Annual Report for 2020
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Arkansas Archeological Survey Annual Report 2019–2020 Arkansas Archeological Survey Annual Report for 2019–2020 A Division of the University of Arkansas System Arkansas Archeological Survey Annual Report for fiscal year 2019–2020 A Division of the University of Arkansas System Arkansas Archeological Survey Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................1 Highlights for the Year ...............................................................................................................2 Reports of the Survey Research Stations University of Arkansas Fayetteville ...................................................................................... 18 University of Arkansas at Fort Smith ................................................................................... 24 University of Arkansas at Monticello .................................................................................. 28 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ..................................................................................... 32 Winthrop Rockefeller Institute ............................................................................................. 38 Arkansas State University....................................................................................................... 44 Henderson State University................................................................................................... 52 Southern Arkansas University............................................................................................... 58 Parkin Archeological State Park ............................................................................................ 64 Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park ............................................................................ 68 Reports of the Coordinating Office, Fayetteville The Survey Director ................................................................................................................ 74 The State Archeologist ............................................................................................................ 78 The Survey Registrar ............................................................................................................... 82 Educational Outreach ............................................................................................................. 86 Sponsored Research Program ............................................................................................... 92 Computer Services and Archaeogeophysical Applications ............................................ 96 Publications Program ............................................................................................................106 Photographic and Graphic Arts ..........................................................................................110 Partners in Preservation .......................................................................................................114 Fiscal & Administrative ........................................................................................................120 How to Contact the Arkansas Archeological Survey .....................................................121 Appendix 1. Reports & Publications by ARAS Staff, 2019–2020 ...............................122 Appendix 2. Presented Papers, Symposia & Workshops, 2019–2020 ........................125 The 2019–2020 Annual Report was compiled and edited, including layout, design, and cover by Deborah Sabo. All photos by ARAS staff unless noted otherwise. No state funds were used to print this document. ii 1 Arkansas Archeological Survey University of Arkansas System Arkansas Archeological Survey Introduction he Arkansas Archeological Survey (ARAS) is a unit of the University of Arkansas System. TOur mission is to study archeological sites in Arkansas, to preserve and manage archeological information and collections, and to communicate what we learn to the people of Arkansas. Coopera- tive agreements with seven state university campuses, two state parks, and the UA System’s Winthrop Rockefeller Institute enable scholars at research stations around the state to carry out this mission. The Survey has been a model for statewide archeological programs in the United States and around the world. Our coordinating office (CO) is located in Fayetteville. The Director, the State Archeologist, the ARAS registrar, the fiscal office, publications staff, and outreach programs operate from the CO. Through our websites and publication series we seek to keep educators, colleagues, and the public informed of new findings. Our registrar maintains a central archive of all archeological site records in the state. The coordinating office building also contains the University of Arkansas Museum -Col lections Facility. The Survey acts as a repository for archeological collections originating from state and federally funded projects in Arkansas, our own research, private consulting firms, and dona- tions. Also at the CO our sponsored research program (SRP) and computer services program (CSP) support themselves in part through grants, contracts, and cost-share agreements with local, state, and federal agencies. The CSP offers an archaeogeophysical program with the latest technologies for nondestructive detection of subsurface features at archeological sites. Professional archeologists at our research stations teach college courses in anthropology and assist their university museums, or develop materials for public interpretation at the state parks, in addition to conducting basic research in their areas. Survey archeologists help to increase our knowledge of the past and its relationship to the present by working closely with local, state, and federal govern- ment agencies, American Indian tribes, college students, school teachers and K-12 students, tourists, fellow scholars, land owners and managers, amateur archeologists, and all Arkansas residents inter- ested in archeology, prehistory, and the early history of the state. At the Survey, science and service go hand-in-hand. George Sabo III, PhD Director ii 1 Arkansas Archeological Survey Annual Report 2019–2020 Highlights for the Year Scientific Achievements & Archeological Mission 2019–2020 • Survey staff authored or coauthored53 print or digital publications and reports, and presented 32 papers or post- ers at meetings and conferences in 2019–2020. • The Survey’sAMASDA database (Automated Management of Archeological Site Data in Arkansas) is one of the oldest and best computerized site file systems in the country. Our computer services program and registrar’s office personnel are constantly working to expand and upgrade the AMASDA system to add new functionality. The system is now available online (password protected) for qualified researchers. Contractors may subscribe per project or for an annual fee. • 412 new archeological sites were recorded, bringing the total number of sites in Arkansas site files to50,162 . • 172 new archeological projects were entered into the database, bringing the projects total to 7,540. Archeological sites recorded into our AMASDA database passed the 50,000 mark this year. Here, Sarah Shepard (ARAS Assistant Registrar) offically puts the stamp onto the site form, with ARAS Director George Sabo looking on. • The Survey registrar facilitated 1,500 requests for informa- tion from the Arkansas site files by students, researchers, and project managers. This included 20 graduate student and aca- demic research projects. We assisted local, state, and federal entities, four American Indian Tribes, and 39 private firms conducting projects in Arkansas. • We conducted projects supported with new funds generated by grants and cost-share agreements totaling $145,668. 2 3 Arkansas Archeological Survey Annual Report 2019–2020 • Despite curtailment of in-person opportunites in March and cancellation of the annual June Training Program due to Covid-19, volunteer participation in our projects totaled 1,384 hours, showing a high level of continued interest in archeology. • Digital Data Collection Initiative. A DDCI working group within ARAS, led by Carl Drexler (ARAS-SAU), devel- oped an action plan to transition us from paper records filled out by hand to use of a digital platform for creating all of the records collected during fieldwork and uploading those records from the field to our servers. This involved making digital versions of the many forms we use (excavation unit level records, feature forms, profile forms, Field Serial Number log sheets, photo record sheets, special sample forms, etc.), selecting associated hardware platforms (weatherized tablets for use in the field), and developing software for uploading the data. Other members of the group were Elizabeth Horton (ARAS-Toltec), the late Jamie Brandon (ARAS-UAF), Emily Beahm (ARAS-WRI), John Samuelsen (ARAS-CSP), and Teka McGlothlin (ARAS-CO). • Our publications program continues to develop with two new Popular Series volumes (No. 6 and No. 7) pub- lished in 2019–2020, and another in production. We have additional submissions to Research Series and Popular Series under review. • Thanks to cooperative effort with the University of Arkansas’s CashNet team, our program now has an online eCommerce storefront, linked from our main website, where individual customers can order books. Online sales were shut down for several months during the pandemic. Ouachita