Emily Warner, right, with the USA Center for Archaeological Studies, and Thomas Grace, with Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting, bisect a feature in the soil at a site that is along the route for a proposed Mobile Bay bridge.

Center for Archaeological Studies

The Center for Archaeological Studies conducts archaeological research, teaching, and public service in the north-central Gulf Coast region. The Center promotes the archaeological study and appreciation of the region's prehistoric and historic past; disseminates to the public information about the region's archaeology; and preserves archaeological evidence of the region's past for future study, use, and enjoyment. The Center involves students in research projects, providing hands-on experience in archaeology.

Our staff has carried out over 1,000 survey and excavation projects during the last thirty years. Ground-breaking research at sites like Old Mobile and Port Dauphin revealed much about Alabama's earliest colonial history. The rapid pace of modern development has also led us to study sites like Bottle Creek, the Exploreum, and Dog River Bridge, where Indigenous People, French, British, Spanish, and Early American settlers left their marks on the landscape.


 

  Latest News and Research
Jewett's Mill and Labor Organizing in Reconstruction-Era Mobile
Jewett's Mill and Labor Organizing in Reconstruction-Era Mobile
Thursday - August 29, 2024
In 1867, Black workers at the mills and docks along the Mobile riverfront went on strike for higher wages. We excavated Jewett's Mill, the site of one strike, for the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project.
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Mapping Memory: Our Alley
Mapping Memory: Our Alley
Wednesday - June 5, 2024
Of the many noteworthy locations nestled within the Down the Bay neighborhood, sat "Our Alley."
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The Virginia Street Site and Mobile's Streetcar History
The Virginia Street Site and Mobile's Streetcar History
Tuesday - May 28, 2024
A 1916 streetcar token provides a window into the daily lives of past Mobilians and show us the importance of public transportation for people who lived Down the Bay in the early 20th century.
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