SHA 2019 Conference: St. Charles, Missouri

Airport

St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). Southwest Airlines has a hub at STL, and all other major and some minor airlines have numerous flights each day.

The conference venue is located 8.3 miles from STL and with normal traffic is just a 15-minute drive, pick-up to drop-off. ACE cab currently offers a $20 flat rate to the Embassy Suites (conference HQ hotel) to or from the airport. Rideshare services Uber and Lyft are also available for St. Charles. There are no hotel-airport shuttles available.

Train

AMTRAK services the St. Louis area, though no station is available for St. Charles. The nearest station is the Kirkwood Station, Kirkwood, Missouri. It is 18.7 miles from the conference venue (approximately a 30-minute car ride with normal traffic).

Car Rental

Most car rental companies are available at STL and in St. Charles. Because parking is free essentially everywhere in St. Charles, including all of the conference hotels and the convention center, renting a car is a more affordable option than for most other conference venues.

Local St. Charles Transportation

Several taxicab services are available as are rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft. Public transportation is limited in St. Charles, though SCAT (St. Charles Area Transit) is available for five routes around the city.

Complimentary St. Charles Shuttle Service

Throughout the duration of the conference, starting Wednesday evening and running through the days of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the City of St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau will be offering a free shuttle bus that will run a circuit between the Convention Center, the Fairfield Inn, the visitor’s center at the mid-way point on Main Street, and the Country Inn and Suites on Main Street. This service will require the conference name badge for use, and will be space limited as a single bus will run. Times for starting, ending, and breaks for this service each day will be available at the conference and on the shuttle bus. The circuit is estimated to take approximately 20 minutes pending the number of riders.

Conference Chair: Steve Dasovich (Lindenwood University)

Conference Assistant Chair: Kami Ahrens (Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center)

Program Chair: Kami Ahrens (Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center)

Terrestrial Program Co-Chairs: Michael Meyer (Missouri Department of Transportation), and Joseph Bagley (Boston Landmarks Commission)

Underwater Program Co-Chairs: Chris Horrell (Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement), and David Ball (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)

Local Arrangements/Tour and Events Director: Emma Verstraete (University of Illinois)

Public Archaeology Day Directors: Meredith Hawkins Trautt (Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis), and Nancy Owens (Hazelwood School District)

Volunteer Coordinator: Brianna Patterson (University of West Florida)

Bookroom Coordinator: Elizabeth Scott (Illinois State University)

Social Media Coordinator: Laura Reed (University of Glasgow)

Workshop Director: Carl Carlson-Drexler (University of Arkansas)

The St. Charles Convention Center will host all conference sessions and most of the meetings. Directly attached to the convention center on two levels, the Embassy Suites Hotel and Spa will serve as the Headquarters hotel and host some of the committee meetings. Located at Two Convention Center Plaza, the Embassy Suites has its signature atrium filled with tables and chairs and rimmed with its gourmet restaurant, large, FREE breakfast buffet area, FREE evening, manager’s reception area (complete with FREE wine and finger foods), and, of course, the bar. SHA has a limited number of rooms (all rooms are two-room suites) for the conference rate of $139 per night (plus taxes). Both the Convention Center and Embassy Suites have FREE PARKING, all day, everyday.

Across the street from the Convention Center, the Fairfield Inn and Suites is our second conference hotel. Here we have a very small block of rooms, with more limited availability and a conference rate of $118 per night (plus taxes) for single or double occupancy. The rate includes a FREE breakfast and FREE PARKING. Finally, due to the nature of the spectacular, historic Main Street, we have a third conference hotel approximately one mile from the Convention Center. Located at 1190 S. Main Street, the Country Inn and Suites is just two blocks from the start of the restaurants and shops of Historic Main Street. This hotel has a limited number of rooms at the conference rate of $104 per night (plus taxes) for single or double occupancy and includes FREE breakfast and FREE PARKING.

Subject to availability of rooms, the conference-rate reservation cut-off date for the three conference hotels is December 17, 2018. All hotel blocks will be open for reservations soon, if not already open. Reservation information will be posted to the 2019 Conference page on the SHA website (https://sha.org/conferences/).  

Please note that the hotels have different date ranges for the conference rates. Conference rates at the Embassy Suites are available from Sunday, January 6 – Monday, January 14, 2019.

To make your reservations at the Embassy Suites, use the following link: http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/S/STLEMES-SHA-20190105/index.jhtml or call the reservations line (1-800-560-7782) and use the group code “SHA.”  Reservations should be made by December 17, 2018 to receive the special group rate.

Fairfield Inn rates are good from Wednesday, January 9 – Saturday, January 12, 2019.   To make your reservation at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, call 636-946-1900 and ask for “Society for Historical Archaeology” group rate or click on the following link: Book your group rate for Society for Historical Archeology Conference

Country Inn and Suites rates are Wednesday, January 9 – Saturday, January 12, 2019.  You can book your room at: https://www.countryinns.com/societyhistoricalarchaeology

Download the SHA 2019 Conference Call for Papers.

SHA 2019 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION TIPS AND GUIDELINES

Student volunteers are essential to the smooth operation of every SHA Conference.   The SHA is looking for student volunteers to give eight hours of their time during the SHA 2019 Conference in exchange for free conference registration.  If you are a student and would like to volunteer your time and earn the opportunity to attend the SHA 2019 Conference at no charge, complete the Student Volunteer form and return it with your Conference Registration Form to the SHA at hq@sha.org by December 1, 2018.  Please do not register online if you are applying to volunteer.

Download the 2019 Conference Volunteer Form

Download the SHA 2019 Conference Registration Form

For five decades the SHA has been at the forefront in the dissemination of scholarly research on historical archaeology in North America and beyond.  Our annual conference is our major opportunity to share with others our most recent research findings, advances in theories and methods, strategies for improving public archaeology, etc.  We invite you to be a sponsor of the conference!

Download the SHA 2019 Sponsorship Form.

Information on applying for all of the awards and prizes for the SHA 2019 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology can be found at: https://sha.org/about-us/awards-and-prizes/.

The SHA 2019 Conference will host a Book Room that will include exhibits of products, services, and publications from companies and other organizations in the archaeological community. The SHA welcomes exhibitors who share its mission and agree with its Ethics Principles (https://sha.org/about-us/ethics-statement/) at the 2019 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology, January 9-12, 2019 in St. Charles, Missouri.

Download the SHA 2019 Conference Exhibitor Prospectus.