Published October 14, 2026

MONROE, La. – October is Archaeology Month in Louisiana, and to celebrate, the ULM Museum of Natural History will host guest speaker Diana M. Greenlee, Ph.D., on Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. The talk is entitled “The ‘Great Mississippi Flood’ of 1927: Archaeological Investigation of Camps for Displaced People,” and will be hosted in the museum STEAM room on the first floor of Hanna Hall, 708 University Ave., on the ULM campus. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.    

The spring of 2027 marks 100 years since the “Great Mississippi Flood” inundated parts of several states, including Louisiana. The floodwaters covered some 16.5 million acres, and at least 640,000 people had to leave their homes. Although there are records of the Red Cross relief efforts undertaken at the time, archaeologists recognize that historical documents do not always tell the full story, and the study of artifacts can provide missing details about everyday life. With the help of citizen scientists, this project hopes to tell the stories of people in NELA who were impacted by the flood through both oral histories and archaeological research at relief camps. 

Greenlee serves as ULM’s Poverty Point Station Archaeologist at the Poverty Point World Heritage Site in West Carroll Parish. Greenlee is dedicated to preserving the 3,400-year-old earthworks site and encouraging public knowledge surrounding Poverty Point’s historical significance.  

Through her work at Poverty Point, Greenlee’s work includes fielding questions from ULM students and members of the public who contact her through the ULM School of Sciences. She has also occasionally offered archaeological field schools during summer and winter sessions, which provide an opportunity for ULM students to experience archaeological fieldwork. In 2022, Greenlee completed a new archaeology exhibit in the ULM Museum of Natural History. She was also named to the Explorer’s Club 50 Class of 2024. 

For more information about the ULM Museum of Natural History, visit www.ulm.edu/caes/museum.html.