Wesleyan Archaeology & Collections Public Open House 2025
Saturday, March 1, 2025
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Exley Science Center – 265 Church St, Middletown, CT 06459
Pre-Open House Events
Don’t miss these events leading up to the open house
1-1:45 pm (Exley 121): Wangunk History Panel, hosted by the Middlesex County Historical Society.
Open House Events
Exley Science Center Patio & Lobby
Welcome Table
Check-in here to pick up your program. Return before you leave for a free prize!
Flint Knapping Demonstration and Experimental Archaeology
Watch Prof. Jayson Gill and students in the Experimental Archaeology course create stone tools and other objects using traditional techniques.
Paleoanthropology and Human Origins
Touch replica fossils of our ancient ancestors.
Exley Lobby Exhibits
View exhibits of fossils and other objects from the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History and George Brown Goode Biological Collections on display in many parts of the Exley lobby. Don’t miss Shelly the glyptodon at the entrance of the Science Library.
Tree Rings
On your way to the elevators, check out this natural record of local history!
Exley Science Center 3rd Floor
Animal Bones in the Environmental Archaeology Lab (Exley 351)
Identify mystery bones, touch replica scat (yuck!), and put together a complete animal skeleton.
3D Scanning Demonstrations (Exley 351)
Learn how Wesleyan students are using digital models for 3D printing, virtual accessibility, and exhibits.
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Shuar Collections (Exley 351)
Hear about student research on cultural objects from Ecuador.
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Hopi Collections (Exley 309)
Learn about an early 20th-century Hopi collection of pottery, basketry, and more.
African Material Cultures @Wes Initiative (Exley 309)
Hear about student research on early 19th-century African objects from Wesleyan’s collections.
Historic Coin Collections (Exley 309)
View coins from around the world.
Exley Science Center 4th Floor
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Local Native American Stone Tools (Exley 405)
Make your own replica projectile point out of clay as you learn about local Native American artifacts found in Middletown and surrounding areas.
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Historic Middletown Collections (Exley 405)
Observe artifacts excavated by Wesleyan faculty and students from local sites such as the Beman Triangle.
Institute for American Indian Studies (Exley 405)
Explore “hands on history” activities with the IAIS.
Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (Exley 405)
Explore public outreach materials related to Connecticut archaeology with FOSA.
Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History
Join student and faculty-led tours of the museum to see our exhibits of fossils, rocks, minerals, and more! Also don’t miss our displays of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, the ‘dinosaurs of the oceans’.
Rocks and Minerals Under the Microscope
Examine Wesleyan’s rock and mineral collections up close!
This event is hosted by the Environmental Archaeology Laboratory, Archaeology & Anthropology Collections, Wesleyan Archaeology Program, Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History, the George Brown Goode Biological Collections, and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Parking
Exley Science Center is located within Wesleyan University’s campus at 265 Church St, Middletown, CT 06459. Accessible parking is available in the D Lot on Lawn Avenue, which is located behind the Science Center. Additional parking is available in the U Lot located on Pine Street by the Freeman Athletic Center and the V Lot on Vine Street. Please see the parking map below.
