DHR

Friday Field Days with Poplar Forest Archaeology
2024-10-11 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-10-18 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-10-25 13:30 - 15:30 UTC | Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, 1776 Poplar Forest Pkwy, Lynchburg, VA
Join Poplar Forest’s Department of Archaeology and Landscapes every Friday at 1:30 PM through November 22 for an in-depth look into their current excavations and what they are learning about the people who lived in and around the 1857 Slave Dwelling. While the 1857 Slave Dwelling was built after Jefferson’s lifetime, it is historically important as it is the only original dwelling built for enslaved people still standing on the property. As part of the 1857 Slave Dwelling Restoration Project’s efforts to stabilize, research, and restore this structure with the community, we invite you to visit our archaeologists to see what they are finding and learning about the people who lived here.
Friday Field Days are included with regular admission which includes either a docent-guided or self-guided tour of Jefferson’s retreat home, access to exhibits in the lower level and wing of offices of the villa retreat, and outdoor exhibits throughout the property.

Archaeology Behind the Scenes Tours
2024-10-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-10-12 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-10-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, 1776 Poplar Forest Pkwy, Lynchburg, VA
An amateur archaeologist known to have studied Native American material culture, Thomas Jefferson would surely be fascinated by the more than 300,000 artifacts found on the Poplar Forest grounds since 1986. Join Poplar Forest’s archaeologists for a walking tour focused on the latest archaeological dig sites and discoveries on the plantation, including a rare up-close look at some of the artifacts in the Poplar Forest Archaeology Lab. Admission is $30; reservations are encouraged as spots on the tour are limited.

Arc-tober Fest
2024-10-12 10:00 - 14:00 | Sully Historic Site, 3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA, 22151, United States
Mark your calendars for a celebration of history, discovery and hands-on learning at this year’s Arc-tober Fest, held at the Sully Historic Site on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free, family-friendly event offers a unique opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of archaeology and learn about the incredible archaeological resources found throughout Fairfax County.
Arc-tober Fest visitors will engage in an array of interactive, hands-on activities guided by expert archaeologists. Here’s what you can expect:
Learn how to handle artifacts. Discover the do’s and don’ts when encountering historical objects in nature. Explore Fairfax County’s rich past and learn about the diverse history hidden beneath the soil in our local parks.
Meet the archaeologists who are digging into Northern Virginia’s past and hear their stories. See the latest archaeological tools and technology in action.
Learn about career opportunities in the field. Whether you’re a history buff, a student interested in archaeology or just someone curious about the past, this event is a great way to dig deep into the fascinating history of Fairfax County.

Monticello Archaeology Open House
2024-10-12 10:00 - 16:00 | Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
Join us as Monticello’s Archaeology Department hosts its annual open house, featuring displays, exhibits on recent discoveries in the field and the lab, engaging activities for all ages, and walking tours of the vanished Monticello Plantation landscape. Archaeology staff members will be on hand to answer questions. Displays and exhibits are found in the Visitors’ Center courtyard outside of the Café.
Visitors can also take a ticketed walking tour with one of our archaeologists. This year’s tour will visit Site 30, an archaeological dig that is revealing important information about enslaved agricultural laborers at Monticello as well as the precolonial activities of Indigenous communities on this landscape.
Displays and activities in the visitor center courtyard and galleries are free to anyone in attendance. To join a walking tour and explore the mountaintop, ticket purchase is required. Visit our Archaeology Walk and House Tours page for more information: https://bit.ly/3OLggn4. Tours leave from the Bronze Plantation Model in the Visitors Center at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.

Lab Nights at the CAPE
2024-10-15 18:00 - 21:00 | The CAPE, 6783 Main St., Gloucester, VA, 23061
Want to learn what an archaeologist does when they’re not digging? Feel free to join us to clean and process our current excavations’ artifacts!

Behind the Scenes Tour -- Archaeology at Germanna
2024-10-18 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Historic Germanna, 2062 Germanna Highway, Locust Grove, VA, 22508
Join Archaeology Staff for a personalized tour of the active Germanna Sites (the Enchanted Castle, Gordon Farm, and Courthouse Sites). Chance to see the sites, get updates, and ask questions of the archaeologists.
Schedule your tour at https://germanna.org/

Slip Into the Past
2024-10-19 11:00 - 15:00 | Alexandria Archaeology, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314
Experiment with 19th-century pottery slip designs, like marbling and dendritic patterns, and apply your own temporary tattoo in the style of transfer printed ceramic. While supplies last. This event coincides with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Art Safari event happening throughout the building.

"The Lands Whereon I Now Live:" A Summary of the Findings from the Archaeological Data Recovery at Barnesfield Plantation
2024-10-22 12:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Archaeologists Lauren Gryctko and Kaitlin LaGrasta will virtually present on the complex archaeological investigations which were conducted as part of the Johnson, Mirmiran, and Thompson/Parsons Brinkerhoff Joint Venture (JMT/PB JV) project in advance of the construction of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge Replacement Project. The presentation will focus on the archaeological data recovery at Barnesfield Plantation (Archaeological Site 44KG0171) in Dahlgren, King George County, Virginia. Site 44KG0171 is comprised of a Woodland shell midden and an eighteenth to nineteenth century plantation house and associated outbuildings. The archaeological data recovery explored the following themes: Architecture, Socio-Political Status, Subsistence, Civil War, and Woodland Shell Midden. As over 60,000 artifacts were recovered and analyzed for this project, this presentation will highlight objects that yield important information about 44KG0171, including pre-contact pottery, lithics, historic ceramics, personal items, military objects, archaeobotanical remains, and faunal remains. Overall, this presentation will analyze pre-contact and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century lifeways apparent at archaeological site 44KG0171 to interpret the site within the general pre-contact and historic context of the region.

