Tuesday March 2, 2026 Talk at Greene County HIs

“The Search For Our Missing: Forensic Archaeology at a WWII Aircraft Crash Site”

Andrea Palmiotto and William Chadwick, IUP

In this talk, Palmiotto and Chadwick discuss the logistics of identifying and recovering WWII aircraft crash sites decades after the incidents towards the recovery and identification of missing U.S. service members. Through IUP’s programmatic agreement with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for Military Medicine, IUP faculty and students have assisted with recovery efforts since 2021 at sites in Germany. Recognizing the destructive nature of forensic archaeology, Palmiotto and Chadwick highlight the importance of careful excavation and thorough documentation during recovery efforts.

Palmiotto is an Associate Professor in Anthropology at IUP. She specializes in forensic anthropology, archaeology, and zooarchaeology, training students in bone identification and analysis. Prior to joining IUP, she worked with the DPAA on field recovery and laboratory analysis of cases from the Vietnam War, Korean War, and WWII. Palmiotto is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and consults on forensic anthropological cases in western Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.

Speaker for November 18, 2025, 5:30 PM Meeting at Greene County Historical Society: Elena Frye. Graduate Student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Topic:

Geophysical Investigations and Targeted Archaeological Testing at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Conewago Chapel)”

Project Information:

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Catholic church campus in Hanover, PA. At the time of its founding in the early 18th century, the basilica was the largest Catholic church in the country; in the present day, the current church building is the oldest stone Catholic church in the United States. Throughout the basilica’s history, a number of buildings have been constructed and subsequently demolished, including the original chapel school building. This project utilized a combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometer surveys to search for structural remains of the basilica’s original chapel school, demolished in the early 20th century. This presentation will discuss a brief history of the chapel, the planning and results of the geophysical surveys, and the targeted archaeological testing used to further investigate identified anomalies.

Personal Information:

Elena Frye is a graduate student working to complete her MA in Applied Archaeology at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include archaeological geophysics, 3D modeling, and remote sensing and GIS applications in archaeology. She also has experience working in education and customer service, and she has a continued interest in outreach, education, and public archaeology.

Thank you,

Presentions from PBS Wisconsin:

Take a look at our blog:

https://www.monyoughjournal.com

https://video.pbswisconsin.org/video/dugout-canoes-of-wisconsin-q4aejq

Wisconsin Pre-contact Dugout Canoes

Over the past few decades, fisherman and sport divers have discovered Native American dugout canoes in lakes across Wisconsin. Sometime these are individual canoes, while other times cluster of canoes have been located. More recently, several canoes have been found in the lakes surrounding Madison, Wisconsin. The links represent talks by Dr. Sissel Schroeder, Dept. of Anthropology, UW – Madison And Tamara Thomsen, Underwater Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society discuss the canoes that have been documented. Efforts to preserve these perishable artifacts are also detailed.

2023 Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin presented by Sissel Schroeder and Tamara Thomsen, University Place, Wisconsin Public Television. https://video.pbswisconsin.org/video/dugout-canoes-of-wisconsin-q4aejq/

2023 Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin, presented by Sissel Schroeder for the National Museum of the Great Lakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld484bjSjvw

https://www.pbs.org/video/dugout-canoes-of-wisconsin-q4aejq

Our Mission:

Promote the study of the prehistoric and historic archaeological resources of Pennsylvania and neighboring states.
Encourage scientific research and discourage exploration which is unscientific or irresponsible in intent or practice.
Promote the conservation of archaeological sites, artifacts, and information.
Encourage the establishment and maintenance of sources of archaeological information such as museums, societies, and educational programs.
Promote the dissemination of archaeological knowledge by means of publications and forums.
Foster the exchange of information between the professional and the avocational archaeologist.

se to participate, we ask that you join our Chapter. Dues are: Student $10, Inividual $20, Family (2 or more individuals) $30.