Anthropology students present research findings at Archaeology conference

Over the weekend of November 5-6, 2022, a group of anthropology majors traveled to Plymouth, MA to attend the annual conference of the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology. The students made the trip to present their findings from the research they conducted over the summer as members of the Dunkerhook Archaeological Survey project team.

These students included junior Farrah Fornarotto, senior David Villa, and recent graduate Will Williams. Their papers, along with others by Prof Chris Matthews and Sasha Thompson (a student at Hunter College) focused on various aspects of the story of the historic African American Dunkerhook community who lived in Paramus, NJ during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Dr. Matthews has been a project co-coordinator of the Dunkerhook project since 2019. This project led an archaeological field school in Summer 2021 and a lab-based research experience in Summer 2022, MSU students formed the core of the research teams during both summer research initiatives.

The Dunkerhook community was founded by formerly enslaved individuals in the 1830s. The community grew to be a place where African American people and culture thrived for decades. The Dunkerhook Archaeological Survey aims to collect and interpret the history of this community through research in local archives as well as excavations. To this end, the students presented papers on historic maps and censuses, historic fruit jars used for home canning, and household ceramics reflecting unique cultural expressions.

The research reports prepared by the students will be compiled into a detailed technical report documenting the various threads of research undertaken to bring the story of the Dunkerhook community to light.