Local History Unearthed: The Steele Home Archeological Project | Black History Month 2024

Join us for a community information session with archaeologists from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and UT Knoxville regarding the Steele Home for Needy Children Archaeological Project. The Steele Home for Needy Children was founded by Mrs. Almira Steele, a recent arrival from Boston to Chattanooga, in 1884. The Steele Home was historically unique in that it was the only orphanage in the area who would give provisions to children who were Black, over the age of ten, disabled, or diseased. Only 18 months after she opened the orphanage, arsonists had burnt down the original wooden buildings on her property. Undaunted, she built an even larger stone and brick building to take its place. Having identified that archaeological resources remain preserved in the vicinity of the former Steele Home, these research teams are now planning for future work that will shed light on an important era of Chattanooga’s history that has historically been understudied. They are interested in community input on the future of the project, and especially any insight from people who may have any additional information about the Steele Home. Speakers: - Dr. Alison Damick  |  Associate Curator of Environmental Archaeology and Manager of the Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Tennessee Knoxville - Dr. A. Brooke Persons  |  Director of the Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology and Assistant Professor in the Department of Social, Cultural, and Justice Studies, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga