William J. Chadwick
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Anthropology, Faculty Member
- I am an Assistant Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who focuses on archaeological geophysics and geoarchaeology and is the Director of Archaeological Services Cent... moreI am an Assistant Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who focuses on archaeological geophysics and geoarchaeology and is the Director of Archaeological Services Center who conducts research on landscape and environmental change related to historic and prehistoric archaeological sites primarily in the intertidal zone.I came to IUP with extensive experience in applied archaeology, having worked within cultural resource management consultation for over 17 years. Prior to IUP, I conducted over 100 geoarcheological examinations of paleogeographies and paleoenvironments, geophysical surveys, and archaeological surveys related to both historic and prehistoric archeological sites and their environs throughout the Middle-Atlantic, Mid-Western, and New England regions. Other areas of expertise include geospatial predictive modeling, quantitative and statistical analysis, and the utilization of GPS and GIS in archaeological research.edit
The Squirrel Hill archaeological site (36Wm0035) is a Johnston-phase Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, PA, on a terrace of the Conemaugh River near the modern town of New Florence. Although the site is listed in the... more
The Squirrel Hill archaeological site (36Wm0035) is a Johnston-phase Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, PA, on a terrace of the Conemaugh River near the modern town of New Florence. Although the site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, previous investigation is extremely limited; many questions remain to be answered, including verifying occupation and cultural affiliations; identifying the location and extent of site boundaries; characterizing the internal arrangement of houses, plaza, and stockades; and reconstructing the site’s paleo-landscape. In partnership with the Midwest office of the Archaeological Conservancy, we began to investigate these questions as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s 2016 Archaeological Field School using a combination of geophysical survey, test excavation, and geomorphic testing. Preliminary results of a ground penetrating radar survey in the northwest portion of the site revealed what may be a large rectangular structure at 23-46 cmbs, with a size and shape that does not conform to the typical circular Johnston-phase “petal structure” house. Auger cores taken from the northern end of the site revealed what appear to be a series of buried landscapes at depths of ~108, ~130, and ~163 cmbs, suggesting that earlier occupations at the site may exist. Interestingly, these buried horizons do not appear in cores taken from the southern end of the site. Cores along the eastern edge of the site revealed alternating flood and gleyed deposits, suggesting and that the paleo-environment was more dynamic than researchers have previously thought. This poster will report on these field results, as well as recent radiocarbon, particle size and soil micromorphology analyses designed to refine the nature of occupation and past landscape history for the site.
Research Interests:
The Squirrel Hill Site (36Wm0035) is a Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, PA, along the floodplain of the Conemaugh River near the town of New Florence (Figure 1). Although the site is listed in the National Register of... more
The Squirrel Hill Site (36Wm0035) is a Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, PA, along the floodplain of the Conemaugh River near the town of New Florence (Figure 1). Although the site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, previous investigation is extremely limited; many questions remain to be answered about this site, including verifying occupation and cultural affiliations; identifying the location and extent of site boundaries; characterizing the internal arrangement of houses, plaza, and stockades; and contextualizing its relationship with other Johnston Phase sites such as Johnston, Brant I and McJunkin. Moreover, with the exception of a small geophysical survey in 2013 (DeHaven 2013), most work conducted at the site occurred decades ago, and not to modern excavation and analytical standards. In partnership with the Midwest office of the Archaeological Conservancy, we began to investigate these questions as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s (IUP) 2016 Archaeological Field School using a combination of geophysical survey, pedestrian survey and shovel testing, geomorphic testing, and test excavation.
Research Interests:
The Squirrel Hill archaeological site (36Wm0035) is a Johnston-phase Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on a terrace of the Conemaugh River near the town of new Florence. Although listed in the National... more
The Squirrel Hill archaeological site (36Wm0035) is a Johnston-phase Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on a terrace of the Conemaugh River near the town of new Florence. Although listed in the National Register of Historic Places, previous investigation is extremely limited; many questions remain to be answered, including verifying occupation and cultural affiliations; identifying the location and extent of site boundaries; characterizing the internal arrangement of houses, plaza, and stockades; and reconstructing the site's paleo-landscape. In partnership with the Midwest office of the Archaeological Conservancy, we began to investigate these questions as a part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania's 2016 archaeological field school using a combination of geophysical survey, test excavation, and geomorphic testing. We report on these field results, and recent radiocarbon, particle-size, and soil micromorphology analyses designed to refine the nature of occupation and past landscape history for the site.
