When my hometown’s historic bricked main street was unearthed to perform archaeology in preparation for repair, the community was understandably concerned about the implied delays.
I wrote this article about “Beneath the Bricks,” an ad-hoc committee that sought to educate the community about the project’s importance despite the many logistical inconveniences it caused to the public’s daily routines. They held public informational events and used the web and local media to share information about the excavation.
It’s a great case study in how heritage professionals and enthusiasts can be proactive in engaging communities before, during and after heritage projects to foster support for activities that may be inconvenient for a time.
This was featured in Past Horizons: The Journal of Volunteer Archaeology, published out of Scotland. The article begins on page 30.
The complete May 2009 issue is also preserved below in its earlier Scribd copy.
View the complete May 2009 issue of Past Horizons on Scribd.
Supporting Documents & Sources
View the recovered article, complete issue & surviving video
- Recovered “Beneath the Bricks” article — Past Horizons, Issue 8, May 2009, pages 30–32.
- Complete May 2009 issue of Past Horizons.
- The surviving YouTube video embedded above documents the public-facing archaeology work around the project.
Archive Note / Provenance
View what was recovered & what this public-archaeology case still shows
The original May 2009 issue of Past Horizons has been recovered from the archive, and the three-page article is preserved here as a direct PDF. The page also retains the complete issue and surviving video evidence.
Recovered project files and correspondence clarify my role in the public interpretation work. In April 2008, anthropologist Julie Ernstein asked me to design three public-archaeology panels for the Front Street meeting; the surviving Drive archive includes the panel artwork, source images, stills, audio, and a finished 52 MB video. I also helped turn the project outward through the Natchitoches Preservation Network, planned the video interview around what was being found and how residents could participate, and later wrote the Past Horizons essay. In 2009, Northwestern State’s Heritage Resources program recognized this and related work with its “Promoter of Heritage Resources” award.
The project still illustrates a durable public-archaeology problem: excavation and preservation work can be culturally valuable while also disrupting the people who live and work around it. “Beneath the Bricks” treated communication as part of the archaeological process rather than publicity after the fact.
Critical Questions + Add to the Record
- Who gets to speak, and whose knowledge is heard?
- How do we make knowledge more accessible without losing its meaning?
- What should technology strengthen in us—and what should it never replace?
Application here: the strongest lesson is that public understanding is not an afterthought to fieldwork. When heritage work affects daily life, interpretation, listening, and visible communication become part of responsible practice.
Were you involved with Beneath the Bricks, the excavation, downtown businesses, or the public events? Add photographs, firsthand memories, corrections, or surviving documentation.
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