Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC) Event Credit
When you attend a monthly meeting you can complete the online “Self-Report PAAC Credit” form for ½ credit toward PAAC certification. The form is available at https://www.historycolorado.org/paac. You must be enrolled in the certification program to earn credit.
Event
When: 05/08/2025, 7:00 p.m.
Who: Dr. Jade Luiz is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at MSU Denver. Dr. Luiz is assistant professor of anthropology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She received her Ph.D. from Boston University where she specialized in historical archaeology, nineteenth-century urbanism, gender, and archaeology of the senses. Her research delves into the history of nineteenth-century prostitution, with her dissertation work focusing on an archaeological collection from a North End brothel on Endicott Street. As a result of this research, she has contributed to several publications a book on the Endicott Street collection with Routledge titled Archaeology of a Nineteenth-century Brothel in Boston, MA: Erotic Facades. In June 2023, Dr. Luiz began directing an archaeological field school for MSU Denver investigating the historic sex district of Central City, Colorado.
Title: Presentation Title: The Houses on the Hill: Archaeology of the 19th and early-20th Century Central City Brothel District
Abstract: In 2023, the Central City, Colorado brothel district became the location of an archaeological field school conducted by Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology. This district, active on what was considered Pine Street between the 1860s and 1912, consisted of 5 houses that either burned or were pulled down with no additional building taking place on the site afterwards. In addition to serving as an excellent site for training students in archaeological practices, Central City has an unusually enthusiastic relationship with its history of sex work, best represented in its annual “Madam Lou Bunch Day” festival celebrating one of the more famous madams from the period. For this reason, the project has also become an excellent case study in public archaeology and community engagement. In partnership with the Central City Opera House Association, the Gilpin County Historical Society, and Central City, students have started to uncover tantalizing clues into the lives of the people living and working in the district. While the public has certain perceptions regarding what life was like as a nineteenth-century sex worker in a Colorado gold mining town, researchers are attempting to use archaeological investigation to determine the real lived experiences of the people living on Pine Street.
Where:
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- IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS: 2520 55th St, Boulder, CO 80301
*Please note that the door will be locked when you arrive. Please call or text the number listed at the door to be let into the building.”
- IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS: 2520 55th St, Boulder, CO 80301
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- REMOTE PARTICIPANTS: JOIN MEETING
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Cost: Free & Open to the Public
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Is there a particular speaker that you would like to see? Email the IPCAS Vice President to suggest a speaker.