for the event that city coordinators did not have.
"The city and the University are working more and more together every day," Bray said. "We don't have all the expertise that the University (and staff) does, and even if they're not physically giving time, they're helping."
The fair is located within walking distance of Saturday's Homecoming Parade route.
"We hope the Homecoming Parade will bring people," Bray said. "As soon as it's over, people can just walk on down."
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