Released: October 12, 2010

Lincoln, Neb. - The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) presents its next public lecture on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. in Richards Hall in Room 15. Dr. Kevin Crisman of Texas A&M University will present "Heroine of the Western Frontier: The Archaeology of an Early American River Steamboat." Crisman will be speaking on the underwater excavation of the early 18th century steamboat Heroine, one of the most significant wrecks in American history.

Heroine Wreckage
Wreckage of the streamboat. - Photo by Dr. Kevin Crisman

This lecture presents the story of the Heroine, the earliest western river steamboat to be excavated by nautical archaeologists. Launched in 1832, Heroine traversed the swift, shallow Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri Rivers for nearly six years, dodging hazards and enduring boiler explosions while making its own contributions to the whirlwind of change that swept the mid-continent. Stabbed and sunk by a submerged log on the upper Red River in 1838, the wreck of Heroine has survived into the 21st century to tell us about steamboat architecture, machinery, cargoes and the lives of its crew and passengers.

Crisman is Associate Professor and the Director of the Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation at Texas A&M University, and holds his degrees from the University of Vermont (B.A.), Texas A&M (M.A.), and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A. and Ph.D.). His areas of specialization are nautical archaeology and the maritime history of seafaring (1450 to 1950), maritime transportation of North America rivers, lakes and canals, and seafaring communities and shipboard life. Crisman is currently the Director of the Red River Steamboat Wreck Excavation Project in Oklahoma, and is the AIA's Steffy Lecturer for underwater archaeology for 2010-2011.

Richards Hall is located at Stadium Drive and T Streets on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln city campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information on the excavation of Heroine, visit inadiscover.com/redriver/. For lecture information, contact Prof. Michael Hoff - UNL Professor of Art History, (402) 472-5342 or mhoff1@unl.edu.



2010 - 2011 Lecture Schedule

CSI: Archaeology

  • Melissa Conner, Nebraska Wesleyan University
  • Nov. 14 - Sun., 2:00 PM
  • Abbott Lecture Hall, Joslyn Art Museum, 2201 Dodge Street, Omaha

Three Mysterious Portraits from Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum

  • Greg Bucher, Creighton University
  • Feb. 28 - Mon., 7:30 PM
  • Room 15, Richards Hall, Stadium Drive, UNL

Tutankhamun: The Life and Death of a God King

  • Lanny Bell, Brown University
  • March 27 - Sun., 2:00 PM
  • Abbott Lecture Hall, Joslyn Art Museum, 2201 Dodge Street, Omaha

Building the Parthenon

  • John Younger, University of Kansas
  • April 24 - Sun., 2:00 PM
  • Abbott Lecture Hall, Joslyn Art Museum, 2201 Dodge Street, Omaha