Alexandra Walton, M.A., RPA

Experience

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  Institute for Field Research

  Jun 2014 - Jul 2014

  Field Crew Member, Geoarchaeological Shoreline Project

  The Institute for Field Research partnered with the Connecticut College to offer a 4-week field peer-reviewed field school (8 upper-division undergraduate units). The Cephalonia Archaeological Shoreline Project examines the cultural significance of the ancient coastal zone of Cephalonia by placing archaeological sites in their original paleogeographic context through the incorporation of geoarchaeology, geology, and oceanography. • Performed phase I reconnaissance surveys (documenting artifact scatters, ancient sites, and shipwrecks using GPS technology and underwater photography) along the coast and in the waters of the Mediterranean.• Recorded geological features using Q-GIS.• Learned prehistoric artifact identification including lithics, pottery, and shell.• Completed an independent research project examining the effects of seismology and geology on coastal populations and settlements. Results were presented at a local research symposium. Show less

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  National Park Service

  Jun 2015 - Jun 2015

  Volunteer Excavator, Ojibwe Village Salvage Archaeology Project

  Erosion and wave action threatened a site in close proximity to the Lake Superior shoreline. National Park archaeologists and volunteers responded by excavating the site, which contained artifact deposits from centuries of occupation by Grand Portage Ojibwe families in what was once the core area of the Grand Portage Reservation Village. • Acquired knowledge of balk and grid excavation using archaeological tools including trowels, screens, line levels, brushes, etc.• Completed Munsell and soil classification analysis.• Gained experience with historical artifact identification, including smoking pipes, beads, buckles, nails, glass, metal, ceramic, and mammal bones.• Collaborated with Indigenous students and Indigenous community members during excavation. Show less

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  University of California, Berkeley

  Jan 2016 - May 2016

  Geoarchaeological Analyst, Fort Davis Archaeological Project (FODAAP)

  I performed geoarchaeological analyses for Dr. Lisa Maher for one semester, while working on the Fort Davis Archaeology Project through UC Berkeley's Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP).• Completed loss on ignition analysis in order to determine organic content in samples.• Conducted pH analysis of archaeological sediments.• Sorted archaeological materials from flotation including metal, glass, ceramic, bone, shell, charcoal, lithics, and organic material.• Digitized excavation profile maps with Adobe Illustrator for use in publication. Show less

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  University of California, Berkeley

  Aug 2016 - Jul 2018

  The Samuel Adams Lime Kiln Project was a collaborative research project between the Anthropology Department at UC Berkeley and California State Parks. The Samual Adams Lime Kiln complex was a small pluralistic company town in operation between 1858 and 1909 in the western foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The goal of this project was to better understand the everyday lives and relations of a diverse set of laborers who lived and worked at the site.Fieldwork (4 weeks)• Excavated multiple units both individually and as a collective group.• Completed precise wall and floor profile maps.• Carried our Munsell and soil classification analysis.• Meticulously recovered historical artifacts, including buttons (prosser, metal, and bone), mammal bones, glass bottles, nails, can fragments, leather work boots (completely intact), limestone bricks, and wooden planks. • Provided public site tours discussing recent finds, the site's history, and the project's goals.Lab Work• Accurately transcribed field journals digitally.• Analyzed various types of historic artifacts (ceramic, glass, metal); identified and dated ceramic and glass maker marks.• Completed flotation and sorting of heavy and light fraction materials.• Authored an independent research paper examining the lives of immigrant workers of the site that was presented at the UC Berkeley Anthropology Undergraduate Association Research Symposium. Show less I worked on the Fort Davis Archaeology Project through UC Berkeley's Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) with Dr. Laurie Wilkie. The project focuses on the lifeways and interactions between residents and military personnel that lived at Fort Davis (located in Jeff Davis County, Texas) during the period of reconstruction (1867-1891) through the early 20th century. The interrelationships among residents of different ethnic, racial, and gender identities were of particular interest. • Identified and cataloged over 1,000 historic and prehistoric artifacts (lithics, shells, building materials, ceramic, metal, plastic, rubber).• Completed typological analysis, curation, and cataloging of a glass assemblage numbering over 250 sherds and identified and researched numerous glass company maker’s marks.• Created an original research project focused on the Fort Davis Casa Vieja adobe structure assemblage examining frontier mythology and household material culture. Results were presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology conference in 2018.• Reconstructed several glass bottles by piecing together fragments. • Analyzed archival records (property deeds, army supply records, census records).• Washed, sorted, and reorganized thousands of artifacts.• Photographed numerous artifacts (with white background, scale, and context information). Show less

