Join us! ASNJ Online Speaker Series on Zoom. It's Free! (Limited to 100 people)
When: Saturday, May 16th at 7:00 pm Eastern
How: Email ASNJ.Presentations@gmail.com for a Zoom Meeting ID and Password
Who: Dr. Richard Veit, Monmouth University, Department of History and Anthropology (Presenter)
What: Fever!: The History and Archaeology of the Philadelphia Lazaretto, Quarantine Hospital and Precursor to Ellis Island
Join the ASNJ next Saturday (May 16) for our Online Speaker Series on Zoom. Presenter Dr. Richard Veit will discuss the History and Archaeology of the Philadelphia Lazaretto!
The Philadelphia Lazaretto, located on the Delaware River in Essington, Pennsylvania, is the oldest surviving lazaretto or quarantine station in North America. A precursor to Ellis Island, it welcomed new immigrants to Philadelphia for over a century. It also is a physical reminder of the horrific impact that yellow fever, an acute viral disease spread by the Aedis Aegypti mosquito, had on society in early America. Construction of the grand Georgian edifice began in 1799, in response to the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. That epidemic killed 5,000 of Philadelphia's inhabitants; nearly ten percent of the city's population. The Lazaretto was one of several public health initiatives undertaken by the Philadelphia city government in an attempt to prevent further outbreaks of disease. In 2015, Monmouth University began a long-term archaeological investigation of the site. Fieldwork is providing new information about the physical layout of the Lazaretto complex and has identified artifact deposits with the potential to provide new information about the lives of the individuals who lived and worked at the site. The Lazaretto is a powerful reminder of how human relationships with other living things, in this case, mosquitoes and the viruses they carry, have shaped and continue to shape society.
This is an online livestream video presentation through Zoom on your computer or mobile device. To attend, simply download Zoom via your mobile App Store or via http://www.zoom.us.
Please email ASNJ.Presentations@gmail.com for a Meeting ID # and Password # to join the presentation.
Attendance is limited to the first 100 people. If you are unable to make the meeting, please do not fret. The presentation will be uploaded to the ASNJ's YouTube Channel (link: Online Speaker Series). All attendees will be muted and questions can be posed to the presenter through the chat feature.
