Unearthing History: The discovery of a 12,500 year old Paleo-Indian site along the Farmington River in Avon. Join us for a virtual series of lectures, sponsored by a grant from Farmington Bank Community Foundation, that will cover the archaeology, geology, and anthropology of life along the Farmington River, including the Brian D. Jones Paleo-Indian discovery in Avon.

This 2021 VIRTUAL HISTORY SERIES  is sponsored by Avon Historical Society, Avon Free Public Library and Avon Senior Center.

Events are free to attend. Webinars will be recorded; links appear at the end of this post and are available on the Avon Library’s YouTube Channel.

Thursday, September 9, 7:00 pm – Connecticut Native American Communities Past and Present. Presented by Dr. Lucianne Lavin, Director of Research and Collections, Institute of American Indian Studies, Washington CT.  She is author of Connecticut’s Indigenous People. What Archaeology, History and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures, Yale University, 2013. She will explain how these indigenous communities were the first environmental stewards, astronomers, mathematicians, zoologists, botanists and geologists.  In reality these “pre-contact” tribes have been, and still are here, for more than 10,000 years. Register here

Thursday, October 7, 2021, 7:00 pm.  Connecticut’s Paleo-Indian Sites. This final webinar will feature Dr. Zachary (Zac) Singer, Research Archeologist, Maryland Historical Trust and Dr. David Leslie, Archeological and Historical Services, Storrs, CT. Dr. Singer will present the excavations at the Templeton Paleo-Indian site in western Connecticut and Dr. Leslie will provide an update on the Brian D. Jones Paleo-Indian site in Avon as they begin their fourth year of analysis of the artifacts found there. Note: this event will run for 1 hour with Q&A to follow.  October is Connecticut Archaeology Month! Register here

Questions? Email Terri Wilson, President Avon Historical Society, president@avonhistoricalsociety.org

View the full PDF here

Completed events:

Thursday March 4, 7:00 pm  -Digging into Deep History: Archaeology, Artifacts and Avocation. Presented by Scott Brady, President, Friends of the State Archeologist & Paul Wegner, Assistant Director, Institute for American Indian Studies Museum (IAIS), Washington, CT.  They will provide answers to questions such as what does an archaeologist actually do? How do they find the things they find, and what happens to these objects once they are recovered? They will discuss archaeology, its practice, and how avocational archaeology helps to involve the public while bringing much needed assistance to archaeologists in the field. Scott and Paul will share stories of excavations and important finds that contribute to Connecticut’s deep history. View the recording here

Thursday, April 8, 7:00 pm  – A Rift, not the River, made the Farmington Valley: the Geology of western Connecticut along US RT 44.  Presented by Howard Wright, Renbrook School Science Department Head.  This will be a first ever photographic journey focused on the geology of Route 44 in western CT and adjacent areas.  Understanding the geology of the area will help everyone “read” the local landscape with greater awareness and appreciation of why early people came here. View Part 1 here. View Part 2 here

Thursday, May 6, 7:00 pm – Connecticut Before History: The Deep Story of Human Settlement of the Farmington Valley.  Presented by Dr. Ken Feder, Archaeologist, Central Connecticut State University.  The Farmington Valley was originally settled by human beings more than 10,000 years ago. The Farmington River Archaeological Project, led by Feder, has revealed remains of the villages, hunting encampments, and quarries used by these first settlers. Much in the way the police investigate the scene of a crime, archaeologists locate, recover, and examine evidence that reveals the scene of a life lived in the past. Feder will discuss some of the sites his crews have excavated and share the stories that can be told of the lives of the people who lived, worked, and died in those ancient Farmington Valley communities. View the recording here