Archaeological techniques of the 1930s will be the focus of a program from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Marksville State Historic Site.

The New Deal Archaeology in the 1930s will highlight archaeological research conducted by the Federal Emergency Relief Projects and Works Progress Administration funded by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program. Many Avoyelles residents worked with trained archaeologists during excavations that resulted in significant archaeological findings and provided a means of income for residents during the Great Depression.

In conjunction with the program Friday, Marksville State Historic Site will hold a ceremony and demonstrations to commemorate the New Deal archaeology and the 75th anniversary of the Louisiana state parks system. Presentations will include a "fireside chat" with recited excerpts made by Roosevelt during his first inaugural address, a mound excavation site demonstrating the logistics of site preparation, a campsite that will give a glimpse of what life was like at an excavation site and a "Marksville 1933" table set up to help visitors understand life for local residents during that period.

Admission is free. Chicken and sausage gumbo will be offered to guests at lunchtime while supplies last.

ABOUT THE MARKSVILLE SITE

The Marksville site dates back thousands of years and features a series of mounds on Old River, which once was the Mississippi River where ancient peoples lived.

After French settlers came to Avoyelles, the site was at one time part of the farm of the Stephen Aymond family. A young archeologist Robert Neitzel came to Marksville to excavate the grounds in the 1930s, and ended up marrying and spending the rest of his life here.

The town of Marksville acquired the site and maintained it, used it as a public park, built a swimming pool and a zoo. Fireworks were shot from the ceremonial mound while large crowds gathered on the parade grounds for July 4th activities. The state built a museum, and in the 1970s the city of Marksville, under Mayor Dr. Richard Michel, donated the land to the state. The pool, zoo, and interior road were closed and the site took on a more scholarly and preservation-friendly mode.