Congratulations to Carl Carlson-Drexler on the successful defense of his Ph.D. dissertation at the College of William and Mary this morning at 9:00 am. Carl’s dissertation, entitled “Dooley’s Ferry: The Archaeology of a Civilian Community in Wartime,” was based on 6 years’ worth of archeology here in southwestern Arkansas using resources and staff from the Arkansas Archeological Survey and volunteers from the Arkansas Archeological Society. Carl’s work reconstructed the footprint of Dooley’s Ferry, and important crossing on the Red River in southern Hempstead County, and explored the ways that this community was impacted by the Civil War.
Carl Carlson-Drexler at Dooley’s Ferry. Photo by Anthony Clay Newton.
Carl’s dissertation committee was chaired by Dr. Fred Smith (Associate Professor of Anthropology at William and Mary), and included Drs. Jamie Brandon (AAS-SAU Research Station Archeologist), Marley Brown (Research Professor of Anthropology at William and Mary), Grey Gundaker (Dittman Professor of American Studies and Anthropology at William and Mary), Scott Nelson (Legum Professor of History at William and Mary), and Matthew Liebmann (Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Archaeology Program at Harvard University).
Additionally, many other people helped Carl in his work at Dooley’s Ferry including Bud Martin, Patrick Martin, Keenan Williams, Peggy Lloyd, Anthony Clay Newton, David Markus, John Samuelsen, Tim Mulvihill, Benji Bobo, Nakia Nelson, Josh Williams, Guy Bobo, Billy Nations, Glendon Bobo, Meeks Etchieson, Tom Green, Michael Hargrave, and David Jeane…and those who volunteered during the excavations—Kjärstin Carlson-Drexler, Ernest Turner, James Weatherington, Stephanie McDaniel, Debbie Derrick, Luke Morris, Jason Walbaum, Ashley Applebee, Teka McGlothlin, Logan Smith, Holly Howard, Stephanie Kiilsgaard, David M. Alvirez, Dawn Novak, Bob Campbell, Addison Ochs, Kelly Schell, Karen Saunders, Allen Plunk, Diana Moxley, Don Bragg, Hope Bragg, Kenny Bragg, Gary Walker, Ed Black, Shelby Linck, Don Hall, Dylan Powell, Jim Rees, Vernon Perry, Carolyn Kiilsgaard, John Mowdy, Bob Haworth, Spencer Tharp, Lydia Rees, Scott Ackridge, Kelsey Greer, Jasmin Chavez, Ross McDaniel, Donna Stotts, Jeremy Shaver, Phil Maynard.
Carl currently serves at the Research Station Assistant with the Southern Arkansas University Research Station of the Arkansas Archeological Survey in Magnolia. He will be staying on in that role for the 2013-2014 year.
Congratulations, Dr. Drexler.
