International Archaeology Day Celebration (October 21st, 10am-3pm)
In honor of International Archaeology Day, Heritage West will host a special Saturday excavation day at the Community Education Center at 3500 Lancaster! Join us on Saturday, October 21st from 10am-3pm to participate in an archaeological excavation right here in West Philadelphia. There are many ways to get involved and learn about the seven homes that once stood at this location and were part of the vibrant Black Bottom neighborhood.
You're invited to:
Dig using a trowel or shovel to excavate in one of the units or sift soil to recover artifacts.
Watch archaeology in action, see some of the recovered artifacts, and learn about the history of the people who lived near Lancaster Avenue from the 1850s to the 1960s.
Or you can:
Share your stories of the Black Bottom neighborhood and Lancaster Avenue.
Join in kids activities like cookie excavations and flower pot puzzles.
For those interested in digging, all training and equipment will be provided. Please dress in clothes that you can move in and that you will not mind getting dirty. Rain date for the excavation is Saturday, November 4th.
In addition, Philadelphia poet Yolanda Wisher and architect and artist Nina Cooke John have teamed up to create a new public artwork at uCity Square, once a part of the Black Bottom. They will be hosting a clay tile-making workshop at the CEC from 11-1pm on International Archaeology Day! During the workshop, participants are invited to bring family artifacts to emboss into wet clay. (Your artifacts will go back with you). The pressings of your artifacts and others recovered from the archaeological dig will become part of the final artwork - remembering your stories of the Black Bottom.
Finally, all volunteers are also invited to visit the Penn Museum for free on International Archaeology Day! Hope to see you there and please don’t hesitate to reach out at heritagewestphl@gmail.com if you would like more information!
