Archaeology
Archeology is not my specialty, but I have always been drawn to the discipline. I am comfortable cataloguing collections and curating artifacts. I have done limited fieldwork as a crew member or volunteer at the direction of experienced archaeologists. I am not afraid to get dirty. I have the ability to read field maps and complete field documentation and site maps. I have a particular interest in NAGPRA repatriation.
Field
2010. Presidio Nuestra Señora del Pilar de los Adaes (16NA16). I coordinated volunteers doing wet screening, bagging and labeling of artifacts.
1998. Public Archeaology in the Treme (16OR148). I participated with excavation and dry screening.
Lab & Curation
2010. Graduate Assistant, Williamson Museum under direction of Hiram F. “Pete” Gregory. Curating and inventory of Williamson Museum’s permanent collections.
1999. Student summer curator for the Greater New Orleans Archaeology Program under guidance of Christopher N. Matthews. Sorting, labeling, photographing artifacs and assisting with editing archaeological reports.
Theory and Additional Skills
In Fall 2009 I had a refresher on mapping, shovel testing, grid graphing, and the use of geophysical testing and GPS systems with Dr. Tommy Haley at Ft. Jesup archaeological site as part of his methods course. Also as part of this course I completed an archaeological proposal, “Rediscovering Willow Plantation” based on archival research and lidar maps.
Interpretation of Archaeological Reports
I am comfortable reading archaeological reports and integrating archaeological data into my research projects.
Advocacy & Public Awareness
Letter Writing and Petitioning
I have been active in numerous letter writing and petition campaigns on behalf of the preservation of historic sites and in defense of cultural resources, including Blair Mountain.
I was very active in the attempt to keep the Heritage Resources program at NSU from being eliminated. I penned numerous letters to administrators, elected officials and to editors of newspapers on behalf of students in defense of the Heritage Resources program. Here is a sample of my advocacy:
Save Heritage Resources: Letter 3presidents to Dr Webb
I am active in many civic, professional, and student organizations as well as with my tribe.
- NSU Powwow 2010
Texas & Pacific Railroad Research
In Fall 2009, I conducted background research regarding Natchitoches’ 1927 Texas and Pacific Railroad Depot.
Photo: Jack Boucher, Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division HABS: LA-1296-2
The Depot represents the shift from riverboat transportation to rail and the hegemony of Natchitoches’ town elite over downriver Creole planters and more rural Anglo settlers. Initially the Texas & Pacific line circumvented Natchitoches. Instead of allowing Prudhomme (Cypress, LA,) Marthaville, or Robeline to become the premier main rail hub in the Parish, Natchitoches businessmen created a new joint stock company to build a “tap line” to bring rail access to the town. The Texas & Pacific Railway constructed the two-storied brick depot after securing that “tap line” and integrating Natchitoches as part of their main line.
The depot’s architect , F. G. Shaw, drew on Spanish and colonial themes, reportedly to honor Natchitoches founder St. Denis’s Spanish wife. The beams and windows of the main waiting room are influenced by the architect’s imagination of the master’s cabin of Christopher Columbus the Santa Mari and the chandeliers were modeled after the hilt of the sword worn by St. Denis.
Natchitoches’ Jim Crow segregation is evident in the building’s design. The large central hall was the white waiting area. One, smaller, side wing was the black waiting area, while the other side was used for freight. Once restored, the building is ideal for an African American and/or Civil Rights museum.
Research on the history and context of the Texas and Pacific Railroad brought me to Dallas/ Fort Worth. En route I visited the restored 1912 T&P station in Marshall, TX (still in use as an Amtrak station) and the restored 1912 era T&P Depot (Amtrak Station) and Texas and Pacific Railway Museum. I did archival research at SMU’s DeGoyer Library and visited U.T. Arlington. I rode the Trinity Railway from downtown Dallas to the magnificent 1931 T&P station where I photo documented the building’s architecture.
Robert B. Caldwell 