UA Museum to Excavate Remains of State’s First Territorial Capital

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The early 19th century remains of the Globe Hotel at the site of the state’s first territorial capital will be excavated by a team of participants in an archaeology camp hosted by The University of Alabama’s Alabama Museum of Natural History. The camp will be held in four, one-week sessions, June 9- July 6.

Those age 14 and older who wish to join the dig must register by May 10.

The group will investigate the structure at the town site of Old St. Stephens in Washington County. Now a ghost town, the area once thrived as a Spanish fort, an American fort and Choctaw Indian trading post, and the first territorial capital of Alabama.

“We hope to learn more about all the activities that occupied the property,” said Dr. George Shorter, archaeologist at the University of South Alabama, who will lead the dig. “As the first major excavation of a structure within the town, this project will serve as a model for future archaeological work. The dig site is shady, clear, and the soil is sandy-ideal conditions for our project,” said.

Shorter has been surveying and mapping the town site since 1998 for the St. Stephens Historical Commission.

Settled in the 1790s, St. Stephens boasted a population of several thousand. Among the prominent citizens of the time was Henry Hitchcock, the first attorney general of Alabama and later chief justice of the state Supreme Court. After only three decades, St. Stephens became a ghost town when the Alabama capital moved and the development of shallow draft boats permitted travelers to cross the shoals beyond the town just as yellow fever outbreaks afflicted its citizens.

In addition to the dig, participants will explore the St. Stephens Quarry to conduct a fossil survey, camp near the Hobucakintopa Bluff where Spanish explorers built the first of two forts in 1789, and experience the natural beauty of South Alabama woodlands along the west bank of the Tombigbee River.

The archaeology camp, known as Museum Expedition 24, is designed for high school students, teachers, and parents, but it is also open to history, science, or archaeology enthusiasts who wish to learn excavation techniques, lab procedures, and artifact identification.

“What brought me back year after year was the excitement of working as a member of a real scientific crew in uncovering information about Alabama’s past, knowing that my work was making a real contribution to the scientific community,” said Brian Rushing, a former camp participant. Rushing is now enrolled at UA and working toward a master’s degree in business administration. He said his work with the UA Museum’s Expedition archaeology camp led him to study forestry and geology as a college undergraduate and to earn a master’s degree in environmental planning and management.

High school students may develop projects for science and social studies fairs, and, with advance arrangements, can earn elective high school credit. Tuition is $400 per week and includes food, shelter, and scientific equipment. Scholarships and tuition
discounts for Museum members are available.

For more information, telephone 205/348-0534, e-mail museum.expedition@ua.edu, or visit the web site at http://amnh.ua.edu.

The Museum has hosted these authentic scientific digs with professional and academic archaeologists since 1979 and remains one of few archaeology camps in the country to provide a hands-on scientific field school to participants as young as age 14. The program provides safe, informative, and unforgettable experiences for more than 2,000 participants each summer.