Inspiration:

I have recently been asked by a friend and colleague how it is I came to be attracted to archaeology through the Archaeology Society of Virginia, and as I am having a sleepless night I have decided to take a break from writing my thesis proposal and the constitution of the VMHSCA and perhaps explain.  When I was young I wasn't like the other kids around me who played video games or soccer, for one my family was too poor to afford a sega or the like, though I would go to friends houses to play on occasion.  I relished the opportunity to learn and explore as I knew from an early age the expense of education. If I had a thought in my head I was never troubled or worried when working, and I was helping my family out with chores and manual labor at an early age.  History is full of the stories of those individuals who started out small, but worked to be comfortable.  History holds stories that if we just take time to listen and read and speak that can lift the spirit of the most downtrodden and give hope to the hopeless.  History can take the pain away from the wounded by giving them strength in past peoples virtues.  It can give a future to those that society has given up on, these things I ardently believe.

I will not be able to reach everyone who needs that encouragement, and lord knows that a lot of people think I am crazy for doing this in a grassroots manner.  Truth be told, I don't know if my colleagues and I will be able to pull this off.  If one person sees my facebook page and gets inspired to read a book like I did after talking to those members of the ASV, one of which was interested in canal boats, I believe that I have given back what was given to me.  Anything else I do simply helps other people.  I believe that there are children and adults out there searching for a group or even a person to share their stories with.  I am here to listen; more importantly I am here to bring like minded people together.  It will be like with me, the ASV led me to Middleton's Tobacco Coast, and the dream which has not only kept me going, but has given me the strength to help others when I have had nay sayers barking at me.

When it is all said and done- I will give this organization my all because I believe in it.  I hope that if anything I inspire in someone to stand up for what they believe in.  I hope that the VMHSCA grows and I will nurture it and protect it as well as all of its members.  I am simple and so are the rest of the members who have voiced their support.  I am simply here for the first little bit to listen; to everyone who wants to speak or be a part.  I will not try to make people do things by collusion.  I want honest, simple people who want to do the work because they want to and they enjoy it.  I don't want people with egos who don't want to share the show and contribute or listen.  The world does not owe me anything, and we must all earn our place in it; whatever that place may be.  The person you inspire today however, may shape the world in greater ways than you could ever imagine.  That is the greatest of all successes, to be an honest teacher.  A teacher who listens, who inspires by their own actions and not by association, one that honestly cares.

This leads into the second question I have been asked by my colleague, "How do I hold the children's interest?"  Truthfully, you won't; at least not the majority of them.  Some will not have the ability to understand the need, and others will have no desire or passion to do so.  One out of a hundred will see your passion for what you do and be inspired, and only a hundred of those will keep the passion to become teachers.  History and archeology have always been my passion, even now the simple person that I am.  It is a undefinable quantity that I can wrap myself up in like a blanket when my very soul gets cold from my trampling in the working world.  Those people who feel the same are seeking the spark of inspiration, all you have to do is be there.  I am here for my own purpose; I enjoy what I do.  Others will eventually follow, they always have.

The First Interest Meeting-

It has been said that an organization is only as good as those people who run it. With that I can honestly say that the first meeting of the Virginia Maritime Heritage Society and Conservation Association was a resounding success. While the first meeting drew few people in person, those that showed up have more passion and enthusiasm to make up the difference. We discussed the need and the urgency of founding an agency to deal with the maritime heritage of the Commonwealth of Virginia. I made a promise to myself that if just one other ardent person showed up that I would write a constitution and do the remaining footwork.

Those people who showed up reminded me that a passion like the one I have is rare, we are the people who will work for minimum wage to support our endeavors and to spread history to those who would listen. There are many agencies that have a foot in Virginia with respect to the preservation of its heritage and they are welcome to engage and contribute as I write the constitution for review for those who will be our members. We are not here to usurp the established, but to assist and contribute. While I will be asking for those who are interested patience, I have put myself out there for criticism for a reason. I believe that any person or authority should be challenged. I am here to ask humbly for adv ice while I attempt to create and lead this organization. It is with that in mind that I have created the facebook ‘election’ page under our facebook group. All ideas will continue to be read and considered, and I vow to give credit to where it is due.



