Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Maria Cioppa, History professor Guillaume Teasdale and high school student Grace Dycha examine the readings on the Noggin ground penetrating radar.  Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Maria Cioppa, History professor Guillaume Teasdale and high school student Grace Dycha examine the readings on the Noggin ground penetrating radar.

Project invites public to dig into local heritage

Members of the public are invited to participate in the WE Dig History Project at Assumption Park. A group of geoscientists, historians, archaeologists, and librarians are set out to take a closer look at local history and possibly unearth some new information about buildings once located on the site.

The project is comprised of two parts: a scan-a-thon where people can bring in their old photos of the Sandwich area to be put into a digital archive, and a geophysical survey which will search for evidence of buildings that once stood in the park. Both events are intended to delve into the rich history of the Windsor-Essex area and get locals involved.

Maria Cioppa, professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, says this project highlights Windsor and Essex County’s rich history, from the thousands of years that indigenous peoples lived and moved through the area to more recent stories of explorers, missionaries, settlers, and industries.

“There’s been a lot of work done by historians and archaeologists, but in this project, we want to get the community involved – either by looking into their own history and bringing in photos during our Community Scan-a-thon, or by participating in the geophysical surveying of an area (Assumption/Ambassador Park) that is known to have historical significance,” says Dr. Cioppa. “Canada150 is the perfect time to do this, and we are very grateful that funders and supporters have given us the opportunity to do so.”

Cioppa says everyone is welcome to help explore the past of the Sandwich Towne area. The scan-a-thon will take place on August 25, 2 to 8 p.m. in the Leddy Library. The geophysics surveying event is scheduled to take place on September 23 and 24 from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. in Assumption Park. For more information visit the WE Dig project website.