(Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home media release):
Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home will welcome back Pat Garrow to conduct a new archaeological study on the museum campus October 18th-23rd.
Mr. Garrow has had a 53-year career in archaeology, of which 40 years have been spent in cultural resource management. He has extensive experience in ethnohistory, historical archaeology, prehistoric archaeology, urban archaeology, historic cemetery studies, and cultural resource studies. He has directed projects over much of the continental United States and the U.S. Caribbean. He has served as Principal Investigator, Project Manager, or Senior Technical Advisor on hundreds of projects, and has published nine books or monographs and over 50 articles. His experience has included preparation of scopes of work, research designs, work plans. He has authored or co-authored hundreds of contract reports.
Garrow served as the lead archaeologist who performed the original archaeological digs at Chieftains in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the help of local students and volunteers. His work at the museum unearthed some of the most valuable pieces in the current collection and provides a touchstone to the past for our area. Mr. Garrow retired in 2016 and has since been working on two books and several articles.
In 2019, Mr. Garrow returned to Chieftains and unearthed part of what could be one of the outdoor kitchens used by the Ridge family in the 19th century. Items found during that site exploration include a door hinge and several ceramic sherds dating from the occupancy of the Ridge family as well as two prehistoric projectile points.
Visitors to the museum will be able to see the archaeological dig in progress from 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm Wednesday-Saturday at the museum. Admission prices for the dig and museum that week will be $10 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62+, and $4 for students K-College. Museum members can volunteer to participate in the dig that week and may sign up for shifts by contacting the museum. All volunteers helping with the dig are required to wear masks during their volunteer shift.
For more information about this event, or to become a member of Chieftains Museum, visit www.chieftainsmuseum.org or call (706) 291-9494.