William B. Lees, Ph.D., RPA is Director of the University of West Florida's Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN).  He operates a network of regional public archaeology centers located throughout Florida.  The goal of these centers is to increase public awareness of Florida archaeology through outreach and direct public involvement.

Dr. Lees is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) and a member of the Florida Archaeological Council, Florida Anthropolgical Society, and Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.  In August 2010 he was appointed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to the Florida Historical Commission. He also serves as Historical Archaeologist for the Florida National Register Review Board.

With an expertise in historical archaeology, Dr. Lees has been involved in projects on land and underwater in the Great Plains and southeastern United States. His research has ranged from the early contact period Wichita in Kansas, Civil War and Indian Wars battlefields in Oklahoma and Kansas, Limerick plantation in South Carolina, an early western-rivers steamboat in Oklahoma, and the Choctaw townsite of Doaksville in Oklahoma. In additon to archaeological research, he has also done considerable work with the interpretive development of archaeological sites.

In Florida, he has worked on a project to document Civil War heritage sites, and developed Destination: Civil War for the FPAN website. He has also done archaeological work on the Natural Bridge Civil War Battlefield, a cotton warehouse at Torreya State Park, and the servant's quarters at the Ormon House State Historic Site.

Due to his administrative responsibilities with FPAN, Dr. Lees does not teach any formal classes at UWF, but is available to chair or serve on graduate thesis committies in areas related to historical and public archaeology. To date, four of his students have been awarded the MA, and he is chair of several active graduate thesis committees.

Links:

Curriculum Vitae
NEW!! Archaeology of the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield, Kansas (pdf)
Oklahoma's Civil War Monuments and Memorial Landscapes (pdf)
Unpublished Papers and Projects (work in progress)
Gallery of old crew and field photos (work in progress)
1897 Thesis on merits of wire vs. cut nails (for the serious nail scholar)
LJT

Contact Information:

    Email: wlees@uwf.edu
    Phone: 850-595-0051
    Address:  Florida, Public Archaeology Network, 207 E. Main Street, Pensacola 32502