Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Research in Texas

Faculty and students in the Department of Anthropology engage with archaeological, museums, and cultural heritage professionals, as well as community groups and members, in the work of learning and teaching about the history of African Americans in Texas.

History of Projects

Rice's research in Texas archaeology and cultural heritage began in 2008 and has progressed through a series of archaeological field techniques seasons, more recently expanding to encompass Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage at Varner-Hogg Plantation. The Archaeological Field Techniques class has been actively involved in African American archaeology in Houston for several years, working on urban sites in Houston’s Fourth Ward, also known as Freedmans Town as well as on the African American history of Camp Logan, a WWI training camp that once stood in what is Memorial Park today. In 2018 the class was held at the nearby Levi Jordan plantation. New research at Varner Hogg will build on our past work and continue to expose the important history of African Americans in Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries.