Our project is about the preservation and interpretation of the archaeological resources at Robert H. Treman State Park. We undertook archaeological fieldwork to determine if any material survived the transformation of the hamlet into the park. In terms of public outreach, we have provided tours of the archaeological excavations, public lectures to schools and community group, traveling exhibits, and a permanent archaeological exhibit within the historic mill at the park.

I was approached by the staff at the park and by the Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park. The program is needed because over the last eight years the Republican governor had consistently cut funding to our state parks. Without a partnership with archaeologists at Cornell this needed work could not be undertaken. While there are preservation laws that impact projects that have federal and state funds involved, thousands of other archaeological sites are destroyed each year, especially Indian villages and burial grounds, nineteenth-century rural sites, and farmsteads, including sites in our state parks. The issue is about the sustainability of our cultural resources and our heritage. To protect these sites we need to engage the public and create "grassroots preservationists.” We need to educate the public so that they will care about preserving the rich archaeological heritage of North America. The work is linked to heritage tourism. Promoting the history and archaeology of the park promotes wider visitorship, which brings in more funds directly to the park; visitors also spend money in Tompkins County (thus positively impacting the local economy).

We have undertaken extensive documentary research on the buried village in the park. We have excavated the general store, the post office, a home, and the hotel. We are working with the park staff to develop permanent outdoor archaeology exhibits. We have completed two permanent indoor exhibits in the historic mill. We have had five years of fall tours of the archaeological excavations, as part of our public outreach. Visitors have come as far as Buffalo to see our work.
We are now working on permanent outdoor archaeological exhibits and an archaeological component to the new visitor orientation film for the park. The work is still in progress.

Because this project is still ongoing, it is too early to tabulate economic gains from this heritage tourism project.

It deals with historic preservation and heritage tourism

Undergraduate students enrolled in LA/CRP/ARKEO 261; LA/ARKEO 262;