The Jefferson County History Center is proud to announce that our Community Digital Storytelling Video, “Echoes of Iron: Archaeology of the Frazier Sawmill & Blacksmith Shop,” was selected by the 13th Annual Arkhaios Film Festival in early October. The 2025 Official Selection for the film festival, showcases Cultural Heritage and Archaeology. The Screening Committee was challenged to choose the best registered films from around the globe. The Official Selection is composed of the top 14 films which will compete for the awards endorsed by the Arkhaios Jury.
“Echoes of Iron – Archaeology of the Frazier Sawmill & Blacksmith Shop” was chosen as one of the top 12 competing Short Films for the Arkhaios Film Festival. The video was filmed by Brian Fritz, directed by JCHC and made possible by a PA Humanities Grant to JCHC for Community Storytelling Videos. We are proud that our Community Digital Storytelling Video renamed “Echoes of Iron: Unearthing a Blacksmith’s Legacy,” by the Festival Jury, won not only one but two awards in the 2025 Arkhaois Virtual Film Festival held October 13th – 19th:
The award in the Feature Films category is the “Arkhaois Founder Award for Public Archaeology.” The award in the Short Films category is “Best PA Cultural Archaeology Short Film.” The awards are posted here: https://arkhaiosfilmfestival.org/arkhaios-2025
Congratulations to Brian and Amanda Fritz, the lead archaeologists on this 20- year archaeological excavation, and members of the Society for PA Archaeology, and local NorthFork Chapter 29, SPA. This long-term archaeology project at Clear Creek State Park uncovered the blacksmith shop associated with the 19th century Frazier Sawmill, a huge operation that was part of our lumbering era when log rafts were floated down the Clarion to the Allegheny and on to Pittsburgh and points south and west.
The Community Storytelling Videos are funded by a grant to JCHC by a PA Humanities Wingspan Grant and Spring Point Partners, Philadelphia; Individual Donors, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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