Vashon Island Burton Acres Project – Washington

The Burton Acres Shell Midden site is located on Vashon Island in Puget Sound, at an advantageous spot for fishing and shellfishing. Although it had been the focus of preservation efforts, little was known about the contents of the site until a winter storm in 1995 caused severe erosion. In response, a collaborative effort between the Burke Museum, University of Washington, King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Vashon Park District, and McMurray Middle School resulted in a unique two-week public project involving 375 volunteers carried out in the summer of 1996. Members of the public were invited to share in the discovery process, following archaeological protocol from excavation to artifact cataloging. The final product of the project was an edited volume that reflects the collaborative nature of the project, including both tribal and archaeological perspectives on the project. The results of this project are published in, Vashon Island Archaeology: A View from Burton Acres Shell Midden.