Arkansas archeologist does his job, is asked to leave

You might think the state agency in charge of preserving Arkansas history would want to show off a bit of 19th century Little Rock it found in its own backyard, tell its story and explain what it was doing to keep it safe for the future.

It didn't occur, however, to the Department of Arkansas Heritage that its work to document an 1890s trolley barn east of its new headquarters at 1100 North St. might be something to tout.

Fortunately, a DAH archeologist and the architect for the new headquarters, which the agency moved into this year, knew that work to build a parking lot for employees might turn up something special, and prevailed on the agency to let DAH's archeological team monitor the work and record the site.

When the unheralded work on what was found — Little Rock's 1890s trolley barn — was completed, the reward for archeologist Bob Scoggin, whose job performance reviews included a statement that he "has greatly improved morale and effectiveness" of staff, was his walking papers.

Read more: http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/arkansas-archeologist-does-his-job-is-asked-to-leave/Content?oid=4737299