Past Events

Did you know that sturgeon were once a significant part of Philadelphia’s fishing industry? In the 19th century, sturgeon from the Delaware River and its tributaries made up a major share of the local economy and foodscape. It also played a significant role in sturgeon consumption around the globe. Like many other depletable food sources, the sturgeon industry went through a significant boom-bust cycle. In this lecture, learn more about the history of the sturgeon and the industry that grew up around it, its various uses, its culinary impact on the local cuisine and hear some amusing historic sturgeon stories.

Schweitzer has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Historical Archaeology and specifically on the food of the Philadelphia area during the 18th through 20th centuries. She works as a zooarchaeologist, specializing in the analysis of animal bones recovered from archaeological sites for AECOM, one of the biggest engineering firms in the world. This talk results in part from her research on AECOM’s I-95 project, to date the largest and most extensive archaeological excavation in any U.S. city.