William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research

04/17/2026

The archaeologist's most important tool can be seen in this picture. Do you know what it is? A bunch of future scientists at Tabb Middle School do!

02/17/2026

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has posted a blog post highlighting our work at Arcola Quarters for the Enslaved: https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/blog-posts/loudoun-county-arcola-slave-quarters-archaeological-excavations-surveys/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQBXkJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJtVlZXMjQ2eE1XTVRUakt4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjZEEKSLD6IATJSADhdSdi3d1igv5chVmc-lfRCq6Rgk5jXR9NAqGeacB24v_aem_ZaEwRMB1qnGklHeVRaElrA

Staff from DHR's Review and Compliance Division reflect on the archaeological surveys conducted for a federal project on a historic site in Loudoun County and how those survey findings unearthed the human stories of enslavement, family continuity, displacement, and resilience during the antebellum a...

11/21/2025

W&M offices, including the Center for Archaeological Research, will be closed Nov. 24-28 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

11/11/2025

W&MCAR co-director Elizabeth Monroe participated in the annual Slate Seminar last month to talk about our work at the Bray/Digges (Brown/Gates) site:

In October, the W&M Bray School Lab took Bray School Stories – the popular monthly online series – on location! Genealogist Elizabeth Drembus hosted a conver...

11/07/2025

Check out our staff spotlighted in the W&M Alumni Magazine:

Archaeology at W&M deepens understanding of the historic Williamsburg Bray School

10/13/2025

Congratulations to Project Archaeologist Tom Higgins on his retirement from the W&M Center for Archaeological Research! Tom has supervised some of W&MCAR's biggest and most complex projects, including many on the W&M and VIMS campuses. We will miss his expertise in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century archaeology. We all wish you the very best as you embark on new adventures!

09/10/2025

The Center for Archaeological Research has immediate openings for archaeological field technicians. W&M has a new hiring system, so if you have applied in the past and are still interested, please re-apply and be patient with us as we all learn this new system.

This is an on-call, hourly position based in Williamsburg, Virginia. Frequent travel is the norm, but we also have work in commuting distance of the office. Lodging (single occupancy) and GSA rate per diem are provided for projects that require overnight travel from Williamsburg; no lodging/per diem is available during weekends, breaks between projects, or for projects that are considered local to Williamsburg. Hourly rates offered range from $17.50-$22/hour, commensurate with experience.

EEO is the Law. Applicants can learn more about William & Mary’s status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the "Know Your Rights" poster published by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Here is the link: https://williammary.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WM/job/Archaeological-Field-Tech_JR100826

Come join the team!

Job Requisition: JR100826 Archaeological Field Tech (Open) Job Posting Title: Archaeological Field Tech Job Family: Staff - Lab & Research Support No Of Openings: 5 Worker Sub Type: Wage-Continuing (non-benefited) Job Requisition Primary Location: William & Mary Primary Job Posting Location:...

06/22/2025

Kudos to Project Archaeologist Tom Higgins and the rest of the crew for all their hard work: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/22/williamsburg-bray-school-discovery-enslaved-children/

06/19/2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/us/bray-school-virginia-juneteenth.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Beginning on Juneteenth, a restored Virginia schoolhouse where enslaved and free Black students were taught to read is on view in Colonial Williamsburg.

06/18/2025

W&MCAR in the news:

During renovations of William & Mary’s Robert M. Gates Hall, archaeologists have uncovered a previously undocumented cellar, layered with centuries of artifacts, and the near-complete 18th-century foundation of the Williamsburg Bray School, one of the oldest known institutions in North America ded...