On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 from noon-1 p.m. at the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana, Jay Stottman, Staff Archaeologist with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, will present the program "Underground History: The Archaeology of African Americans", as part of the Carnegie Center’s Lunch & Learn series. During this “tour of historical archaeological sites in Kentucky within an African-American context”, Stottman will describe how archaeology has helped us learn about the African-American experience in Kentucky, from slavery to the development of urban neighborhoods. He will use his experiences at various archaeological sites to illustrate the nuances of life for African Americans during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stottman’s talk will focus on research conducted at plantations in Louisville, such as Locust Grove, Farmington, and Riverside; the Civil War at Camp Nelson in Jessamine County; post war reconstruction at an African-American farmstead in Nicholas County; and life for African Americans in urban neighborhoods in Louisville and Frankfort.

Participants can bring a lunch, drinks are provided. This program is free, but registration is requested(please call 812-944-7336 or email Delesha Thomas at dthomas@carnegiecenter.org). The monthly Lunch and Learn programs are sponsored by the Carnegie Center, Inc.

Jay Stottman is Staff Archaeologist with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey. He writes, “As a kid growing up in Louisville, I had always loved history – my parents were avid collectors of antiques and old stuff, so I was surrounded by objects from the past. Once I got to college, I discovered archaeology and I found it was a way that I could turn my passion for the past into a career. I love my hometown and I wanted to use archaeology to learn more about its past, so I became interested in historical archaeology. My first dig was on a slave house at Locust Grove as a student at U of L, and I just became fascinated by what we could learn about people from the bits of trash they left behind. After graduating from U of L and starting my master’s degree at UK I became staff archaeologist at the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, which allowed me to fulfill my dream of doing archaeology in my hometown. I am currently a PhD candidate at UK while continuing my work with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey. I have become greatly interested in public archaeology, bringing the field into contact with the public and using archaeology to teach kids and benefit local communities in the history we learn and through the process by which we do it.”

The Carnegie Center for Art and History, a department of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, is a contemporary art gallery and history museum that offers a full schedule of changing exhibitions, the New Albany Public Art Project, and other educational programs. The Carnegie Center also features the permanent local history exhibits Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: Men and Women of the Underground Railroad and Remembered: the Life of Lucy Higgs Nichols. The Carnegie Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am-5:30 pm, and is located at 201 East Spring Street in historic downtown New Albany, Indiana. The Carnegie Center for Art and History is fully accessible. Admission is free. For more information on exhibits, events, and classes, please visit www.carnegiecenter.org and www.facebook.com/nacarnegie.