While I am busy trying to establish myself as a practicing maritime archaeologist, I remind myself that I would not have gotten this far if I had not met two members of the Archaeological Society of Virginia at a state fair when I was six. The constitution and articles of incorporation will be heavy in regards to outreach for this very reason. We need the help of the already established in the fields respective to Virginia’s heritage, but it is our goal to reach those they currently cannot. If we step on toes, we apologize, but any good person of the creed of teaching will recognize that you celebrate and nurture your student’s successes, even if it means you are not a part of it. Similarly, I will not fight against any established organization; such an action is not in the Commonwealth’s best interest. I hope that you will join me in this endeavor and once again ask for your help and support. Remember that every little bit helps! And everyone is welcome to help if they want to preserve, curate, and disseminate the history of the maritime culture of Virginia.



Sincerely,

Jason Lunze



Graduate Candidate in Maritime Archaeology at

The University of Southern Denmark.



Jlunz09@student.sdu.dk

Jason.lunze@gmail.com

Of Cow Ear Tags and Interest Meetings-

I never expected or even wanted to be a world traveler; that being said it has been tough to go away from the country and the region that I love so much for so long. The study abroad has been fascinating and rewarding but my followers will have to forgive if I have not put up a post recently. I had the greatest time of my life this summer being onboard the Swedish warship Vasa. We, the maritime archaeology students of the University of Southern Denmark successfully recorded a large portion of the orlop deck using total station. One of my fellow students even went so far as to create a plug-in to integrate the total station directly to laptop, a wonder that is beyond my comprehension. The ship is erie and more cramped than its stunning exterior would have one believe.

The greatest news is that I might be working on my thesis on the Vasa, which is the period that interests me the most, the early 17th century. This is the same period that the colonies of North America were formed. It is with this love that even on my summer vacation locked in by a loving family, which really does not want to share my time with my other passions, gave me a brief break to see something related to my studies. I went to see the earliest wreck in North Carolina at the Currituck Lighthouse. I had the great luxury of speaking with one of the great park rangers who had the distinct honor to help in its recovery. The wreck has been surveyed in the same manner as our program with the Vasa but from East Carolina University who Have ironical now gone to record the lower gundeck on the Vasa while I have returned to the States. While the Carolla Wreck was covered with tarps to prevent further damage to it I got chills from looking at it; also from my studies in Europe I was able to glean something of its construction tradition. This wreck will soon be moved to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, North Carolina for public display and exhibition.

Shortly after this adventure I went to Florida to visit my German grandmother at her home in central Florida where I managed to pick up cow ear tags. Now what in the world would a college student want with cow ear tags you might ask? Well to make the story short; they are needed for this summers other field school through SDU; excavating the Princessan Hedwig Sophia, a Swedish 74 gun frigate which sank in 1715 in the Baltic. The tags will be used to mark the timbers of the wreck as SDU, the University of Kiel, and the Archaeological authorities of Schleswig-Holstein slowly excavate it. I did manage to get some rest while I was there and took a few pictures of its beautiful karst topography. While traveling around I was reading and writing on my potential thesis and began to wonder about how a humble geology major had managed to come this far, a thought which instantly reminded me how rich I am to have the family which has always supported my endeavors, while at times being baffled by my choices.

When I finally arrived back home it was the Birthday of my home country and I relished some good old family bar’ b’ que time. And shortly after went out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to visit family and see some of the areas which are still in my heart. I am currently working on clocks with my father, as this is one of the ways my family not only earns needed additional income in these hard times, but also holds some of our traditions and heritage together. It is with this that I have been archiving a clock in our family collection that is from the 3rd quarter of the 17th century to better my understanding of the traditions of its manufacture. I am also preparing for another tradition; the meeting to discuss the current issues of maritime archaeology in Virginia. Even on vacation from school I am thinking about what I can do to help the discipline and helping the next generation to become inspired. It has been my travels visiting my family which has inspired me and kept me going and I look forward to meeting the few people who can make it to the meeting of the Virginia Maritime Heritage Society and Conservation Association at the Green Leafe Pub and Grill in Williamsburg’s New Town shopping center this Saturday. I will be coming to be humbled as much as I am coming to bring new knowledge.