History
The Loudoun Archaeological Foundation, Inc. was founded in January, 2007 by Dr. David T. Clark as a nonprofit organization under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Clark, a resident of Loudoun County, has been a professional archaeologist for more than thirty-five years and teaches at both The Catholic University of America and the Loudoun Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. He also serves as the Head of the Catholic University Zoo-Archaeological Laboratory, and is a Board member for The Historic Preservation Program at the NVCC Loudoun Campus, Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, and Thunderbird Archaeological Foundation.
The occasion of the year 2007 as the 250th Anniversary of the establishment of Loudoun County gave particular impetus for the creation of the Foundation at that time.
Dr. Clark has participated at many archaeological research projects in the United States and abroad. He has conducted numerous archaeological projects in the DC/Virginia Metro area. Some of the more significant of his regional projects include: the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter (an early prehistoric site in Southwestern Pennsylvania), Dissertation research at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, and the Archaeological/Public Education Project on Maui, Hawaii.
The recovery of human remains from air crashes during the World War II and the Vietnam War also has been a focus of Dr. Clark's archaeological career. In 1993-1994, he assisted the U. S. Department of Defense, Central Identification Laboratory, Hickam Air Force Base on recovery efforts of missing-in-action association with air crashes from those wars. The summer of 1993 focused on the excavation and recovery of the aircrew remains from a B-17F missing since 1943 in Papua New Guinea.
More recently, Dr. Clark was involved in an underwater archaeological investigation of the Queen Anne's Revenge, a ship captained by the infamous Edward Teach (more widely known as Blackbeard the Pirate), which was sunk at Beaufort Inlet, near Charleston, South Carolina in late May of 1716. Dr. Clark was responsible for the analysis of animal remains found in that shipwreck so as to gather information on the foodways of that pirate crew.
Purposes of the Foundation
The major goals of the Loudoun Archaeological Foundation include scientific archaeological research and “whole community” archaeological public education and preservation/conservation of the cultural and natural resources of Loudoun County and environs. A concern for the negative impact of current fast-paced urban and suburban development on the heritage resources in Loudoun County and elsewhere in Northern Virginia and a rapidly growing community’s unfamiliarity with its rich, diverse cultural history led to the creation of the foundation. Community-service (free) archaeological research/educational programs are key to the foundation’s mission. The purpose is to first promote the community’s appreciation and understanding of its historic/prehistoric heritage while raising awareness of its endangerment. The primary program goals of the Foundation are to:
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Conduct yearly scientific archaeological research/investigations as a means of educating the public regarding local/regional cultural resources.
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Expand the current list/inventory of over a thousand archaeological sites in Loudoun County.
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Tailor archaeological education programs to the “whole community” (all ages, sectors of the community) from public/private school systems to senior groups.
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Acquire certain endangered historic/prehistoric structures/properties in Loudoun County for archaeological education/preservation purposes.
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Work cooperatively with Virginia state and local government historic preservation agencies and local business and preservation groups
Board of Directors and Officers
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David T. Clark, PhD., Chairman & Executive Director/Principal Investigator
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Tom Hyland, Member & Secretary-Treasurer
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Joanna Costen, Member
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Kathryn A. Miller, Member
Advisory Board
[Coming Soon]
Committees
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Archives & Research
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Business Community Outreach
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Communications
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Education
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Finance
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Governmental Relations
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Institutional Development & Marketing