In November of 2016, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article about bones found at a construction site at 218 Arch Street.  As a private project, no city office would take charge of the human remains despite the fact that construction equipment was exposing and damaging them. The Mutter Institute, as a collaborative research organization associated with the study of historic human remains, approached the property developer with an interest to learn more about the bones found at the site. What ensued was a race-against-time excavation of a portion of the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia cemetery, supposedly moved in 1860. This presentation will provide an overview of the initial salvage excavation, what was discovered about the site during the early days of the project, and the recent work of our multi-disciplinary team as we attempt to harness research potential out of a less than ideal situation.

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
Registration is requested for in-person attendance.

Kimberlee Sue Moran has been a forensic consultant and educator since 2002. She holds an undergraduate degree in Classical and Near Eastern archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters of Science in forensic archaeological science from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London. Her archaeological research includes ancient fingerprints, the Whispering Woods site in Salem, NJ, and the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia also known as “The Arch Street Project”. Kimberlee has worked on a number of forensic cases in a range of capacities. She has also provided forensic services to legal professionals and regularly runs training workshops for local law enforcement. She helped to launch the JDI Centre for the Forensic Sciences in 2010 and has run an educational organization, Forensic Outreach, since 2004. Kimberlee served on the Crime Scene Investigation sub-committee of the NIST-led Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for seven years. Her forensic research includes taphonomic studies, fingerprint development and enhancement, post-mortem toxicology, and the interface of forensic archaeology and crime scene investigation.  She is the co-editor of the book “Forensic Archaeology; Multidisciplinary Perspectives.” Kimberlee is passionate about public outreach, STEM education, and science in the service of justice. She is the recipient of the 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2021 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching.

This program fulfills PA Forward's Civic and Social Literacy through "community engagement which allows individuals to interact with one another, in a participatory manner."