Office of State Archaeology

The North Carolina Office of State Archaeology

The Office of State Archaeology (OSA) serves North Carolina’s citizens through programs that identify archaeological resources on land and beneath state waters. OSA archaeologists and staff are specialists with decades of academic training and practical experience, which we apply to gather and share knowledge about the vast time range -- more than 14,000 years -- of North Carolina’s historic experience.

We protect the state’s legacy of American Indian villages, colonial towns, farmsteads, and historic shipwrecks through application of state and federal archaeology laws and regulations, and by maintaining inventories of site data and artifact collections. OSA furnishes professional archaeology services to government agencies, museums, schools and the general public. Appreciation of our state’s cultural heritage enhances the social, educational, cultural and economic future of North Carolina.

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Staff Directory

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Archaeological Stewardship in North Carolina: What? Why? and How?