Emily Warner, right, with the USA Center for Archaeological Studies, and Thomas Grace, with Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting, bisect a feature in the soil at a site that is along the route for a proposed Mobile Bay bridge.

Center for Archaeological Studies

The Center for Archaeological Studies conducts archaeological research, teaching, and public service in the north-central Gulf Coast region. The Center promotes the archaeological study and appreciation of the region's prehistoric and historic past; disseminates to the public information about the region's archaeology; and preserves archaeological evidence of the region's past for future study, use, and enjoyment. The Center involves students in research projects, providing hands-on experience in archaeology.

The Center's archaeologists have carried out over 1,000 survey and excavation projects during the last thirty years. Ground-breaking research at sites like Old Mobile and Port Dauphin has revealed much about Alabama's earliest colonial history. The rapid pace of modern development has also led us to sites like Bottle Creek, the Exploreum, and Dog River Bridge, where Indigenous People, French, British, Spanish, and Early American settlers left their marks on the landscape.


 

  Latest News and Research
Archaeology in Action: Williams Inspection Site
Archaeology in Action: Williams Inspection Site
Monday - March 4, 2024
We excavated the Williams Inspection Site, or 1MB571, for the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project in 2022. The site is bound by Maryland, South Conception, Virginia, and South Franklin Streets and it is named for the Williams Inspection Company, which was located at the southwest corner of the site.
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A "How?" to Follow the "Why?"
A "How?" to Follow the "Why?"
Monday - February 19, 2024
Oral histories are more than written transcripts, they give life to the past through memories. There is magic in spoken histories because oral histories capture emotion in a way that is entirely unique.
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Archaeology in Action: Shotgun House Site
Archaeology in Action: Shotgun House Site
Thursday - February 15, 2024
We excavated the Shotgun House Site in 2023 as part of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project, named for a row of shotgun houses along South Conception Street.
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