Responsibilities of the State Archaeologist

> Administer state archaeology office at the Connecticut Archaeology Center.

> Conduct research into the state's archaeological sites.

> Curate Connecticut's archaeological / anthropological collections, totaling over 600,000 artifacts.

> Coordinate the salvage of archaeological properties.

> Preserve unmarked burials.

> Initiate and support public education outreach.



How the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology Help...

> Provide archaeological educational curricula and experiences to schools.

> Present and sponsor public lectures.

> Secure donations of office equipment, laboratory supplies, and field supplies for OSA.

> Coordinate and participate in volunteer OSA field and office activities.

> Provide funds for Carbon-14 dating of artifacts.

> Help coordinate, organize, and schedule activities for Connecticut's annual Archaeology Awareness Month.
   For information on the 2008 Archaeology Awareness Month's activities, click here.

> Assist scouts in earning archaeology merit badges.

> Create archaeological partnerships between local governments, students, and concerned citizens.

> Obtain grants and public funding for OSA collections management and office staff.

> Help increase corporate sponsorship of OSA-sponsored activities.


In Memoriam

John Spaulding, long-time photographer for the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology as well as other state and local volunteer organizations, passed away on August 7. A diligent yet easy-going man, John was highly regarded by FOSA members who knew him; and well-respected by those who only knew him by his works. He will be sorely missed.

Nearly all of the photographs in this web site, a miniscule portion of his overall body of work, are John's. The largest set in this site can be found by clicking the Digs: Site Activities link.

To view an index of his FOSA photograph binders, which have been donated to the Conncecticut Archaeology Center and which were detailed in our Fall 2008 Newsletter, please click: FOSA Photo Albums.

John himself was profiled in the Fall 2006 issue of the FOSA Newsletter, by Ken Beatrice. Following are excerpts from that profile:

"John Spaulding contributes an extremely valuable service to the Office of State Archaeology with his expertise with a camera -- a hobby he has enjoyed since his youth. After joining FOSA in the year 2000 he has taken literally thousands of photographs documenting historic, prehistoric and cemetery projects for future studies. The use of photograph is a very important tool for the State Archaeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni, and he fully appreciates John's skill behind the lens. To date, approximately seventy archaeological sites across Connecticut have been photo documented by John's camera.

"John Spaulding is a civil engineer who retired from the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 1991 after many years as Chief of Public Transportation. He received his undergraduate degree and master's degree from the University of Dayton and UConn respectively. Since August 2000 he has been assisting the Office of State Archaeology by photographing projects as they were being conducted. He is active in the Connecticut Gravestone Network and is the Research Clearinghouse Coordinator for the Association for Gravestone Studies. John also served overseas as an officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean conflict.

"At the present time, John has a collection of more than twenty-five binders of documented sites that will be donated and housed at the Connecticut Archaeology Center when its library is completed. This will be a treasure trove for years to come when used by historians and archaeologists in their future studies."

By clicking the following link you'll access John's obituary announcement in the Hartford Courant; where you'll also be able to share your memories of him and sign the Guest Book electronically. John Spaulding obituary