King William Dig Day
2024-10-24 10:00 - 16:00 | King William Courthouse, 227 Horse Landing Road, King William, VA, 23086, United States
The public is welcome to join us in our excavations at the historic King William Courthouse, where we uncover the remains of a tavern. These excavations occur every second and fourth Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Evening With Germanna Virtual Lecture Series
2024-10-24 19:00 - 21:00 | VA
Join us for an update on Germanna Archaeology’s dig season. Learn about the most recent finds and what they tell us about the “Enchanted Castle,” the first Spotsylvania County Courthouse, and Germanna’s 19th century inhabitants. This program is held virtually via Zoom and is a pay-what-you-can event.
Learn more by visiting https://germanna.org/

Unveiled from Muddy Waters: Maritime Archeology in the Lower James, Appomattox, and York Rivers
2024-10-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Appomattox Regional Library, 209 E Cawson, Hopewell, VA, 23860, United States
From the Battle of Yorktown to the Siege of Petersburg and the building of modern Richmond maritime networks have continuously defined the region. Join State Underwater Archaeologist Brendan Burke, of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, to learn about recent projects exploring and documenting submerged cultural heritage in Central Virginia.

Archaeology Day
2025-10-04 09:00 - 16:00 | Jamestown Rediscovery, 1368 Colonial Pkwy, Jamestown, VA, 23081, United States
Every October, Jamestown Rediscovery celebrates Virginia Archaeology Month alongside the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and historic sites across the Commonwealth. Join us this year to explore how archaeology changed the story of Jamestown, watch ongoing excavations at the site of a 17th-century cellar, and see artifacts brought to life through living history demonstrations and walking tours.
Archaeology Day programming is generously sponsored by The Edward Maria Wingfield Endowment Fund, established by The Wingfield Family Society to honor Wingfield as soldier, investor and first president of Jamestown.

Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes Tours
2025-10-10 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-11 11:00 - 16:00 | Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, 1776 Poplar Forest Pkwy, Lynchburg, VA
An amateur archaeologist known to have studied Native American material culture, Thomas Jefferson would surely be fascinated by the more than 400,000 artifacts found on the Poplar Forest grounds since 1986. Join Poplar Forest’s archaeologists for a walking tour focused on the latest archaeological dig sites and discoveries on the plantation, including a rare up-close look at some of the artifacts in the Poplar Forest Archaeology Lab.
Tickets for the Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes Tours are $30 in advance and $35 day-of. Admission also includes docent-guided or self-guided tours of Jefferson’s retreat home, self-guided exploration of exhibits in the lower level of the house, the Wing of Offices, the ornamental grounds and the Quarter Site. Reservations are highly recommended as space is limited.
Tours at 11 and 2 PM on both Friday, October 10th and Saturday, October 11th. Price includes retreat house tour and self-guided exploration of grounds.

“Using Archaeology to Reveal the Intellectual Contributions of the Enslaved: Archaeology at Montpelier”
2025-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 | University of Richmond – Jepson Hall 118, 221 Richmond Way, Richmond, VA, 23173, United States
Lecture by Matthew Reeves (Director of Archaeology and Landscape Restoration, Montpelier), co-sponsored by the Richmond Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and the University of Richmond Department of Classical Studies. Celebration of Virginia Archaeology Month and International Archaeology Day.

Homeschool Dig Day
2025-10-17 10:00 - 14:00 | Fairfield Archaeology Park, 5777 Fairfield Lane, Gloucester, VA, 23072, United States
We will have our final Homeschool Dig Day in 2025 at Fairfield Archaeology Park! This will occur during one of our Fairfield Fridays and during Virginia’s Archaeology Month! We will conduct our regular archaeological activities and demonstrate the applications of drones in archaeology.

William & Mary Archaeology Open Labs
2025-10-17 11:00 - 14:00 | Washington Hall, 241 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
Come celebrate Virginia Archaeology Month by learning about William and Mary’s archaeological research!
Whether you took an archaeology class while you were at W&M or have just always wanted to meet a real-life archaeologist, you’re invited to tour some of the archaeology labs and chat about what we’re working on.
Open to alums, students, and anyone interested.
Friday, October 17:
Chesapeake Archaeology Lab, Washington Hall 104, Martin Gallivan, Director
11:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-2:00pm;
Oceania Archaeology Lab, McGlothlin Street Hall 307, Jenny Kahn, Director
11:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-2:00pm
William & Mary Anthropology Collections, Ewell Hall 207, Kim Connor, Director
1:00-2:00pm (*Meet in Washington 1st floor hallway at 1pm, near room 101)

Public Dig Day at Timberneck
2025-10-18 11:00 - 14:00 | Timberneck House, Machicomoco State Park, 3601 Timberneck Farm Road, Gloucester, VA, 23072, United States
October is Virginia Archaeology Month, and October 18th is International Archaeology Day (IAD)! We’re celebrating by having a public dig next to the Timberneck House in Machicomoco State Park. The excavation will be by the kitchen that was added to the house in the 20th century. Machicomoco State Park will join us between 10am-11am. To contact them about their Junior Ranger Dig, phone (804-642-2419) or email (machicomoco@dcr.virginia.gov)

Mountain Valley Archaeology Open House
2025-10-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Mountain Valley Archaeology, 755 South Main Street, Mount Crawford, VA, 22841, United States
In honor of the Archeological Society of Virginia’s 85th Anniversary, Mountain Valley Archaeology is hosting an open house on Saturday, October 25 from 1-4 p.m. Join us to learn about the archaeology of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge through displays, hands-on artifact identification, lab work, and more!
