Carrie Christman

My name is Carrie Christman and I am a Principal Investigator at Commonwealth Heritage Group. I was a field supervisor at the New Philadelphia field school in 2004 and 2005. I also recorded and transcribed oral histories from New Philadelphia descendants and local community members as part of my Master’s project at the University of Maryland, College Park. Working those two seasons at New Philadelphia helped me become the archaeologist I am today. As a field supervisor, I learned leadership skills and teaching tools that I still utilize to train and guide field crews. It taught me to be a better listener to my students and my crew. Since the New Philadelphia field school students were from diverse backgrounds, I learned to consider views that are different from my own. I really enjoyed when members of my crew (Team Y) would take initiative on their own, once they were taught excavation techniques. I remain friends with most of the students and other fields supervisors I worked with at New Philadelphia. Interviewing New Philadelphia descendants and local community members for my oral history project helped to foster my belief in the importance of community-based archaeology. I felt that letting the oral history participants speak about their own memories of New Philadelphia or their thoughts about the project gave them ownership of the site’s important story. In my current research, I try to stress community involvement with archaeology projects to foster a connection with the people, place, and history.