Five Questions With: Deborah C. Cox

DEBORAH C. COX, president of the Public Archeology Laboratory Inc. in Pawtucket, has more than 35 years of experience in the field of cultural resource management throughout the United States.
DEBORAH C. COX, president of the Public Archeology Laboratory Inc. in Pawtucket, has more than 35 years of experience in the field of cultural resource management throughout the United States.

Deborah C. Cox has been president of the Public Archeology Laboratory Inc. in Pawtucket since its founding in 1982 and is an expert in the field of preservation law. She has more than 35 years of experience in the field of cultural resource management throughout the United States. Here she discusses Archeology Month and the nonprofit’s most effective efforts.

PBN: October is Archeology Month. What are some of the events you have planned to raise awareness?
COX:
Alan Leveillee, our educational programs manager, is giving a talk Oct. 20 in Warwick focusing on the history of Warwick as far back as the arrival of Samuel Gorton in 1642. Jay Waller, a senior archaeologist at the Public Archaeology Laboratory, is speaking Oct. 13 at the University of Rhode Island bay campus on the history of a coastal Narragansett Indian village. We are hosting a sixth-grade science class from Sophia Academy for a tour of the PAL offices and laboratory as well as holding an open house at our historic building in Pawtucket for the general public on Oct. 23.
For more information, visit www.preservation.ri.gov/archaeology/october.php.

PBN: How long has the Public Archeology Lab been in existence and what is its mission?
COX:
PAL was incorporated in 1982 for educational purposes: to conduct research on the history and archaeology of Rhode Island; to promote the conservation and public appreciation of historic and archaeological resources; and to provide educational opportunities in history and archaeology.

PBN: What is your biggest success and how have you drawn attention to it?
COX:
Our biggest success has been mentoring generations of architectural historians and archaeologists by providing a place to learn, work and contribute to the preservation of our state’s heritage.
We also have been fortunate to be able to restore the historic To Kalon Club building, an important part of the historic fabric of downtown Pawtucket. The club was a focal point for the leaders of the business community from the 1850s through the 20th century. The restoration effort started in 2012, and we now enjoy working in a building listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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PBN: How do make your educational outreach successful?
COX:
We have been in classrooms from first grade through college for over 30 years. However, the public events we participate in have a special energy and enthusiasm. For example, prior to building the Providence Place Mall, the developers funded archaeological excavations under what was the Rhode Island Normal School and later the URI extension facility. The excavations revealed the remains of the first Rhode Island state prison built between 1836 and 1838. We held a public day and gave tours of that site to over 1,000 people.
We also partner with many cities and towns for historic building surveys and archaeological site excavations, most recently with the city of Pawtucket to restore and preserve the Mineral Spring cemetery.

PBN: Many of your services, from cemetery investigations to Native American consults, have historical implications. Describe one that held special significance for the state or region.
COX:
The archaeological investigations at Salt Pond come immediately to mind. This important site was located in the mid-1980s. Subsequent excavations revealed evidence of an ancient Narragansett Indian village dating back several centuries before European contact. The preservation community, the state and the Federal Highway Administration, recognizing the importance of the site and its history, partnered with the Narragansett Indian Tribe to preserve this significant place for future generations.

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