Forest Service Partners with Library with Educational Outreach

Photo by Eugenia Jones

By Eugenia Jones
eugenia@highland.net

In partnership with the McCreary County Library, U. S. Forest Service Stearns District archaeologist Melissa Ramsey is currently displaying posters and exhibits highlighting the archaeological and cultural heritage of the region, focusing specifically on McCreary County, the Stearns Ranger District, and the Daniel Boone National Forest.
“We are very glad to partner with the U. S. Forest Service on this project,” Library Director Grady Wilson noted.
The posters/exhibits will change out every few months. The current posters on display examine the persistent myth of Kentucky as the “Dark and Bloody Ground” and focuses on the lives of native people in “Kentucky before Boone.” The current posters are located on the right, glass side of the entryway into the library.
Future exhibit topics include the history of mining camps and the historic use of rockshelters in McCreary County and Eastern Kentucky for uses such as niter mining in the early 19th century and moonshining in the early to mid 20th century.
“It is important to let the public know what archaeology is all about especially on federal lands,” Ramsey explained. “Our mandate is to take care of resources on public land and to educate current and future generations.”

Archaeologist Melissa Ramsey and Library Director Grady Wilson are pictured above holding the current poster displays.