Above and Beyond: The Eighth Field Season at Betty’s Hope Plantation, Antigua, West Indies

Dr. Georgia Fox 
Faculty, CSU, Chico Anthropology Department 

For eight summers, Dr. Georgia Fox has accompanied her CSU, Chico anthropology students to the West Indies island of Antigua to participate in an ongoing excavation of a 17th-Century sugar plantation. Each “dig” has revealed more about what life was like on such a plantation – and has provided Chico State students with first-hand experience in archaeological mapping and surveying, field excavation, and other aspects of archaeological field work. During the three summers of 2007-2009, remains of the Great House were revealed; in 2010, more of the Great House and the Kitchen; in 2011-2012, the rest of the Kitchen; in 2013, the Rum Distillery; and in 2014, the rest of the Rum Distillery and part of the Slave Quarters area. Plans have been made for another trip in 2015. There is a visitors center/museum on the site, and the discoveries by Dr. Fox’s students have contributed to visitors’ understanding of the site’s history. 

Recorded: October 9, 2014