Dr. Amy Barron is one of Port Perry’s quietly remarkable residents, well known to many through her engaging public presentations on archaeology. The reason for her depth of knowledge is straightforward enough: she holds a PhD in archaeology. The path that led her there, however, was anything but straightforward.

Amy was born in Vancouver, something she still refers to as ‘accidental’. Her mother was a university student at the time, and Amy arrived several weeks early. The plan had been for her mother to return home to Paris, Ontario, before the birth, but timing intervened.

Her grandparents’ farmhouse on the edge of Paris, Ontario became her anchor. Her grandmother, a librarian well known throughout Paris, and her grandfather, a historian, helped shape an environment where books, ideas, and curiosity were simply part of everyday life. Still, Amy’s childhood was somewhat nomadic. Her mother was beginning her teaching career, and the family moved frequently in pursuit of work.

As a result, Amy never quite felt as though she grew up in one single place. Brant County comes closest. Paris and Brantford both featured prominently, though most of her schooling took place in Brantford, even during periods when the family lived elsewhere.

Like many teenage girls, Amy loved animals. She worked at riding stables, spent countless hours around horses, and rode regularly for years, right up until her own children were born. For a long time, she fully expected her life to revolve around animals. Her teenage ambition was to become a veterinarian, a fact that often surprises those who assume her career path was always aimed toward history or archaeology. In truth, Amy never even took history in high school.

She graduated from Grade 13 with a timetable packed entirely with science and mathematics: calculus, functions, physics, chemistry, biology, and more math for good measure. There were no humanities courses, no ancient civilizations, nothing remotely archaeological. What she did gain, however, was a lasting comfort with numbers, a skill she still enjoys exercising, often doing mental calculations while others reach for calculators.

University followed the logical next step. Amy enrolled at the University of Guelph, intending to pursue science and ultimately veterinary medicine. That plan unravelled quickly. She discovered she disliked biology, which effectively ruled out veterinary school.

Then came the course that changed everything.

Amy enrolled in an art history class taught by an Egyptian professor. Sitting in a darkened lecture hall, watching images of ancient objects and monumental architecture flicker across the screen, she found herself captivated. The material resonated immediately. By her second semester, she dropped one of her science courses to make room for more art history.

After her first year, Amy made another unexpected decision. She did not return to university.

Instead, she worked briefly, just long enough to fund a long-held dream: travel. After two months, she had saved enough for a one-way ticket to Europe and a three-month Eurail pass. With a backpack and little else, she left Canada.

For the next 18 months, Amy travelled extensively, particularly through Eastern Europe. When she finally returned home, it was with some reluctance, and with a clearer sense that her future lay elsewhere.

“I missed my maths,” she recalls, “so I went back to Guelph to finish my degree.” This time, her studies included majors in history and art history. From there, she completed a master’s degree in archaeology at the University of Toronto, specializing in Assyrian archaeology.

Amy married Scott while completing her PhD, a process that took several years. During that time, she worked in multiple museums and moved frequently, including a period in Keswick. Eventually, she accepted a position at Scugog Shores Museum. It was there she fell in love with Port Perry.

After four years as curator, two children, and the purchase of a home in town, Amy shifted into teaching. She held positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph, and Fleming College. Today, she teaches four courses at Fleming’s Peterborough campus, and serves as head of the Museum Management and Curatorship Program, a role that conveniently allows her to commute from Port Perry.

Amy’s archaeological fieldwork has taken her to Israel, Syria, Türkiye, Egypt and England. Future plans include a long-anticipated dig in Iraq, as well as a trip to Antarctica.

Dr. Amy Barron has led a life shaped by curiosity, courage, and a willingness to take unexpected turns. Meeting her was not only a pleasure, it was a reminder that the most interesting journeys are rarely the straightest ones.