Using the proper tools was part of the educational experience at the 2008 Archaeology Camp.

A week of rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of ten campers at Castlewood’s 2008 Archaeology Camp. Outdoor digs went on as planned, with campers huddling under tents while they hunted for treasure.
The camp is an annual event jointly put together by the Chesterfield Historical Society and the Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation, with staffers from Parks & Rec and the Henricus Foundation. Originally begun by a former director at the Chesterfield Historical Society, the camp has been coordinated by Brian Truzzie of Parks & Rec for two years.
According to Truzzie, this year’s camp was a “tremendous success.” He says, “All of the campers have had a great time, and they look forward to coming back each day.”
Campers learned a variety of skills and activities during the five-day camp. “We go over the basic skills of establishing dig sites; the campers have an opportunity to dig in a practice or test site. We go over maps and documentation, charts, and covering research, as well as proper use of equipment. We discuss different levels of soil samples and climate changes and give them some hands-on experience in proper techniques of measuring and documentation and establishing dig sites,” Truzzie says. This year’s camp also offered a new experience for the campers, as they visited the historic Battersea Plantation in Petersburg.
“We weren’t involved with the dig, but the plantation is currently involved in sampling and testing plots in the ground, so all of the skills the campers gained through the week let them better understand and observe an excavation in progress,” explains Truzzie.
At home at Castlewood, however, the campers were able to explore to their heart’s content, finding shards of pottery, brick fragments, cut nails dating back to the 1800s, and colored pieces of glass and bottles that staff had buried in the grounds behind the historic home.
Now that the camp has wrapped up for the year – concluding with the Battersea field trip on July 11 – Truzzie and the rest of the camp staff are planning for next year’s event. “I’m always looking to incorporate different aspects into the camp, and I’m sure we’ll be offering new activities next year,” Truzzie says. “We’ll probably look into putting together a field trip again for next year, too.”
One thing parents and kids alike are crossing their fingers for is the change from a half-day session to a full-day camp. Whether it will definitely happen or not, Truzzie can’t say, but he does admit, “It’s quite possible.”
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