  • Archaeological Technician and Lab Assistant, Samuel Adams Limekiln Archaeological Project (SALK)

    May 2017 - Jul 2018

  • Archaeological Research Assistant, Fort Davis Archaeological Project (FODAAP)

    Aug 2016 - Dec 2017
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  Cornell University

  Aug 2018 - Aug 2021

  My thesis investigates Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca Iroquois) iron and lead use, modification, and remanufacture to examine potential changes in construction methods, warfare tactics, hunting practices, and lead smithing techniques that may have occurred in response to turbulent times at the White Springs site (circa1688-1715). White Springs was founded after a French-led invasion had destroyed four major Onöndowa'ga:' settlements. A practice-based approach was employed to reconcile the seemingly contradictory concepts of tradition and innovation and refute colonialist assumptions of cultural loss and decline. • Conducted original archaeological scholarship by synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data from archeological sites, Indigenous burial records, ethnographies, archival documents, statistical analyses, and x-ray technology (radiographs).• Researched, identified, and cataloged over 2,000 Indigenous and Euroamerican historical artifacts from the White Springs site, including 31 lead and iron objects modified into more "traditional" forms. • Respectfully examined Indigenous burial objects and sensitive records from multiple Hodinöhsö:ni' (Iroquois) sites as a visiting scholar at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC).• Presented an online Zoom guest lecture in Dr. Kurt Jordan’s course “Analyzing the Archaeological Record: The White Springs Site” that discussed Onöndowa'ga:' trade object modification. Show less • Researched, identified, and cataloged numerous historic and prehistoric artifacts (metal, ceramic, glass, lithics) for the White Springs archaeological project. White Springs was a Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca Iroquois) village occupied from approximately 1688-1715.• Authored artifact analysis and curation guides for iron and lead objects.• Reorganized archaeological materials (especially lithics) by separating artifacts into relevant subcategories and optimizing how the artifacts were rehoused.• Trained undergraduate and graduate students in the project's data management practices. Show less Fieldwork in Urban archaeology was a hands-on field course taught by Dr. Sherene Baugher that I took for graduate credit at Cornell University. Archaeological excavations occurred at Treman State Park, the former location of Enfield Falls. Enfield Falls was a small town occupied from 1817 to the mid-1920s that contained a tourist hotel, 28 homes, a school, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and two cemeteries. Excavations occurred at the hotel and the home of the hotel's owner, Henrietta Wickham.• Mentored undergraduate students in regards to artifact identification, excavation techniques, and site interpretation.• Excavated multiple units across the site and completed numerous shovel test pits.• Accurately completed field forms and a field journal containing context information, observations, hand-drawn maps and drawings, and current site interpretations.• Served as a tour guide for members of the public.• Assisted undergraduates with lab analysis (glass bottle reconstruction, identification, sorting, etc.). Show less

  • Master's Candidate

    Sept 2018 - Aug 2021

  • Graduate Research Assistant, White Springs Archaeological Project

    Sept 2018 - Aug 2019

  • Urban Archaeology Graduate-Level Field Course

    Aug 2018 - Dec 2018
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  Chronicle Heritage

  Jul 2023 - Jun 2024

  Staff Archaeologist
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  AECOM

  Jun 2024 - now

  Archaeologist