Climate Change and the Future of History

Not only does climate change threaten our (immediate) future, but it also puts our past at grave risk. Changing weather patterns and rising sea level present unprecedented challenges to safeguarding our historical resources, especially the Native American and historical archaeological sites and landscapes of the Boston Harbor Islands. Join us at Loring Greenough House in Jamaica Plain for a talk by Boston City Archaeologist Joseph Bagley about how climate change imperils what we can learn about the past.

The possible demise of these irreplaceable historical resources, which include submerged Native sites and shipwrecks on the ancient harbor floor, is undeniable. Bagley will discuss efforts to document these sites before a climate-change catastrophe destroys them.

The 2016 recipient of the Society for Historical Archaeology’s John L. Cotter Award, Bagley specializes in both Native American and historical archaeological analysis and the archaeology of Boston. With a team of volunteer citizens, he has conducted a number of archaeological digs in Boston neighborhoods, including Roxbury, Dorchester, Chinatown and the North End, as well as at Boston Common. Bagley is the author of the book The History of Boston in 50 Artifacts, which will be available for purchase at the talk. Proceeds from the book go toward the work of the City Archaeology Program.

Tickets: $10 general admission, $5 for LGH members and students (must present ID at door), plus a small processing fee.  Light refreshments will be served.