Dig Into the Past at Kreische Brewery’s Archeology Day Saturday

The third annual Archeology Day at Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites will be on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. With nine hands-on family activities, artifact exhibits from the Kreische collections, tours and presentations, and a special take-home prize for participants, the event is bigger and better than ever.

Sites staff and volunteers are excited to host a day full of educational programs and access to rarely seen collections from the brewery. “Archeology day is the perfect opportunity for us to share the joys of the profession and investigating the past,” says sites educator Jenny Townzen. “Not only do we simulate the field methods used by archeologists in our programming, but we also highlight the historical artifacts that help us understand more about the Kreisches and their community.”

This year, in addition to brewery tours and the attendance of our local archeological stewards, site partners will host bioprospecting walks (guided expeditions to collect yeast samples from the brewery). A series of presentations by professionals and volunteers will also inform and entertain all ages. These presentations will connect how archeology is applied in real world projects as well as highlight the various roles that one can get involved with to uncover the past.

Students will enjoy the special Field Notebook provided by the sites to guide them through the day’s activity stations. Once visitors complete these stations, they’ll receive a “Junior Archeologist” prize bag full of take-home rewards.

“Kreische Brewery is an ideal venue to better understand the importance of historical archeology and local history,” says Townzen. “Archeological methods and techniques can be applied to our recent history, even yesterday. We are still discovering information from our excavations in the 1970s and 1980s, and it only adds to our appreciation of the early community builders here in Fayette County, and Texas in general.”

Archeology Day is part of Texas Archeology Month which celebrates the state’s archeological heritage, the importance of proper archeological practices, and the contributions of professional and avocational archeologists. Events are held across the state and online during the month of October.

For more information about Archeology Day and Texas Archeology Month, please contact the sites visitors center at (979) 968-5658 or check out the sites’ social media.