You don’t need to travel all over the world to do archaeology – there is archaeology right under our feet! The UA Little Rock Garden Site Archaeological Project takes place right here on campus and aims to understand the history of land on which our campus is situated. We would love for you to come join us and contribute to understanding the place where we study, live, and work.
Work on this project began during the Fall 2023 semester, when students who enrolled in Archaeological Investigation were able to locate the foundation of the mid-20th century Safeway Ice cream plant and recovered more than 400 associated historical artifacts.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, we investigated other use areas through shovel and auger testing, excavation, and associated archival research. We invited the entire campus community to participate with our fieldwork and lab work. Student, faculty, staff, and community members joined us to learn how archaeology is done and to literally touch the history of our campus and of Little Rock. If you would like to see what we have uncovered at the site, we have an exhibition on the first floor of Ottenheimer Library.
While there are not currently ongoing volunteer opportunities, we expect there to be in the future. If you are interested in participating, you can indicate your interest through this form and we will add you to the mailing list. If you are a student, you can enroll in ANTH 48704: Archaeological Investigation, a class that regularly works at the site. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Project Director, Dr. Maureece Levin, at [email protected].
This project was supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education at UA Little Rock.