Students receive practical archeology experience in Simcoe County

Students from St. Joseph's High School in Barrie search for artifacts at Historic Fort Willow

Students in Simcoe County are getting hands on experience in the archeology field thanks to a field placement program.

The program is celebrating its 20th season of excavation at Fort Willow.

The program is run by St. Joseph’s high school teacher Trevor Carter, who is also a licensed archeologist.

Grade 11 and 12 students are able to enroll in the class and spend three months in the classroom, followed by a six-week field placement at Fort Willow.

“It’s their chance to do real hands on research and most of them love history,” said Carter. “They’re adding to the story of our local history, of our national history with the War of 1812.”

According to the Fort Willow website, the fort was used as a supply depot during the War of 1812.

The area was also a major transportation route known as the Nine Mile Portage.

Students have been finding artifacts buried deep into the ground.

“We found some ceramic, some pieces of what might be teapots or bowls. also some cookware, which would make a lot of sense because, the previous archeologists said that it was a cookhouse and a barracks,” said Sloane Mills, a grade 11 student.

Jaclyn Ford, another student enrolled in the program was digging near the soldiers barracks.

We are supposed to be finding plates and the sort of things that would be owned by the soldiers," said Ford. “We are also finding things like fossilized coral, and we found lots of brick, lots of charcoal, a lot of wood chips, that sort of thing.”

Mills added she is thankful for the experienced gained at the archeological site.

“Normally have to go to university to take something like this, so to be able to be in high school and be doing an actual archeology dig, I, I’m so happy that I’ve had this opportunity,” said Mills.

“It’s hands on research and they’ve never had a chance to do this kind of thing before, so it’s very new to them and important,” said Carter

The six week field placement at Fort Willow takes place every second year as reports from previous findings take time to study.