The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grant program for archaeology and history projects. Since the History Fund started in 2012, it’s made approximately 50 grants in more than 30 counties for a total of $448,000, including archaeological research, exhibit development, and site preservation. However, the Ohio History Fund has received more than 225 grant applications from 52 counties totaling $2.8 million in requests, proving that there is a great need for this grant program. The Ohio income tax check-off for the Ohio History Fund is main source of support for the grant program.
If you receive an Ohio income tax refund, you can donate all or part of it to the Ohio History Fund by writing in an amount on line 26c on your Ohio income tax return form. The goal for this year’s Ohio History Fund tax check-off is $88,000 (10% more than 2016). The more tax check-off donations the Fund receives in 2017, the more grants the program makes in 2018. Only non-profit organizations or government entities in Ohio can apply for grants.
Not receiving a refund? Other ways to support the History Fund: Ohio History “mastodon” license plate and direct, tax-deductible donations to the Ohio History Connection designated for the Ohio History Fund.
• Ohio History “mastodon” license plate, visit: http://bmv.ohio.gov/vr-sp-organization.aspx.
• To make a tax-deductible donation to the Ohio History Fund call 800.647.6921 for more information about making a gift.
To learn more, go to https://www.ohiohistory.org/preserve/local-history-services/historyfund.
Dear OAC Members,
I hope everyone’s New Year is off to a good start, and that semesters are running at full steam. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to do four things: 1) submit your current project to the Current Research section of the webpage; 2) submit your abstract for our spring meeting program; 3) submit your article to the Journal of Ohio Archaeology; and 4) encourage your colleagues, friends, and students to join the OAC.
First, as most of you know we have a “Current Research” section of our website. This section of the webpage is a great way to keep your colleagues and the public updated on what you are working on, and this can be used to build CVs for students as well. These are not peer-reviewed submissions, but our Publications Committee Chair (Brian Redmond) reviews them for formatting and some content clarity. This is a quick way to generate interest and distribute your results widely. OAC does not copyright anything submitted to this section, so you can still incorporate the content of your submission into a later publication without having to get permission. This is a great resource for both authors and the general public and we need your help increasing the content volume of this section. If you have something to submit, please send your draft to Brian at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Second, we will be having our semi-annual meeting this spring (date TBD). This meeting will not have a theme, so I openly invite anyone to send me titles and abstracts for proposed 20-minute presentations for the spring membership meeting. Also, if you know of anyone carrying out a research project that the membership would be interested in, but may not be a member, please send me recommendations.
Third, in addition to the Current Research section, we have our own, open-access, peer-reviewed journal: Journal of Ohio Archaeology. This is an under-utilized resource for us to accomplish our mission:
• To serve as a clearing house for archaeological, prehistoric, and cultural-historical data pertinent to the aboriginal peoples and the early pioneers of the State of Ohio;
• To promote the conservation and preservation of archaeological sites and records of early culture history and to develop among the general public an appreciation of these irreplaceable resources and an awareness of the need for such action
We need your submissions to keep this resource an active and useful. We have several great contributions, and we need you to keep these important conversations going. If you have a submission for JOA, please contact Brian Redmond at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Finally, we are always looking to broaden our membership to better represent the archaeological record and practice in the State of Ohio. Please encourage your students, friends, and colleagues to join. For questions about membership applications and membership categories (including a student membership category) contact the Membership Committee Chair, Anne Lee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Sincerely,
Kevin C. Nolan
President-Elect
Ohio Archaeological Council
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OAC Govt. Affairs Committee Report to Members, September 29, 2017
Al Tonetti, Chair
Ohio Assoc. of Nonprofit Organizations: We are participating in monthly legislative call updates. As a membership benefit, we spoke with an attorney about the Board’s electronic meeting and voting procedures. They need to be revised again to comply with Ohio law. We are drafting a related amendment to the Code of Regulations that members will vote on before or at the spring membership meeting. This does not apply to Committee business because Committee work is advisory to the Board, which has the corporate/legal authority. Also, OANO is monitoring Congress’ tax revision proposals for impacts to non-profit organizations.
Call Before You Dig/Ohio Utility Protection Service: Al continues to attend monthly OUPS meetings. The Public Utilities Commission is not going to require a $25 registration fee in 2018. The Ohio Utility Damage Prevention Coalition (OAC is a member) will likely meet later this year to discuss possible revisions to Ohio’s call before dig law regarding removing the local government exemption, the size and scope of large project dig tickets, a dig ticket’s expiration, the call/wait notification period, and excavation marking standards.
