From John Devino:
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum – Sunday – April 16 – 2:00 PM

"The Archeology of the Ethan Allen Homestead: Thousands of Artifacts & Unanswered Questions", by Niels Rinehart

The talk will be onsite and on Zoom. To attend via Zoom, register at www.ethanallenhomestead.org

Archeologist Niels Rinehart will review Homestead excavations from 1979to 1997, summarizing what was found and possible directions for future research.

About the Speaker:

Niels Rinehart lives in Jericho, Vermont. He works for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) in the Lands Administration and Recreation Division. Among many responsibilities, Niels manages the historic resources on state parks and state forests in Vermont. He has worked as an archaeologist for many years, excavating and reporting on sites throughout the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic. Niels is excited about the opportunity to work with the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum to bring together the many years of archaeological excavation and research that has taken place at the Homestead over the last 40 years and looks forward to the potential for contributing to our historical understanding of the site.
Program Details:

Volunteers are now going through dozens of boxes of artifacts that have been stored at the Museum for 30 years but were never reported on, and are preparing them for submission to the Vermont Archaeology Heritage Center in Barre. This work presents us with an opportunity to document the excavations and to produce new exhibits at the Museum. Ideas for what we might investigate in the coming months of research include placing the pre-Contact remains within the context of thousands of years of human occupation along the Winooski. Can we isolate materials that the Allens left behind as well as deposits from when the farmstead was home to tenant farmers? What can learn about the changes brought to the landscape by the different generations of residents at the Homestead? Also, can we tie in the archaeological remains with the written record, including maps and historic photographs? Artifacts recovered at archaeological sites are the result of the choices people made in the past. What were the people at the Homestead consuming and how might the choices they made compare to other farmsteads in northern New England? Although a rural farm, the Homestead was close to Burlington and Lake Champlain. How might these contacts be reflected in the assemblage when compared to other farmsteads? Farming in Vermont changed greatly from 1800 to 1900, from self-sufficient farmers to farmers more connected to the wider market as they moved to sheep farming and then to dairy farming. How does the homestead fit within those changes? And finally, what can the Homestead contribute to the story of tenant farmers in 19th century Vermont?

Lecture sponsor: We would like to thank AARP Vermont for their generous support.

Program Description:

The Homestead Monthly Lecture Program is free (the recommended donation if you are financially able is $10). It covers various topics and each lecture is followed by Q&A with the presenter. To find out more information, including upcoming speakers, please visit: https://ethanallenhomestead.org/programs/lecture-series/

Host Description:

The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum is a private 501c3 (no state nor federal funding) that depends on private donations in order to host community programs like this one. To support the Homestead Museum's mission and community programs, you can make a tax-deductible donation online at: https://ethanallenhomestead.org/support-us/

Ethan Allen Homestead Museum
At the Crossroads of History!
1 Ethan Allen Homestead
Burlington, VT 05408
(802) 865-4556
www.ethanallenhomestead.org
https://youtu.be/YWpvOFuiKTw