Archaeological dig comes to Red Bay
By Tyler Hargett for the FCT
tyler.hargett@fct.wpengine.com
The City of Red Bay is getting some “new digs” – literally. Beginning March 1 through the start of spring break, an archaeological dig will be taking place at Cypress Cove Farm, directed by Red Bay resident Jamie Morrow and Dr. Virgil Beasley.
The dig will be a follow-up to two that happened around ten years ago at the same area, and with educational grant funding from Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, 12th grade students from across Franklin County will get the chance to participate.
Johnny Mack Morrow said he has long been interested in hosting another archaeological dig after seeing “the education value the first one had for the children that participated.” With his annual educational funding allocation from the legislature, he was able to make it happen, providing $15K to see it through.
Johnny Mack Morrow said he reached out to the Red Bay Civitans, who instituted the Red Bay Museum, to gauge their interest in sponsoring and coordinating the dig. Civitans Bobby Forsythe and Brenda Hall, who are both former educators, will coordinate with local science teachers to invite select students to participate. “I want all the children in the county that are chosen by their science teachers as good candidates,” Johnny Mack Morrow said. “I want children down there who will really benefit.”
Franklin County Schools Superintendent Greg Hamilton said he thinks the dig will be a great opportunity for the students who participate. “I’m extremely excited about that. Any activity like that is beneficial to the students,” Hamilton said. “Anything we can do to further their education or create interest in education – I’m all for it.”
Museum Director Scotty Kennedy said the Red Bay Museum will benefit from the opportunity to house and display any items discovered in the dig, as an addition to the collection of artifacts unearthed in the previous digs. The museum also lined up some additional funding by seeking a Franklin County Community Development Commission grant.
In the previous digs, Jamie Morrow, who is Johnny Mack Morrow’s niece, and local students unearthed artifacts from Paleo, Archaic and Woodland times, as well as some from the Mississippian culture. This time, Jamie Morrow will be joined by professional Alabama archaeologists in order to unearth more artifacts from the Mississippian culture and hopefully “complete Scotty’s collection.” She said she also hopes to have a community day for local citizens to participate and observe, as well as arrange a field trip for the Alabama Archaeological Society to come down and participate in the dig.
“It’s a big project,” Johnny Mack Morrow said. “Without her it couldn’t happen.”
Jamie Morrow said she has high hopes for the dig and would love to see it become an annual event, should grant money be available.
“It’s a way to get the community involved with each other,” she said. “With everything displayed in the museum, it’s just a full circle of education, (with) the museum completing that circle.”
Morrow originally worked as an assistant archaeologist at an archaeology firm before leaving the field in 2009, as it involved of a lot of time away from home and her family. She currently works with her husband, Bill Morrow, with his UAV/GIS business, Zen Geospatial Solutions. Bill Morrow will perform geographic information system work for the dig.
For more information on the dig, contact the Red Bay Museum or visit the dig’s official Facebook page, Cypress Cove Farm Archaeology.