Research Interests:
Cape Henlopen, Delaware is a coastal spit complex located at the confluence of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This region was occupied by prehistoric peoples throughout the evolution of ancestral Cape Henlopen. A ground-penetrating... more
Cape Henlopen, Delaware is a coastal spit complex located at the confluence of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This region was occupied by prehistoric peoples throughout the evolution of ancestral Cape Henlopen. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted at one of the prehistoric archaeological sites (7S-D-30B) located within the Cape Henlopen Archaeological District. The site was in a remote location in the center of a tide dominated back-barrier marsh. Ground-penetrating radar waves penetrated to depths of 7 m, and four major sets of reflections were observed. Three sets were interpreted to be GPR images of geomorphic units associated with the spit complex, and the fourth was identified as the GPR image of a shell midden deposit. The GPR survey was used to determine the approximate dimensions of the shell midden, including its depth below ground surface (up to 2.1 m) and horzontal extent (∼250 m2), and to establish the paleoenvironmental setting and antecedent topo...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Cape Henlopen, Delaware is a coastal spit complex located at the confluence of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This region was occupied by prehistoric peoples throughout the evolution of ancestral Cape Henlopen. A... more
ABSTRACT Cape Henlopen, Delaware is a coastal spit complex located at the confluence of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This region was occupied by prehistoric peoples throughout the evolution of ancestral Cape Henlopen. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted at one of the prehistoric archaeological sites (7S-D-30B) located within the Cape Henlopen Archaeological District. The site was in a remote location in the center of a tide dominated back-barrier marsh. Ground-penetrating radar waves penetrated to depths of 7 m, and four major sets of reflections were observed. Three sets were interpreted to be GPR images of geomorphic units associated with the spit complex, and the fourth was identified as the GPR image of a shell midden deposit. The GPR survey was used to determine the approximate dimensions of the shell midden, including its depth below ground surface (up to 2.1 m) and horzontal extent (∼250 m2), and to establish the paleoenvironmental setting and antecedent topography of the site prior to occupation. The GPR data suggests that the shell midden was initially deposited upon an aeolian dune surface and the antecedent topography at the site included an up to 1 m deep trough located 5 m to the north of, and trending parallel to, the axis of a present-day topographic high. This survey illustrates that GPR is a useful, noninvasive, tool that may be implemented at archaeological sites in coastal areas. It provides constraints on the environmental setting and topography of the terrain which prehistoric peoples inhabited, and it can be used in planning excavations at sites in coastal geomorphic settings. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Research Interests:
This report summarizes the results of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s 2016 archaeological field school at the Squirrel Hill Site (36Wm0035), a Monongahela village site located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, along the... more
This report summarizes the results of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s 2016 archaeological field school at the Squirrel Hill Site (36Wm0035), a Monongahela village site located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, along the floodplain of the Conemaugh River near the town of New Florence (Figures 1, 2). Although the site is listed in the National Register, previous investigation has been extremely limited; many questions remain to be answered about this site, including verifying occupation and cultural affiliations; identifying the location and extent of site boundaries; characterizing the internal arrangement of houses, plaza, and stockades; and contextualizing its relationship with other Johnston Phase sites such as Johnston, Brant I and McJunkin. Moreover, with the exception of a small geophysical survey in 2013 (DeHaven 2013), most work conducted at the site occurred decades ago, and not to modern excavation and analytical standards. The 2016 excavations sought to address these research questions and limitations as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s (IUP) 2016 Archaeological Field School. Specifically, we used a combination of geophysical survey, pedestrian survey and shovel testing, and test excavation. This investigation has allowed us to begin to better understand the internal organization of the Squirrel Hill Site and provide us with comparative data available for other regional Monongahela sites so that recent models (e.g., Means 2007; Neusius and Chiarulli 2013) of regional Monongahela settlement in southwestern Pennsylvania can be refined. It has also provided researchers with valuable paleoenvironmnetal data in order to clarify human-environmental interaction and controls on settlement in the Conemaugh Valley.