Archaeology program at Garfield Farm needs volunteers
Garfield Farm Museum in Campton Hills is looking for volunteers to help with archaeological research this July. The hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, July 19-23 and 26-30.
Under the direction of James R. Yingst, director and chief archaeologist of Chicago-based Heartland Archaeology Research Program, and a research associate in archaeology at Garfield Farm Museum, work is focused on understanding the lives of the 1830s/1840s settling farmers in Northern Illinois.
Registration is currently open. Individuals enrolling for a minimum of 40 hours receive a complete orientation, structured training involving rotation through the activities of shovel excavation, screening of excavated soil for artifact recovery, and washing of recovered artifacts.
Participants who successfully complete 40 or more hours will receive certificates documenting hours of training and supervised experience in historical archaeology.
Volunteers who cannot commit to 40 hours are also welcome and will receive informal orientations and participate in tasks needed during their hours of participation.
The GFM Archaeology Program accepts adult volunteers and volunteers ages 14 to 17, with written parental permission.
Volunteers younger than age 14 must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult at all times. Garfield does not recommend participants younger than 8 years of age.
The Culbertson log house/Garfield log tavern stood in the fork of the Chicago/St. Charles Road that branched northwest to Sycamore and southwest to Oregon, Illinois.
Culbertson originally claimed 440 acres of land that he improved with a log house, a dug well, and 30 acres under cultivation by mid-1841 when he sold the claim to Timothy Garfield for $650.
The Garfields immediately saw a lucrative opportunity in establishing an inn to capture the business of the numerous farmers hauling wheat past their house to Chicago's port.
To register as a participant, visit the excavation site, or financially contribute to the effort, call the museum at (630) 584-8485, email to info@garfieldfarm.org or write to P.O. Box 403, La Fox, IL 60147.
For more information, visit garfieldfarm.org or www.facebook.com/GarfieldFarmMuseum.