Archaeological Association of South Central Kansas (AASCK)

Dr. Myra Giesen

Newcastle University

Buried Lives, Living Heritage: Rediscovering Ballast Hills Burial Ground in North East England

For nearly two centuries, Ballast Hills Burial Ground served the communities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England, until it closed in 1853, was converted into a public park, and its gravestones were pulled up and reused as pathways. Tens of thousands of people lie within its roughly three acres, yet for decades the site's history and identity were all but erased. This talk introduces interdisciplinary, community-centred research led by Wichita State University anthropology alumna Myra Giesen. Drawing on archival records, burial registers, historic maps, gravestone recording, non-invasive geophysical survey, and public engagement, the project is recovering the burial ground's story and reassessing its heritage significance, from its origins with religious Nonconformists (Protestants outside the Church of England) to its use by people of widely varied backgrounds and occupations. The presentation explores what this research reveals about burial practices, religious diversity, working lives, and commemoration, and considers the challenges of researching, conserving, and interpreting a site that remains both a historic burial ground and an actively used urban green space in a changing industrial city.

Dr. Crystal Dozier 

Wichita State University

Recent Discoveries from the Wichita State Archaeological Field School at Etzanoa

Wichita State University has hosted an archaeological field school in Arkansas City, Kansas, for almost the last decade to explore Ancestral Wichita lifeways. This talk reviews what is known about the archaeology and history of the region from 1450-1750, in conjunction with the 1601 Spanish expedition led by Juan de Onate. The archaeological site investigated has been explored since the 1930s, but recent excavations with new technologies are revealing additional context and opportunities to bring archaeology to the public.

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