The Jamie C. Brandon Center for Archaeological Research (JCB Center) is 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 (1) promote and facilitate community service and outreach programs in public archaeology, (2) support student-based pedagogical opportunities in archaeological fieldwork and research, (3) maintain regional archaeological research programs, and (4) manage funds to support student travel to archaeology conferences, independent research, and community-based archaeology projects. The JCB Center also contributes to (5) the UCA archaeology field school.
Much of this mission is fulfilled through an ongoing and active collaboration between researchers at the JCB Center and Faulkner County Museum (FCM). Beginning in 2015, the Faulkner County Survey Project (FCSP) was created to support this long-term collaboration, and to include volunteers, students, alumni, and community members (McKinnon and Ware 2017).
(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 assist local communities in historical and archaeological research projects.
(2) Student-Based Pedagogy and Research – Student-based pedagogy and research serves as an extension of the SCA department by providing resources, technology, and mentorship directly associated with regional archaeological research undertaken by undergraduate students.
- Historical Cemetery Surveys. Documentation of local historic cemeteries include students with 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, a variety of long-term research programs are undertaken by the JCB Center. In many cases, these efforts overlap with community service where students are actively involved.
- 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 conditions. In Fall 2023 Dr. McKinnon was awarded a research sabbatical to work on the manuscript, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arkansas: From Active Camps to Archaeological and Cultural Landscapes
- Bowman (3LR46). A project to synthesize material is in process with anticipation of a manuscript 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, the support of independent research, and community-based archaeology projects. These efforts are largely associate with two awards:
- 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 (CARF) supports Caddo research from undergraduates, graduate students, Caddo Nation people, professional archaeologists, and avocational archaeologists.
- Fall 2023: CARF awarded $1500 to Dr. Mary Beth Trubitt for the project, New Life to Old Collections: Revisiting a Caddo Mound Site in Clark County.
(5) UCA Archaeology Field School – The sixth season of field school undertaken in May 2024 with seven UCA students in attendance. This year students worked at Davidsonville Historic State Park (3RA40) as 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 to the field school through the availability of technology associated with training students for applied careers in archaeology. This includes an FM Frobisher electrical resistivity instrument, a Topcon GM50 total station, a DJI Mini drone, and other technologies.
More information on the Mission and Organization of the JCB Center, Advisory Board, and Dr. Jamie C. Brandon can be found at https://uca.edu/jcbcenter/