FORT LEE, Va. (Oct. 26, 2012) -- Fort Lee's Regional Archaeological Curation Facility marked its 10th anniversary Tuesday by honoring the woman who brought it into existence.
A magnolia tree was dedicated to Carol Anderson, who is now chief of the Environmental Management Office at the Directorate of Public Works. It was her efforts and foresight that made the facility possible, said guest speaker Jimmy Blankenship, historian and curator at the Petersburg National Battlefield.
After describing the Civil War conflicts that took place on what is today Fort Lee, Blankenship said Anderson is responsible for the "top of the line facility" where the National Park Service and other clients store artifacts. "The battlefield's entire museum collection, except what is on display, is stored in this building," he said.
"It it part of Carol's legacy, and from the park's point of view, the best part of it," said Blankenship.
When Anderson was named cultural resources manager in EMO in 1992, the first thing she ran into -- literally -- was a box of prehistoric artifacts that kept her from putting her feet under her desk.
Anderson's hard work and perseverance brought the regional center into being, said Amy Wood, current cultural resources manager.
Once she'd moved that box of archaeological artifacts, Anderson began studying Army regulations and archaeological surveys that had evaluated sites at Fort Lee. She tracked down post artifacts at Virginia Commonwealth University, the College of William and Mary, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and assorted warehouses in flood-prone areas. None of the places housing bits of history found at Fort Lee met federal standards. So, it was obvious to Anderson that Fort Lee needed a proper facility for storing and studying its artifacts.
The federal government requires archaeological surveys be done before construction starts on its lands. Artifacts that are found need to be stored in a facility that has climate controls, alarm and fire suppression systems and a back-up power supply, as Fort Lee's center does.
"I really wanted to make sure we were in compliance" with federal law, said Anderson. She also wanted researchers to have access to the artifacts. Anderson eventually got the facility the post needed and brought all of Fort Lee's scattered artifacts home.
The one-story brick building on 22nd Street off Shop Road behind the Quartermaster and U.S. Army Women's museums also stores collections for the Petersburg National Battlefield, seven other military bases and the Army Corps of Engineers. All U.S. military services have artifacts stores at RACF.
Anderson adopted a two-pronged approach to make the facility a reality. She applied for a congressional Legacy Grant and worked through the post budget process year after year after year. In 2002, she finally got sufficient money in the budget -- $300,000 -- to build the facility, but not enough to design the building or the mechanical systems.
Colleagues in DPW and DHR came to her aid. Brad Hill, the chief of Job Order Contracting, put on his architect's hat and designed the facility. Mehboob Munshi prepared the electrical plan. Joe Baassiri designed the mechanical system. Maurice Singleton, an engineering technician, was project manager for construction and kept the project within the budget. Beth Acuff, who was then Virginia state curator, advised the design team.
A curation facility with room to share was built within the allocation. Not only does it provide proper storage, but it also provides access to artifacts to scholars who want to study them. New scientific discoveries and technological advances continue to allow archaeologists to learn new things from the old artifacts.
RACF has provided emergency storage for Jamestown artifacts during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Three years later, it also provided temporary storage for a rare book collection from Petersburg that was threatened with water damage.
Visitors at the open house had a chance to view artifacts from Fort Lee and other installations that store their materials here. Spread out across one table was an impressive array of shark's teeth found on post about a week ago. Some of them date back 40 million years, said curator Amanda Vtipil. Blankenship also displayed some interesting Park Service artifacts that included a framed piece of needlework from the Eppes plantation, a photograph of the Civil War hospital that cared for 6,000-10,000 soldiers a day and a custom-made uniform for a Confederate "rich kid" that fastened with Union buttons, probably because Confederate buttons were too scarce.
"When I retire, this facility is still going to be here," Anderson said in an interview earlier this month. "The prehistory and history of Fort Lee are in good hands."
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