2025 SCRAP Field School!

The 2025 NH State Conservation and Rescue Archaeology Program (SCRAP) archaeology field school is structured in two sessions, each two weeks long (June 16 – June 27 and June 30 – July 11). Fieldwork will take place daily on weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM. Attendance on Friday, July 4 will be optional due to the holiday.

Sessions 1 and 2 will take place at Mollidgewock State Park in the town of Errol, NH. Field school participants will engage in excavation on a terrace of the Androscoggin River containing pre-contact Native American deposits focusing on an intact feature and artifact concentrations identified during previous field investigations. Students will document specific activity areas that are associated with the site. Data recovery techniques, artifact identification, and excavation documentation skills will be taught.

Primitive camping (i.e., no showers or flush toilets) is available at the Mollidgewock State Park campground; however, participants must make their own arrangements by visiting the state park’s facility reservation website https://newhampshirestateparks.reserveamerica.com/.

Individuals interested in participating should complete the program form found on the back of this flyer and include a brief statement describing their reasons for wanting to participate in the field school. There is a $50 participation fee to help the program defray costs of supplies and instructional materials. Successful participation at the field school will earn credit toward SCRAP certification for Survey and/or Excavation Technician status.

Please note that participation involves somewhat arduous tasks that require the ability to spend a great deal of time routinely standing, bending, crouching, kneeling, lifting, and walking in highly variable weather conditions.

Fieldwork and instruction will be directed by Mark Doperalski, an archaeologist with the NH Division of Historical Resources. The field school will conform to standards for archaeology set by the National Park Service.