2026 Asylum Hill Bioarchaeology & Cemetery Excavation Field School at Jackson, Mississippi

Location: Jackson, MS, USA

Season: June 28, 2026 to August 1, 2026

Application Deadline: February 13, 2026

Deadline Type: Exact Date

Website: https://anthroctr.org/program/2026-asylum-hill/

Discount for AIA members: None

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
University of Mississippi Medical Center & Anthropocene Research Center

Project Director:
Dr. Jennifer E. Mack

Project Description:

The bioarchaeological field school is focused on the cemetery of the original Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (ca. 1855-1935). The cemetery, which is located on the UMMC campus, contains the unmarked graves of over 4,000 individuals who will be removed to make way for vital medical center expansion. Students will spend five weeks in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, working alongside a professional archaeological crew on the excavation as well as laboratory tasks. Training will focus on bioarchaeological methods, including burial excavation, human osteology, and mortuary artifact identification. Students will also receive instruction in basic archaeological methods, such as mapping, soil sample collection, and the creation of field sketches. Previous coursework in human osteology is not required but will be beneficial to participants.

The Asylum Hill Cemetery field school will provide students the rare opportunity to gain experience in human burial excavation without the expense of traveling abroad. Participants will contribute to a greater understanding of the African American and Euro American population that lived and died at the asylum and will gather data that allow the stories of deceased patients to be told. The Asylum Hill Project plans to permanently memorialize the interred individuals during a later phase of the work.

Period(s) of Occupation: Historical Era

Notes:
Tuition is $4,795 (or $2,880 if you find your own accommodations in Jackson); Earn 8 Semester Credit Units through our School of Record – Culver Stockton College

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Full session

Minimum Age: 18 years old

Experience Required: Introduction to Anthropology or Archaeology or a similar course is required. A course in Human Osteology is not required, but a previous knowledge base will allow students to engage more extensively with the fieldwork. This is hands-on, experiential learning, and students will study on-site how to conduct archaeological research. Field work involves physical work and exposure to the elements and thus requires a measure of understanding that this will not be the typical university learning environment. You will have to work outdoors and will get sweaty and tired. Students are required to come equipped with sufficient excitement and an adequate understanding that fieldwork requires real, hard work, in the sun and rain. The work requires patience, discipline, and attention to detail.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Student accommodations will be single-occupancy rooms (with two rooms sharing a bathroom) in a dormitory at Millsaps College. This program provides breakfast (for students staying at the Millsaps Dorms) and field lunches (all students) during workdays only. Students are responsible for their own dinners.

Academic Credit:
Earn 8 Semester Credit Units (equivalent to 12 Quarter Credit Units) through our School of Record – Culver Stockton College