He is now working with graduate and undergraduate students on the Anthracite Heritage Project, a program that includes oral histories, documentary research, and archaeology in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. The project initially focused on the 1897 Lattimer Massacre. Now the research program is exploring issues related to immigration in the past as well as the present in the coal patch towns in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The project crew has worked in Lattimer, Pardeesville, and most recently Eckley Miners' Village, focusing on the households of mining families. The project is currently collecting oral histories of the new and long-time residents of the region. Potential graduate students interested in working on the project are encouraged to apply by the January 1 application deadline.

Dr. Shackel also works on National Park Service projects that provide work and educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. He is interested in what nationally significant sites mean to the American public, and how they help to create and maintain a national identity. Archaeology plays a role in revealing controversial issues of our country’s development, such as labor, racism, and enslavement.