News Release

SYRACUSE — Chautauqua-Wawasee and Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum are collaborating to offer the fifth-annual series of three programs as part of the museum’s “Digging Through History” during September Archaeology Month. The programs run Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Each program features presenters with expert knowledge and provides an interactive environment for discussion and hands-on examination of artifacts. All programs are free to attend.

Thursday’s program will feature T.J. Honeycutt, who will discuss the treaty of Paradise Spring, originally known as the Treaty of Mississinewa. It was negotiated just two blocks from the current location of the Wabash County Museum. The treaty ultimately made way for the Michigan road and the Wabash-Erie canal.

Papakeechie’s Reserve was one of several reservations created by this treaty. Many of the native people who negotiated on behalf of the Miami and Potawatomi lived very close to or within what would become Wabash County. This program is at the Syracuse Community Center, starting at 6:30 p.m., and is free to attend.

Friday evening’s program will be led Lynn MacKaben Brown. She will discuss her new novel “Furs and Fevers,” which is based on Dominique Rousseau, the first permanent white resident of Kosciusko County and his life from 1825-1840. Why did a president of an international fur trade company make his home is Kosciusko County? What business obstacles did he overcome?

Brown will talk about related research principles and sources she used. Kosciusko towns and locations mentioned in the book are Leesburgh (the original spelling), Warsaw and the Oswego location of Rousseau’s last trading post. This program is at the Syracuse Community Center, starting at 6:30 p.m., and is free to attend.

Saturday’s program is specifically built for families with children. It provides six different engaging and entertaining activities for the whole family. Back by popular demand from last year is Joe Zdziebko, dressed as a 1750s French marine, who will display and discuss his equipment, uniform, musket, furs, maps, etc. He will also talk about old sayings that are still used today.

And, if you want to see how tools were created by hand, Jeff Mesaros will show you, as well as offering attendees an opportunity to try their hand. There also will be a chance to try making one.

Jamie Clemons, the director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Museum, will demonstrate a tool called “atlatl” which uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart or spear-throwing. She will also let attendees try their hand with samples.

The Saturday program runs from 10 a.m. until noon outdoors at WACF’s Ruddell Pavilion south of Syracuse at 11586 N. SR 13. All programs are free to attend.

More information may be found atchqw.org or on the Chautauqua-Wawasee Facebook site, or call Debbie at (574) 377-7543.