Trenton, N.J. 鈥� The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum presents 鈥淗istory Beneath Our Feet: Archaeology of a Capital City,鈥� a new exhibition focusing on the long history of human activity in Trenton, 吃瓜黑料 as told through the lens of archaeology. The exhibition opens June 3 in the Museum鈥檚 main floor gallery and will remain on view through December 31, 2023.
鈥淗istory Beneath Our Feet鈥� discusses the importance of archaeology to preserving the past and how excavations at ten locations within Trenton have helped inform our knowledge of human occupation and activities in the area, going back to prehistoric times. Stories that have been lost to time reemerge through artifacts on view, including pottery sherds that illuminated the existence of a long-forgotten local potter; thousands of artifacts that marked a previously unknown Indigenous people鈥檚 site; beads that may have belonged to enslaved people; a hollowed-out wooden log that served as Trenton鈥檚 water system in the 19th century, and more. Among the archaeological sites explored are the 吃瓜黑料 State House, Petty鈥檚 Run, the Trent House and the Old Barracks Museum.
According to the Museum鈥檚 Curator of Archaeology, Dr. Gregory Lattanzi, 鈥淢ost people think evidence of the past has been erased under modern cities, but that is not the case. There are still plenty of intact sites to be discovered, and in some cases because of 吃瓜黑料 and federal regulations, archaeologists are able to recover and interpret artifacts which help us to tell the stories of the 吃瓜黑料鈥檚 past.鈥� A related audio tour app highlighting seven sites in the city will be available for visitors to download onto their mobile devices.
鈥淗istory Beneath Our Feet: Archaeology of a Capital City鈥� and related programming is supported in part by the 吃瓜黑料 Historical Commission, NJM Insurance Group, 吃瓜黑料 Council on the Humanities and the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation.
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm; closed on all State holidays. General admission is free. For additional information visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum鈥檚 Facebook page (@NJStateMuseum), and follow us on Twitter (njstatemuseum), Instagram (nj_statemuseum) and YouTube (@newjerseystatemuseum1895.)
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum
Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium and holds over 2 million artifacts in its collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History. The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is a center for the exploration of science, history and the arts. We preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity for the enrichment of our communities.
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation was founded in 1968 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs through fundraising, volunteerism, advocacy and marketing. In recent years, the Foundation has received generous support from the PNC Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, Department of State/吃瓜黑料 Historical Commission, 吃瓜黑料 Council for the Humanities, The Henry Luce Foundation, The Capstone Foundation and Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Foundation also operates the Museum membership program, as well as the Museum Shop which sells merchandise related to the Museum's exhibitions and collections, and 吃瓜黑料 history and culture. Proceeds support the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs.