The Jamie C. Brandon Center for Archaeological Research (JCB Center) is an organization affiliated with the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology (SCA) at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA).
The mission of the JCB Center is to promote and facilitate (1) community service and outreach programs, (2) support student-based pedagogical opportunities in archaeological fieldwork and research, (3) maintain an archaeological research program, and (4) funding to support student travel to archaeology conferences and independent research. The JCB Center also co-sponsors the (5) UCA archaeology field school, currently held each May Intersession at Camp Halsey (3FA313).
(1) Community Service and Outreach – Programs focused on community service and outreach seek to engage community members in Arkansas archaeology through public lectures and exhibits and to provide direct service to local communities, such as cemetery survey work.
- July 14, 2021. Dr. McKinnon was invited by the Arkansas Archeological Society to present an online lecture, The Use of Historical Images to Evaluate Archeological Landscapes, as part of the monthly Statewide Talk series. The lecture was recorded and is available on the JCB Center YouTube channel.
- September 2021 – current. Beginning in September 2021, the JCB Center and the Faulkner County Museum developed a program of community cemetery survey work in Faulkner County. To date, two cemeteries (Woolly; 3FA346, Estep; 3FA345) have been completed and a third is underway (McNew; 3FA347). These efforts have been community-based with support of the mayor of Greenbrier (Estep), Dr. Ben McNew (Woolly), and the McNew Cemetery Board (McNew). Results from these efforts can be viewed on the JCB Center website under Projects & Research.
- March 3 and 10, 2022. As part of Arkansas Archeology Month, Dr. McKinnon presented two lectures associated with the lecture series Gettin’ Dirty with an Arkansas Archaeologist. The theme for 2022 was Tayshas: Archaeology and Culture of the Caddo. Each lecture was an hour in length and was made available in-person and via live streaming.
- March 2022. As part of Arkansas Archeology Month, the exhibit CCC Camps in Arkansas was updated with new material and layout. The exhibit is located on the campus of UCA in Irby Hall on the third floor. It can be accessed during weekday hours when Irby Hall is open to visitors.
- May 2022. As part of the UCA archaeology field school, the JCB Center hosted a student internship from University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR). The student had the opportunity to participate with UCA students while gaining internship hours associated with UALR internship requirements.
(2) Student-Based Pedagogy and Research – Efforts centered around student-based pedagogy and research serve as an extension of the SCA department by providing specific resources (technology) and mentorship directly associated with archaeology and archaeological research.
- Archaeological Placemaking at Arkansas CCC Camps. Research undertaken by Honor’s student Ashley Hansen (UCA anthropology major) is focused on understanding the role of archaeological placemaking at CCC camps in Arkansas. Once component is the visitation and analysis of several publicly accessible CCC camps and the analysis of the ongoing process of placemaking at those sites. Dr. McKinnon has accompanied Ashley on her visits to camps included in her research (Hollis, Ozone, and Petit Jean).
- Historical Cemetery Surveys. Several visits to local historic cemeteries have included students and various opportunities to understand the value of documenting cemeteries, first-hand experience with technological tools (electrical resistivity and total station), and methods associated with photography, inventory, and preservation.
(3) Research – In addition to student-based research, is long-term research undertaken by the JCB Center. In many cases, these efforts overlap with community service where students are actively involved.
- CCC Camp Ethnography. On December 9, 2021, Dr. McKinnon met with and interviewed Mr. George Mobbs (aged 101) who was an enrollee at several CCC Camps in Arkansas (such as Camp Halsey).
- Arkansas CCC Camp Archives. Ongoing research on Arkansas CCC camps through the collection of archival information, such as camp newsletters, archaeological site forms, recording of archaeological sites, and current state of site condition. Efforts will be synthesized into manuscript form for publication. Inventory and status of Arkansas CCC camps is managed and can be viewed on the Camp Halsey website.
- Faulkner County Survey Project. In partnership with the Faulkner County Museum, the JCB Center has a long-term research project documenting and evaluating historical and archaeological resources in Faulkner County. During the 2021-2022 year the Faulkner County Survey Project visited ten historical and archaeological sites, submitted revisit forms to the Arkansas Archeological Survey on existing sites, and submitted forms for three new archaeological sites and the generation of archaeological trinomial designations.
- Bowman (3LR46). A project to synthesize material from Bowman – an Early to Middle Caddo (ca. A.D. 1000-1500) site along the Red River – is moving toward publication that will be submitted to the Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Series. To date, the research has included students with three directed studies and four conference presentations.
(4) Funding and Support – An important component of the JCB Center mission is the availability of funds to support student exposure to archaeological conferences research. Through generous donation, two funding awards were established last year.
- The Larry Halsey Archaeology Conference Award is named after Larry Halsey, a supporter of archaeological research, the sharing of archaeological information, and the encouragement of young scholars in the field of archaeology. It provides funding support to undergraduate students focused in archaeology to attend their first archaeology conference.
- The Caddo Archaeology Research Fund supports Caddo research from undergraduates, graduate students, Caddo Nation people, professional archaeologists, and avocational archaeologists.
(5) UCA Archaeology Field School – The fourth season of archaeological field work at Camp Halsey was undertaken in 2022 with seven UCA students in attendance and one UALR intern. This is part of the UCA course Field Archaeology (ANTH 4V80) where students gain credit hours doing field work at an archaeological site. The JCB Center contributes through the availability of technology associated with training students for applied careers in archaeology. This includes an FM Frobisher electrical resistivity instrument and a recently purchased Topcon GM50 total station. Students also conduct lab work in the JCB Center archaeological lab located on the UCA campus.