Governor Stein Proclaims Archaeology Month

WHEREAS, archaeology illuminates the conditions and cultures of the inhabitants of North Carolina, including people whose stories remain enigmatic because of their social or economic circumstances; and 

WHEREAS, North Carolina's Office of State Archaeology (OSA), part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), in partnership with the academic community, federal and state agencies, and independent consultants, serves all citizens of the State by discovering, recording, and preserving information on more than 64,000 sites representing all cultural groups and time periods and encompassing 14,000 years of human history; and

WHEREAS, the OSA Research Center is the steward of millions of artifacts, from Paleoindian era stone tools to more modern 20^th century historical items; and 

WHEREAS, the OSA has operated an Underwater Archaeology Branch at Kure Beach for more than fifty years, and an archaeology branch at the DNCR's Western Office in Asheville for more than forty years; and 

WHEREAS, the OSA has operated the OSA Conservation Laboratory (Formally Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Laboratory) in Greenville for over twenty years, in collaboration with East Carolina University, to conserve and document recovered archaeological remains from the La Concorde/Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck and other archaeological sites both terrestrial and submerged; and 

WHEREAS, the OSA assists communities with recording and caring for historic cemeteries and is working to create a digital database of all cemeteries in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, the OSA provides public education programs and digital platforms to share the field of archaeology with the community and promote our state’s cultural heritage to enhance the social, educational, and economic future of North Carolina;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSH STEIN, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 2026, as "ARCHAEOLOGY MONTH" in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.