MS-4054
March 5-9, 2012
Must commit to full session
"WWII Swastika," an historic, in-ground features approximately 12 meters in diameter, lies on a high wooded hill in the older area of Camp Shelby. The feature was dug by the German P.O.W.s held there during World War II. The actually origin of the swastika comes from ancient Sanskrit, which means good luck, and the symbol has been used by many cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. However, it had a different meaning to the soldiers held here. Years later, the war ended and these men returned to their homes, the symbol became an object of curiosity; people climbed the hill to view the site. Despite what feelings the local population and the returning American soldiers may have had, the feature was left intact, and remains intact to this day.
In fact, even the trail created by foot traffic to the feature over the years was well maintained until Hurricane Katrina hit the area in August 2005. Trees have fallen on the main trail, allowing many random and damaging trails to be created. During the storm, one of the 55-year-old trees on the edge of the feature also fell, damaging one of the sides of the symbol. The hill is on land maintained by the Forest Service, but Camp Shelby owns the land all around the hill. Therefore, in a joint effort with Camp Shelby, PIT volunteers and Forest staff will clear and maintain the main trail and the area around the symbol. This will require segmenting and removing downed trees, trimming limbs, and re-creating the main, single trail. If the trail and feature area are cleared, and if time allows, we may also create and install interpretative signage for the feature on top of the hill. This is an interesting feature and an interesting area, particularly for volunteers who are WWII "buffs;" we hope you'll join us this spring!
Number of openings: 5
Special skills: Must be physically capable of sustained trail work (sawing and cutting) and hiking over a rough, temporary trail every day in fluctuating temperatures; be able to laugh and have fun. Forest Service-specific chainsaw experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Developed RV, tent, and cabin camping available at Paul B. Johnson State Park (10 miles from site); RV hook-ups, water, bath house; fees will apply; no facilities on site; Hattiesburg is a full-service community with hotels/motels, restaurants, and full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging/personal camping equipment, food, water during work hours, and transportation
Nearest towns: Hattiesburg, 10 miles
Applications due: Ongoing until filled
MS-4055
March 19-23; 26-30, 2012
Must commit to one entire session; may participate in both
The "Chris' Ridge" site (Site 22Gn801) was excavated last fall with the help of over forty volunteers and four large school groups. The recovered artifact assemblage includes 4,978 stone flakes, 42 projectile points, 34 bifacial and 20 unifacial objects, eight flake cores, and 368 potsherds. The artifacts have yielded dates ranging from 1,100 to 8,000 years old. All of the collection will need to be cleaned, processed, analyzed, and prepared for curation, and we need your help! During this lab, PIT volunteers will learn how to examine prehistoric artifacts in great detail, and how to glean important and pertinent information about the various occupants of the site. Volunteers will use a regionally recognized laboratory manual, created specifically for the prehistoric cultures of southern Mississippi, to analyze and interpret the finds.
Number of openings: 10
Special skills: Must be physically capable of sitting and studying minute artifactual details for extended periods; volunteers must be able to laugh, have fun, and listen to bad jokes; previous lab experience on the De Soto NF is helpful and desired, but is not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Developed RV, tent, and cabin camping at Paul B. Johnson State Park; RV hook-ups, water, bath house; fees will apply; Wiggins and Hattiesburg are full-service communities with hotels/motels, restaurants, and full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging/personal camping equipment, food, and transportation
Nearest towns: Project located in Brooklyn; Wiggins, 20 miles; Hattiesburg, 20 miles
Applications due: February 6, 2012
MS-4057
April 17-25, 2012 (including weekends)
Must commit to entire session
Join us on the De Soto National Forest for a return to the deep sands and wooded ridges around the Beaver Creek springhead! This will be our third season in this unique and beautiful area. This year, however, instead of working on the big sites near the mouth of the spring, we'll move to two small ridges overlooking the spring itself. On these ridges, we'll be testing two Woodland Period (ca. 500 B.C. - A.D. 900) sites: "Palmetto Knoll" and "Cactus Spring." "Palmetto Knoll," the larger of the two, sits right above the ever-flowing springhead. "Cactus Spring" is just to the east. Both sites are somehow linked to "Pen Oak Grove," the site we have excavated during the last two years&' PIT projects. This season, we will excavate the "new" sites for objects and features that may help determine the precise relationship among the sites in this area. Specifically, we'll study the sites for traces of in-ground cooking ovens and fire spots, and we'll examine recovered assemblages for ceramics and other diagnostic artifacts whose attributes may be similar to those found at "Pen Oak Grove." Our work at the two sites will also be the first of several steps in defining them for placement on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Due to the area's isolation, the way to the site involves walking a long distance along a temporary trail through the woods, and supplies and equipment will have to be packed in, but it will all be worth it! If you're able to laugh, have fun, and listen to bad jokes by the archaeologist each day, then this project is for you - we hope to see you this spring for another very unique excavation opportunity!
Number of openings: 25
Special skills: Volunteers must be physically capable of hiking one mile over a rough, temporary trail every day in fluctuating temperatures, and must be physically capable of kneeling and sitting for extended periods each day; previous archaeological excavation experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Developed RV, tent, and cabin camping/lodging available at Paul B. Johnson State Park; RV hook-ups, water, bath house; fees will apply; very crude facilities at excavation site; Wiggins and Hattiesburg are full-service communities with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging/personal camping equipment, food, water during work hours, and transportation
Nearest towns: Brooklyn, 7 miles; Wiggins, 11 miles; Hattiesburg, 30 miles
Applications due: February 20, 2012