Have Native American Artifacts Identified at an Avon Event

Avon Historical Society

AVON, CT — If you've ever dug up a curious-looking rock in your backyard and wondered if it might have ancient Native American origins, the city has the event for you.

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The public is invited to the third annual Native American Artifact Identification Day on Saturday, June 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Avon Senior Center, 635 West Avon Road, Avon.

It is sponsored by the Avon Historical Society, the Avon Free Public Library, and the Avon Senior Center as part of the ongoing educational webinar series since the 2019 discovery of the Brian D. Jones Paleoindian Site in Avon.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required via the library website.

Guests should bring artifacts only for the purpose of identification, not evaluation, by Paul Wegner, archaeologist and deputy executive director of the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, CT, who will examine and identify the objects in 15 minute time slots.

Limit of 12 items per person – no large collections.

Artifacts must be archaeological materials from New England or North America, preferably from the East Coast, such as ceramics, stones, arrowheads, baskets, beaded objects, clothing, etc.

Institute volunteer Nancy Najarian will also be at the event and will bring objects from the Institute's collection as a “demonstration and story.”

She will be joined by Scott Brady, board member of FOSA (Friends of the Office of State Archaeology, Inc.), a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers who assist in excavations throughout Connecticut.

Anyone with questions about the Institute or FOSA is welcome.

This event is part of the four-year “Unearthing History: The Discovery of a 12,500 year old Paleo-Indian Site along the Farmington River in Avon” webinar series.

The first-ever presentation in the series in 2021 featured Wegner and Brady, who provided an overview of what archeology is and how it is practiced in Connecticut.

The series can be viewed on the Avon Free Public Library YouTube channel.

For more details on the Brian D. Jones Paleo-Indian Site in Avon, visit: https://avonhistoricalsociety.org/paleo-indian-site/ To register for upcoming webinars, register on the Avon website library at any time.

To reserve a place for the event, click on this link.