Human burial places: The joint OHC/SHPO/OAC Board effort was reinvigorated after a lull last winter and spring while meeting with State Representatives Scherer and Seitz. Both suggested we continue to work on this effort. The immediate need is to finish drafting the language for a bill and meet with key stakeholders. We received generally positive feedback from Federally recognized tribes through Stacey Halfmoon’s (OHC tribal liaison) efforts and look forward to more direct communication over the next few months. This summer we met with the President of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. We invited the ASO to join our working group and they accepted, and to today’s symposium on consulting with Native Americans. Al met with the Ohio state coroner’s association, who gave very positive feedback. He requested a list of contacts used for disposal of human remains that are/believed to be Native American and not under jurisdiction of coroners, and other entities used for disposal such as universities, museums, etc. He also requested data on how often coroners get involved in cases that end up not under their jurisdiction. This information is necessary to demonstrate the need for such legislation. They will reply after their 9/27 annual meeting. We are scheduling a meeting with other key stakeholders such as the Ohio Farm Bureau and real estate developers who will have concerns about property rights and the requirement to acquire permits to, and associated costs for, disturbing human burial places. Cultivated land will be exempt from the permit to disturb requirement.
We need to have a draft bill ready very early in 2018, and find legislators willing to sponsor the bill and get it drafted by the Legislative Service Commission. 2018 is last year of the biennial legislative cycle. We would like to have the bill ready for Statehood Day on March 1, 2018 so participants can speak with their legislators about the bill. Our next group meeting will be Oct. 10 at SHPO to finish drafting the bill. Al requests that members contact him ASAP about their experiences with the discovery of human burial places. We must demonstrate the need to revise Ohio law concerning this issue.
SHPO/Dept. of Administrative Services mtg. on disposal of state land: This spring, the DAS removed the disposal of land in Ross County where known archaeological and human burial sites exist (e. g., Kramer Mound and Village, and Shriver Circle) from the biennial budget bill. SHPO and DAS met in early August to discuss related issues. There will be a follow-up meeting this fall to discuss how to avoid such issues in the future. The OAC and the Heartland Earthworks Conservancy brought this matter to DAS and SHPOs attention last spring.
Trump executive order on national monuments: Interior Secretary Zinke’s report has been submitted to the President. Despite overwhelming public support for national monument designations by Presidents, Zinke is focusing on opponent’s efforts to rescind or reduce the areas of some Bush and Obama-era designations in order to maintain and increase multiple uses such as grazing, timber harvesting, mining, hunting, fishing, and motorized recreation.
Historic Preservation Fund: The House version of the FY 2018 budget would increase funds proposed to be cut by the President by $5.5 million, restoring the HPF to FY17 enacted levels. The House Interior Appropriations bill now includes the following levels of funding for the HPF:
• SHPOs: $47.925 million
• THPOs: $10.485 million
• Civil Rights Grants: $13 million
• Save America's Treasures Grants: $5 million
• HBCU Preservation Program: $4 million
• Underserved Communities Grants: $500,000
The Senate has yet to release an FY18 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The government will operate under FY2017 spending levels through mid-December. By that time, Congress and the White House will have to do one of two things: reach an agreement on overall spending levels for the next four or five years, and that raises the debt limit and contains an omnibus appropriations bill for FY2018; or give up on a new budget deal for now and simply extend FY2017 spending levels through FY2018.
Section 106 consultations:
• Judge Barker House (USACE project, Washington County, archaeology at NRHP-listed building) Ongoing consultation on conducting archaeological investigations, and a memorandum of agreement/MOA concerning the likely demolition of the building.
• Buckeye Lake (USACE project, Fairfield and Licking counties, historical/shipwreck archaeology). Al attended June 19 consulting party mtg. The MOA was redrafted to include stipulations for 5-year duration, monitoring of Black Diamond shipwreck reburial in the lake, and presentation at 2018 OAC mtg. It will be circulated for signing in early October. The OAC is a concurring party. The Buckeye Lake Historical Society is an invited signatory.
• Maumee River Bridge (USACE/ODOT project, Henry County, prehistoric archaeology). The MOA has been executed. Data recovery will occur at site 33HY167 (Late Archaic and Middle Woodland through Late Prehistoric site). The Miami Tribe is an invited signatory; the OAC and Eastern Shawnee Tribe are concurring parties. The MOA includes preparation of an article for unspecified peer-review journal. The OAC will request an article be submitted for our Journal of Ohio Archaeology.
• Stuart Station MOA amendments (USACE project, Adams County, prehistoric archaeology on multiple sites with human burials). Amendments to the original MOA were executed. The OAC is a concurring party. The Absentee Shawnee, Delaware, Eastern Shawnee, Keeweenaw Bay Indian Community, Miami, Pokagon Band Potawatomi, Seneca, and Shawnee tribes are invited signatories.
