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Strezewski Receives Bigham Award for New Harmony Excavation Project

Dr. Michael Strezewski, assistant professor of anthropology, is the recipient of the 2010 Darrel Bigham Historic Southern Indiana Faculty Engagement Fellowship award.

The $4,000 award will be used to complete Strezewski's project called "Taking Care of (Old) Business: The 1970's Excavations at New Harmony." The project will provide funding for USI students to process and catalog 70 boxes of artifacts excavated from 1975 to 1978 in four Harmonist-era sites in New Harmony, Indiana by John Elliot, a former USI archaeology professor.

"Research conducted by Elliot focused on many sites that represented domestic, industrial, and commercial activities at New Harmony," Strezewski said. "Though funds were provided for these excavations, little or no money was made available for washing, processing, and/or analyzing the artifacts."

In the spring of 2008, Strezewski began working
with USI students to process some of the artifacts from Elliot's excavation. The progression was slow due to the lack of funds. The Bigham Award will provide funding for two USI students to process and catalog the remaining materials from Elliot's excavations.

For nearly two years, Strezewski has been active in the archaeological and archival research in New Harmony. In 2008 and 2009, Strezewski conducted USI archaeological field schools at Community House No. 2 and the Harmonist redware kiln site. He has collected archival data on redware ceramic production from the Harmonist records and has written and presented several papers based on his work.

Little is known about the day-to-day existence of the Harmonists. Records from this time period are mainly financial in nature, such as production ledgers and records of goods that were bought and sold. According to Strezewski, items from Elliot's excavation hold the greatest potential in understanding a wide range of activities that took place in the area.

"When the Harmonists left New Harmony in 1824, they took their possessions with them, leaving behind very little that can be called 'Harmonist,' said Strezewski. "Once these materials are cataloged and analyzed, it will be easier to point to specific materials that date to the Harmonist occupation."

The excavation project will begin in July with completion in February of 2011. After the project is completed, a museum exhibit on the Harmonist production of redware ceramics is planned.

Strezewski joined USI in 2006. He holds a PhD in anthropology from Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Bigham Award provides financial support for scholarly work in the areas of consulting, research, service learning, or creation of workshops/institutes by USI faculty. Dr. Darrel Bigham, director emeritus of Historic Southern Indiana and professor emeritus of history, was a USI pioneer in regional engagement.

Historic Southern Indiana was created in 1986 to serve the southernmost 26 counties of Indiana. Its goals are to identify, preserve, protect, enhance, and promote the historical, natural, and recreational resources of the region. It seeks to implement those goals through programs in historic preservation, history education, heritage tourism, community development, and scenic byways. Its office is a part of Extended Services.

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