Thomas Fosdick

Field Supervisor

Thomas J. Fosdick joined CRA in 2025 and serves as a Staff Archaeologist in the Shreveport, Louisiana office. He is responsible for assigned cultural resource projects, supervising and directing field operations, artifact analysis, and technical report preparation. With five years of interdisciplinary experience spanning maritime and terrestrial archaeology, archival cataloging, and historical/museum education, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of industrial technology, archaeological practice and theory, and archival research. Thomas received a master’s degree in Maritime Archaeology at East Carolina University (ECU), where his thesis focused on mid-nineteenth-century technological change and adaptation of waterborne steam technology. His work involved a blend of historical research and digital modeling techniques focusing on broad patterns of technological change and adaptation in the nineteenth century.

Throughout his academic and professional career, Thomas has held numerous roles that have broadened his practical experience and understanding of archaeological theory and methodology and American history. Thomas received a BA in American History and Political Science at Christopher Newport University focusing his research on the implementation of excise tariffs during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While attending ECU, he aided in archaeological research and site documentation within North Carolina’s historical waterways and former industrial sites. He has utilized remote sensing equipment such as side scan sonar and magnetometry to identify and document submerged artifacts in site monitoring projects for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary while utilizing more traditional techniques for organizations such as the Antigua and Barbuda National Park, Michigan’s State Maritime Archaeology Department, and the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology. Thomas is passionate about ensuring the integrity of underwater and terrestrial sites while fostering a greater understanding of their significance within our shared history.

Thomas’s avocational interests include watching his favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, win games, playing sports such as tennis and golf with friends, SCUBA diving, camping and hiking, and playing/writing music on guitar.