Here’s the latest in our series of entertaining interviews with a diverse array of your fellow SHA members. Meet a member for the first time or learn something about a colleague that you never knew before. This blog series also offers current members an opportunity to share their thoughts on why SHA membership is important (Camaraderie? Professional service? Exchange of ideas in conference rooms and beyond? You tell us!). If you would like to be an interviewee, please email the Membership Committee Social Media Liaisons Eleanor Breen (eabreen@mountvernon.org) or Kim Pyszka (kmpyszka@aum.edu).

An Interview with Jason Williams (jw.trowelandtruth@gmail.com), a Project Director currently based in Denver, Colorado, though he’s originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Jason has directed numerous archaeological surveys and excavations across the American West and Midwest, from 19th-century mining towns in Colorado to industrial sites in his home state. In recent years, he’s focused on community-engaged urban archaeology in the Rockies. An active SHA member since his graduate school days, he’s collaborated with many colleagues and values the Society’s emphasis on ethics and professional development.

Fieldwork or labwork?

I’ll always pick fieldwork first. There’s nothing like standing on a dig, trowel in hand, uncovering the layers of history beneath your boots. That said, I deeply respect labwork too. Once the artifacts are in the lab, we can study them closely, do chronometric testing, and piece together the big picture. In fact, as a Project Director, I split my time coordinating both. I love orchestrating a field crew and then returning to the lab to see what our finds tell us. So in my work, both halves of archaeology complement each other, even if the field is always where it starts for me.

What would be your dream site to work at?

I’ve always been fascinated by Colorado’s railroad and mining history, so one dream site is the Alpine Tunnel station high in the Rockies. The Colorado Railroad Museum notes that Alpine Tunnel was “the highest non-cog section of railroad in the world.” - coloradorailroadmuseum.org. Imagine finding artifacts from 1880s engineers and miners at nearly 11,000 feet in altitude. I picture uncovering old ticket stubs, lanterns, tools or even personal items that tell the story of that high-country crew. Another dream project would be excavating a frontier trading post on the Mississippi River, where Native American trade networks met early settlers. The mix of French, American, and indigenous artifacts there would reveal so much about those cultural interactions. In either case, the goal is the same: find those everyday objects that really bring ordinary people of the past to life.

What are you currently reading?

I’m diving into Bonnie J. Clark’s Finding Solace in the Soil: An Archaeology of Gardens and Gardeners at Amache. It’s a fascinating study of WWII-era gardening by Japanese Americans imprisoned at the Amache relocation camp in Colorado. The book weaves together artifact analysis and oral histories to show how these gardens shaped community. A great example of how material culture and history connect. I’m also revisiting Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harari’s broad view of human history is a great counterpoint to my day-to-day work on specific sites, and it’s packed with insights that make me think about our places in history more deeply.

In addition, I’ve got Back of the Big House by John Michael Vlach on my shelf. It examines slave quarters on Southern plantations through architecture and interviews – important reading that highlights how underrepresented voices are reflected in the archaeological record. Finally, I stay up to date with local projects. For instance, I recently read the Colorado Archaeological Society’s newsletter about the Astor House community dig in Golden (summer 2021). That report on excavating a 19th-century hotel’s yard was really interesting – it shows how community archaeology today reveals even familiar places in our state. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid in Indiana, I was always outside, building forts and imagining adventures. For the longest time, I told folks I wanted to be a park ranger or wildlife biologist. I loved nature and the idea of exploring every day. It wasn’t until college that I stumbled into archaeology. I took an anthropology class, volunteered for a local excavation, and realized I could have the adventure I craved by uncovering history instead of a jungle. So the ranger dream gave way to archaeology, and I’m happy with how it turned out!

Why are you a member of SHA?

SHA has become my professional home. The Society connects me with colleagues across North America who care about the historical past as much as I do. Through SHA, I’ve found mentors, learning about the latest methods from published journals and conference talks. The conferences and workshops keep me sharp (I've taken GIS and artifact analysis workshops that were game-changers for our projects). Importantly, SHA shares values that resonate with me. Values like respectful community engagement and heritage education. Being a member means I can both contribute my own work (like policy ideas on committees) and gain inspiration from others. I still remember a chat at an SHA conference several years ago when an older archaeologist pointed out something new in my draft report; that five-minute conversation transformed how I viewed my site. Moments like that make SHA membership feel invaluable.

 At what point in your career did you first join SHA, and how long have you been involved?

I first joined the Society back in the mid-1990s, when I was a graduate student. My advisor suggested I get involved early, and I’m glad I did – SHA events were a fantastic networking opportunity. Counting from then, I’ve been a member for about 25 years now. Over that time, SHA has really grown, and I’ve grown with it, from a wide-eyed student to a project director.

 What are your strengths and weaknesses as an archaeologist?

One of my strengths is project management. I’m organized and great at juggling many moving parts – coordinating field crews, lab analysts, local stakeholders, and regulatory paperwork all at once. I also think my communication is strong: I make an effort to listen to everyone on the team and involve community members in our interpretations. On the flip side, I can be a bit of a perfectionist with data. Sometimes I get so focused on cataloging and analysis details that I have to remind myself not to lose sight of the bigger story. I’ve been working on that by stepping back now and then, and by remembering the field is where archaeology really starts. (Or as I like to say, trowel it and let the stories begin!)

 Which benefit of belonging to SHA do you find the most beneficial?

For me, the biggest benefit of SHA is the community. It’s where I’ve met colleagues who become co-authors, collaborators, or even friends. The networking at conferences, or even just the SHA mailing list discussions, are where I get ideas and support that I wouldn’t find elsewhere. Of course the journal and lectures are great too, but I’d say it’s the people and shared conversations that I value most. SHA is where I “talk shop” about projects big and small and find out that someone two states over shares my exact research question. In that sense, SHA membership isn’t just a line on my CV; it’s part of how I do archaeology better every day.