Interested in the 2024 Archaeological Field School at James Madison’s Montpelier? You have come to the right place!

The 2024 Field School will be held from May 27th through June 28th, with two virtual sessions on May 22nd and 23rd.

If you are interested in learning more about the field school and attending the information meeting, please complete the following brief Interest Form to provide with a little information about yourself and will give you the link to register for the meeting and join our e-mail list. After you fill out the form, we will send you information on applying to the field school.

We will be holding an informational meeting about the 2024 Field School on January 24, 2024 at 12:00 PM EST. (Register Below)

The Montpelier Archaeology Department has hosted field school since 1987. Over the past thirty-seven years, the program has grown to include students from a variety of universities, spanning the US and abroad.

The field school is a five-week intensive course designed to give students training in field and laboratory techniques. Students will be introduced to excavation and survey methods, cutting edge archaeological recordation and digital data collection techniques (using ESRI's Field Maps, digital mapping, and mobile photogrammetry), artifact processing and basic curation practices. Students will also be introduced to the principals of Public Archaeology, and will be expected to engage with visitors to the site, members of the descendant community, and online Students will also be expected to engage in discussions around contemporary museum practice with a focus on community based work and restorative justice.

The 2024 excavation season will focus on the Archaeology of Memorialization (as discussed in our last newsletter), where we will work to define the boundaries of the Montpelier Burial Ground of the Enslaved and build our understanding of how the ancestors of Montpelier’s descendant community memorialized their loved ones in this space. We are working closely with the Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) in all aspects of these surveys and excavations. The continued archaeological surveys and excavations at the Montpelier Burial Ground of the Enslaved will help The Montpelier Foundation and the MDC build a memorial to honor the legacy of their ancestors.

The archaeological work that students will be involved in is aimed at serving the larger goals of memorialization. The archaeology of memorialization aims to due the following:

1. Understand the extent of the burial ground and location of burials in order to protect those burials and prevent any disturbance of human remains during the landscape restoration process.
2. Explore evidence for how the enslaved and their descendants commemorated and honored that space.
2. Restore the landscape of the burial ground, and honor those buried there.

This field school and the excavations associated with memorialization is about understanding the landscape, and will NOT include the excavation of burials or human remains. Protection of human remains is central to this project and the interests of the MDC.

The Montpelier Archaeology Field School is accredited through James Madison University and SUNY Plattsburgh. However, we also offer a non-credit option. Undergraduate, graduate, and new professionals are welcome to apply to the field school!

The base cost for the field school in 2024 is $800. Students not taking it for credit, will owe an additional $200 fee.

Accepted students will need to pay an additional $100 deposit (or the full fee) in order to secure their spot. This fee will be refunded to scholarship recipients.

The total cost for non-credit students is $1,100.00 USD.

The Montpelier Foundation offers scholarships for African American students attending the Field School. For more details, please e-mail dig@montpelier.org and ask about scholarship opportunities for African American students. Scholarship application materials will be provided upon request.

Students who have participated in and completed the Archaeology Field School will also be provided an opportunity to apply for the ten month long internship program.

The Montpelier Internship is a ten month position that begins on July 1st and typically ends on April 31st.

In order to qualify for an internship, you MUST attend the Montpelier Archaeology Field School. These paid internships include full employee benefits and free housing on the property. Up to five, long-term interns (3 or 4 field interns and 1 or 2 lab interns) will be selected near the end of the Field School. Current and past Field School students are welcome to apply to the internship.

For those who have not previously attended our field school, you MUST apply, be accepted, attend, and successfully complete the Montpelier Field School in order to be considered for the long term internship. For those who have previously attended the Montpelier Field School and want to apply for year-long internships, please email us at dig@montpelier.org for details.