9:30-10am: Coffee & pastries
10-11:20am: Archaeological Recovery of an Historic Ottawa Burial on Ewing Island, Lucas County, Ohio (33LU805) Linda Pansing, Juli Six, William H. Pickard
11:20-11:30am: Break
11:30am-12:30pm: OAC Business meeting
12:30-1:30pm: Lunch on your own, food trucks scheduled to be in parking lot or see attached list of local eateries
1:30-1:50pm: NAGPRA at Ball State University: Respecting the Past; Building Relationships for the Future Christine Thompson, Kevin C. Nolan, and S. Homes Hogue
1:50-2:10pm: Consultation Beginnings at the Cincinnati Museum Center
Robert A. Genheimer, George Rieveschl Curator of Archaeology and Tyler Swinney, Tribal Liaison/NAGPRA Coordinator
2:10-2:30pm: Developing TCPs for the Ohio Valley Jay Toth, Seneca Nation
2:30-2:50pm: Geophysical Survey and the Search for Graves: Cemeteries and other Unmarked Settings Jarrod Burks, Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc.
2:50-3:10pm: Recent and Ongoing Tribal Consultations with Huntington District, Developing Effective Collaboration with Tribal Partners Rodney Parker, USACE, Huntington District
3:10-3:30pm: Break
3:30-4:30pm: Panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Kevin Pape, Gray & Pape
-Ben Barnes, Second Chief, The Shawnee Tribe
-Stacey Halfmoon, Director of American Indian Relations, Ohio History Connection
-Ernie Ladkani, Senior Advisor for Environmental Planning & Permitting at TransCanada
-Earl Evans, Gray & Pape Tribal Engagement Specialist
The meeting will be held in the 3rd Floor Classroom at the Ohio History Center (800 E. 17th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211).
As noted above, we expect there to be food trucks in the parking lot and there is a list of places to eat nearby. Of course, you are welcome to bring your own lunch as well. If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you!
We hope to see you there!
Erica L. Schneider, MA, RPA
OAC Secretary
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Drs. Mike Shott (University of Akron) and Kevin Nolan (Ball State University) have organized the Central Ohio Archaeological Digitization Survey (COADS) to undertake a concerted effort to engage the artifact collectors and archaeology enthusiasts in central Ohio in building out a more complete and more accessible record of the prehistoric past of the region. Recognizing that the vast majority of artifacts and sites are contained in private collections, Shott and Nolan seek to bridge this void in the academic record of the region. The full story of how prehistoric cultures coped with adversity and environmental change demands incorporating into archaeological research the knowledge that resides in private collections. The Central Ohio Archaeological Digitization Survey (COADS) is the first systematic effort to map and digitize collections from a specific region of the United States, the remarkable prehistoric landscape of Ohio's central Scioto Valley. One of its chief innovations is to treat local knowledge as integral to the archaeological record and research. In the process, COADS documents prehistoric cultural transitions as responses to population growth, economic change, and landscape development. It uses archaeology's unique perspective to study tempo and mode of long-term technological change. COADS integrates the materials from private collections with previous site- and region-based analyses into a composite model of distribution of human activity on the landscape over time. Previous work constructed a mutually reinforcing model of transition from mobility to residential stability (i.e., more sedentary populations) concomitant with a shift to increasing focus on, and eventual domestication of, seed crops.
If you would like to be a part of this research effort, please contact Kevin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 765-285-5325). You can also check us out on Facebook.
Attention OAC Members:
Mark your calendars for the Fall 2017 Ohio Archaeological Council Membership Meeting and Symposium to be held Friday September 29, 2017 at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.
The theme for the symposium is Consulting with American Indians.
For this symposium we are soliciting presentations addressing the following:
- Examples of working with NAGPRA- the good and the bad and lessons learned; creating inventories and summaries; tribal consultation concerning human remains and/or TCPs/sacred sites
- Working with or in the absence of state or federal laws regarding human burial sites and remains and sacred sites/TCPs- including an update on the current effort in Ohio to improve the protection of human burial places
- Tribal perspectives and related matters
If you would like to present on these or related topics please submit an abstract to Andy Sawyer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) no later than September 8, 2017.
Tentative schedule: Friday September 29, 2017
9:30-10am refreshments
10-11:40am presentations (five @ 20 minutes each)
11:40am-12:30pm OAC Business meeting
12:30-1:30pm Lunch: Food Trucks at OHC or on your own
1:30-3:10pm presentations (five @ 20 minutes each)
3:10-4:00pm presenter/panel discussion and Q&A
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Andy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Thank you!