Grab a trowel, hop into the trench, and join archaeology professors and students from SUNY Brockport as we uncover the story of a 19th century homestead located at the Nature Center. Did it burn down or collapse? Where was the kitchen? Whose bones and teeth are found in the yard? Help us piece together the story of Frost Town, an abandoned logging settlement founded at the end of the 18th century in the old-growth pine forests of the Onondowagah, or Seneca, people.

At Family Archaeology Days, participants will literally be in the trenches as they learn about the history of Frost Town and the basics of archaeological fieldwork, including:

Methods of excavation
How to properly clean artifacts
Tricks for identifying artifacts
This event is part of a multi-year project that provides public access to Frost Town Archaeology (FTA), a SUNY Brockport archaeology field school site that’s located at the Cumming Nature Center. Students in FTA focus on the Hall Homestead site, a residence built by an early settler of Frost Town. During Family Archaeology Days, visitors have the opportunity to help excavate a less fragile homestead located closer to the Visitor Center, complementing the work being done at the Hall Homestead.

Note- the dig event is sold out as of 10/13/2022, but you can still visit the nature center!