Archaeologist - Dr. David R. Bush

Director, Center for Historic and Military Archaeology
Chair, Friends and Descendants of Johnson's Island
Contact Information: 419-448-2327, email:dbush@heidelberg.edu

The study of archaeology allows Dr. David R. Bush to honor history, humanity and the Earth. "It's so important to understand that the ground contains your history and to be respectful of it. My goal is to make people think about what the Earth and archaeology represent."

Dr. Bush has been immersed in the investigation of the Johnson's Island Prisoner of War Depot [link to Johnson’s Island Civil War Prison webpage] – a Union prison confining Confederate officers located in Lake Erie – since 1988. His early efforts to legitimize its significance led to the site being recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1990. Over the years, Dr. Bush has now led thousands of students and volunteers of all ages in exploring this Civil War prison site. He is an emphatic advocate for diligent awareness and constant evaluation of the overall context in which material culture is found. He directs the Experiential Learning Program in Historic Archaeology [link to http://www.heidelberg.edu/johnsonsisland/education_schoolprogram.html] which uses the Johnson's Island Prisoner of War Depot site to introduce 5-12 grade students to the science of archaeology and the history of the Civil War.

Dr. Bush has spent many years and a great deal of energy in gathering and reviewing documents from museums, historical societies and living relatives of the prisoners and guard to help in the understanding of this complex site. Combining the archaeological and historical records has allowed Dr. Bush to publish several articles on Johnson's Island, and he is currently writing one of several planned books. Dr. Bush is also chairman of the Friends and Descendents of Johnson's Island [link to www.johnsonsisland.com], a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of this National Historic Landmark site. 

Dr. Bush joined Heidelberg College's Center for Historic and Military Archaeology in 1998 to focus exclusively on the Johnson's Island Prisoner of War Depot. Prior to this, he served as director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Cultural Resource Research from 1991-1998 and as director of Case Western Reserve University's archaeological laboratory from 1980-1991.