Ramsey County History – Spring 2020: “Public Archaeology: Unearthing the Past in Ramsey County and Beyond”

Public Archaeology: Unearthing the Past in Ramsey County and Beyond
Author: Jeremy L. Nienow

Over the past few years, archaeologists and cultural resource management consultants like Jeremy Nienow occasionally open their doors to amateur help. This effort, known as public archaeology, allows those interested in culture and science to learn and work next to professional archaeologists on select projects in their communities. In this article, Nienow writes about the Metro Area Historical Society Collaborative or MAHSC—a multi-year effort undertaken by several county historical societies to learn more about the recent and ancient past and the archaeological collections and sites they steward. The latest work took place last fall in Ramsey County at two sites—Gibbs Farm and the Fish Creek Park Preserve. At both locations, archaeology enthusiasts, including a number of youth, assisted Nienow and his team in conducting multiple shovel tests in search of historical clues.
PDF of J. Nienow article