Archaeology Museum

The USA Archaeology Museum showcases artifacts from the Gulf Coast and covers over 12,000 years of prehistory and history. Artifacts are contextualized using a series of life-size scenic representations depicting archaeologists at work and glimpses into the ways of life of ancient Woodland cultures, mound-building Mississippian peoples, early French settlers, and an African American family after the Civil War.

FREE ADMISSION to Events & Exhibits!


For more information about current exhibits & events, please contact us: 

Email: ArchaeologyMuseum@southalabama.edu 

Phone: (251) 460-6106


 

"Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile"

On Exhibit Now Until April 30

 

Exhibit Info

 


Upcoming Public Talks

When possible, talks are recorded and available on YouTube @USAArchaeology


 

"A Thorn in Spain's Side: The Rise & Fall of 16th Century French Huguenot Corsairs"

Alliance Française Lecture

4 PM
Tuesday, April 2 

 

Event Flyer

 


 

"Down the Bay: Archaeology & Oral History"

Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile Exhibit Spring Speaker Series

4 PM

Tuesday, April 2 

 

The USA Archaeology Museum's exhibit, "Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile" demonstrates the best of archaeology and oral history, and that the sum is greater than its parts. Revealing the impact of what it means to be left out of the commonly told history, and showing the resilience of community members during and after Jim Crow, this exhibit and ongoing projects allow us to understand our present as a product of the past, and consider how we can make a better future.


The Owens Family, one of the three families highlighted in "Unwritten" lived at 906 S. Franklin Street for six decades and through three generations. When archaeologists excavated their property during the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project, it provided a rare opportunity to learn about one family through historic documents and the things they left behind.


Philip J. Carr, Ph.D. serves as the Native American Studies Professor of Anthropology, and Director for the Center for Archaeological Studies. He grew up enjoying finding things and finding things out, and with a passion for learning about the Indigenous People of the United States. Becoming an archaeologist, investigating the human past, working with Native Peoples of the Southeast U.S., people who live on the Gulf Coast, students, and colleagues bring him great joy.


Rachel Hines is the Public Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Archaeological Studies at the University of South Alabama. She earned a masters in Historical Archaeology from the University of West Florida. She has a decade of experience as an archaeologist in different parts of the country and is most passionate about connecting communities with local cultural resources.


Ryan S. Morini, Ph.D. is the Director of Community Oral History Collections at the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Down the Bay Flyer Image

 


 

"Where is the Parity:

Exploring the Gap Between Health Disparities and Health Equities"


Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile Exhibit Spring Speaker Series


3:30 PM

Wednesday, April 3 

 

Please visit the USA Whiddon College of Medicine Med School Water Cooler for more information.

 

Where is the Parity Flyer Image

 


 

"Documenting the Historic Plateau Africatown Cemetery"

Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile Exhibit Spring Speaker Series

Alabama Archaeological Society, Southwest Chapter Monthly Lecture 


6 PM
Tuesday, April 9

 

Dr. Jones will join us via Zoom at the Museum for a watch party. The talk will be recorded and can be watched the following week on the Museum's YouTube Channel @USAArchaeology. If you would like to join us via Zoom, please email us at: ArchaeologyMuseum@SouthAlabama.edu.


The Africatown cemetery documentation program is a collaborative project with the Mobilian community to digitally document and preserve the Africatown/Plateau Cemetery for many generations to come.

Alexandra Jones, Ph.D. is an education leader focused on community outreach and service. Dr. Jones has been an educator for more than 16 years; she has taught in multiple educational environments from primary schools to museums. She obtained dual Bachelors of Arts degrees from Howard University in History and Anthropology in 2001. She obtained a Master’s degree in History from Howard University in 2003 and then attending University of California, Berkeley to obtain a Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology in 2010. Dr. Jones worked for PBS’s television show Time Team America as the Archaeology Field School Director, where she directed field schools for junior high and high school students at each of the sites for the 2013 season. Dr. Jones serves on Board of Directors for the Society of Black Archaeologists, the Board of Directors of the St. Croix Archaeological Society and is an Academic Trustee for the Archaeological Institute of America. She was appointed by President Biden to become the current Chair of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee. She is the founder and CEO of Archaeology in the Community

 

Alexandra Jones Flyer Image

 


 

"Memory of the Civil Rights Movement in Mobile"

 

David Messenger, Ph.D.

USA Department of History


Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile Exhibit Spring Speaker Series


6 PM

Wednesday, April 10

 

Memory of the Civil Rights Movement in Mobile Flyer Image

 


 

"Black History Underground"

Unwritten: Archaeology & Oral History of Jim Crow Mobile Exhibit Spring Speaker Series

Alabama Archaeological Society, Southwest Chapter Monthly Lecture 


3:30 PM

Tuesday, April 30

 

While cemeteries are important to understanding history, it is the lives of the people buried in them that make them so. They tell us a lot about a particular society, a particular time in history and they whisper of life. If you listen. African American Cemeteries tell us even more. All cemeteries risk being lost to memory when there is no one left to care for them and the land they exist upon becomes a valuable asset to someone. We must care for and continue to document the lives of our deceased ancestors. Lincoln Cemetery and Saint Austin’s Cemetery are two prime examples of this.
This talk will be mostly about what Tracy does as a genealogist regarding African American Cemeteries. She will focus on the Lincoln Cemetery and Saint Austins Cemetery here in Mobile, the lives found there and why they are so important.


Tracy Neely is a native of Mobile. She received her B.A. in English and M.Ed. in Collaborative Teaching from the University of South Alabama. Currently, she provides private, full-time, residential care in her home. She is a direct descendant of the Chastang, Collins, LaFargue, Rabby, and Journee families. She began her genealogical adventure in 1993 to satisfy her curiosity regarding her father’s lineage. In 2011, she created the Facebook group, Mobile, Alabama Creole Connections as a grassroots effort to cull more information about Mobile’s Creole population. Since then, she has volunteered in the Mobile County Probate Court Archives with the late Coll’ette King and increased her momentum in genealogical studies. In 2017, she established and incorporated the Mobile Creole Cultural and Historical Preservation Society (MCCHPS) and began publishing “Mumbo Gumbo: A Journal of Coastal Creole Culture and History” She is a lifetime member of the Jamestowne Society and past Registrar and Librarian for the Needham Bryan Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. She is also the Mobile County Representative for the Alabama Cemetery Preservation Alliance

 

Black History Underground Flyer Image

Lincoln Cemetery Image Courtesy of Georgeann Ellis.


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