Park Explorers’ Outpost (Teens & Adults) – The Wade Site: An Archaeological Discovery

The Wade Site is a Native American archaeological excavation site located at Staunton River Battlefield State Park. Join a park ranger on Saturday, October 27th to hear the stories of these inhabitants and view artifacts that they left behind. The ranger will have a presentation about the Native Americans that lived in the park and an activity available to children 13 and under from 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm and for ages 13+ from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

The Wade Site has been excavated by Longwood University Students since 1998. The Longwood Archaeological Field School visits the park annually to dig. Students in this particular program have the opportunity to learn excavation techniques in the field and put their classroom knowledge to use. The students spend three weeks at the park unearthing items and putting more pieces of the puzzle together about the life history of these Native American inhabitants.

Various artifacts have been found over the years including arrowheads, shells, pottery, and fishhooks, just to name a few. So what does this mean? What can these clues left behind tell us?