The House that Freedom Built: St. Croix, USVI

The Stanford Archaeology Center plans to offer the lab experience in Summer 2025. 

The dates of this field experience offering will be June 15 - July 16 2025.

Undergraduate Field Experience

This immersive experience aims to deepen students' understanding of archaeology while fostering meaningful community relationships.

The field experience focuses on archaeological research in East St. 18 B Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Led by Dr. Ayana Omilade Flewellen, this project aims to uncover the history and material culture of the Free Gut community, a vibrant group of free African and Afro-Caribbean individuals who thrived from 1743 to 1917.

Students will engage in hands-on excavation techniques, focusing on uncovering artifacts from the 18th to 20th centuries, which provide insights into the daily lives and resilience of these communities.

The project emphasizes the importance of community engagement, including collecting oral histories from descendants to enrich the archaeological findings.

Participants will receive training in artifact analysis, cataloging, and historical research, fostering skills essential for careers in archaeology and anthropology.

What Will You Do

  • Archaeological Excavation
  • Archaeological Research
  • Artifact Analysis
  • Cataloging
  • Community Engagement
  • Team Collaboration

Requirements for Participation

  • Students accepted to our field experiences are required to participate in pre-departure meetings with the faculty leader of their program in the quarter prior to departure. Each field experience has different pre-departure requirements that will be communicated by the faculty leader. 
  • Upon their return to Stanford, the Archaeology Center requires that all field experience students participate in SURPS (Symposia for Undergraduate Research and Public Service). Students from each field experience are expected to work together to complete an application, prepare a poster, and present at the SURPS event on the Friday of the reunion homecoming weekend.
  • Each of our field experiences is part of an ongoing research project led by a Stanford faculty member. While in the field, undergraduates are expected to contribute to the team effort of the archaeological project at the faculty member's direction. Fieldwork can take the form of a number of different activities, from clearing undergrowth in preparation for excavation to laboratory analysis of archaeological samples. Each day's activities can look different, and may change depending on the evolving direction of the research. Students participating in a field experience should be prepared to be flexible and responsive to the instructions of the faculty member or other senior project staff.

Application Information

  • This field experience opportunity is open to all undergraduates except graduating seniors.
  • Undergraduates from all majors are encouraged to apply.
  • No prior knowledge of archaeology is required, although we prefer to support students who will pursue an archaeology-centered career. All necessary training will be provided while in the field.
  • Acceptance to the field experience comes with funding for eligible expenses subject to the budget of the project. The Archaeology Center will issue a one-time stipend at the beginning of the project. Students will be informed of the stipend limit. 
  • Stipend amounts will be determined by VPUE and communicated to students when they are accepted to the field experience.
  • Students who plan to participate in an archaeology field experience cannot receive a major grant or a Chappell-Lougee scholarship within the same academic year as their field experience.

Learn more about general field or lab experience opportunities with the Stanford Archaeology Center.

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