GRADY STUCKMAN
STAFF WRITER
Founded especially for networking opportunities and to increase awareness of history in the Steubenville-Pittsburgh area, the Explorers of the Past club organizes special behind-the-scenes field trips to museums, historical sites and even archaeological dig sites.
Founded by senior and current vice president Tucker Lutter and currently led by junior Kurt Halligan, this history and anthropology club has been active on and off for the past four semesters.
Plans for the Explorers of the Past club this semester include a movie night sometime in mid-March and a field trip to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.
Lutter said, “I once did an internship there, so I may take students behind the scenes and possibly help get students internships there.”
Halligan said that he plans to have a gathering or day trip, like to nearby Fort Steuben, once a month and a more distant field trip once a semester.
Sites for further field trips may include Fort Pitt in Pittsburgh, the Harrison County History of Coal Museum in Cadiz, Ohio, and the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, said Halligan.
Field trips have been a favorite in the past, especially last fall semester’s visits to the West Virginia State Penitentiary and to Moundsville, West Virginia where one of North America’s earliest Native American settlements, the Adena Burial Mound is located. The club is planning a field trip there in the coming fall semester.
Other upcoming plans include creating a database for networking in historical and anthropological fields.
Lutter and Halligan both said, “Since history and anthropology are very political, many other majors would benefit from joining this club.”
To get involved in this club, simply follow “Explorers of the Past Club” on Facebook. All are encouraged to post new ideas for field trips, movie nights and club events in general, for example, speakers or networking opportunities. The club’s website is explorersclub.fus.weebly.com.