Monocacy Archeological Society, MAS, Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland, Frederick, MD

The Monocacy Archeological Society promotes and encourages educational programs related to the archeological heritage of Frederick County and the surrounding region. MAS members volunteer at archeological sites and help to record and preserve archeological information that supports local research and promotes public interest in archeology.

Public volunteers can learn how to work on local archeological dig sites throughout Maryland, here's what you need to know!

Have you found unusual objects on your property? Our avocational and professional archeologists will examine them with you at our meetings and discuss their relevance, but keep in mind that often a pointed rock looks like an Indian arrowhead! However, many odd finds ultimately link us to further investigation and sites of great archeological importance and knowledge.

Matt Knapp of Frederick will present a program on Dating American Bottles at the March 12 meeting of the Monocacy Archeological Society. If you wish to bring in a bottle or shard for evaluation, he will be willing to do so. However, he will also be bringing bottles to demonstrate dating techniques. You may also wish to visit his web site antiquemedicines.com to see pictures of the renovation of his historical home. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the C. Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick Street, Frederick. The meeting is free and open to the public. In case Frederick County Public Schools close early on that date, the meeting will be rescheduled.

For more information, call 301-378-0212

Other events:

March 13 - 16 - Mid-Atlantic Archaeological Conference, Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, Langhorne, PA. Registration required.
Saturday, March 22 - Annual workshop in archeology, Maryland Historical Trust, Crownsville. Fee
Saturday , March 29 - Mid Potomac Chapter of ASM, Symposium on the Burning of Washington, A Tale of Two Capitols. Fee
Saturday, April 5 - ASM Spring Symposium at Crownsville, Fee.
May 2014 - Dates to be determined. Annual field session in archeology cosponsored by the Maryland Historical Trust and the Archeological Society of Maryland. Biggs Ford site in Frederick County.

The regional archeology program for National Capital Region has launched a new web site that highlights archeology around Washington, D.C., and is geared towards the general public, kids, teachers and the historic preservation professional.

As the National Park Service approaches its second century of service and stewardship, the website is one tool to share the program’s connection to the National Park Service mission.

Information about past and present archeology projects at national parks around the nation’s capital is presented through “virtual exhibits” and multimedia presentations. Teachers as well as children and their parents will find information about archeology, fun things to do, and how to get involved. Professionals will find reference materials, links to key laws and policies, and important contact information.

“It is exciting to launch a comprehensive web site for National Park Service archeology here in the National Capital Region,” said Dr. Stephen R. Potter, NCR’s regional archeologist. “We hope that both the public and professionals in the field will find something of interest and we will continue to update and expand the site to serve the needs of the community.”

Meet the Native peoples of the Chesapeake Bay region–what is now Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware–through photographs, maps, ceremonial and everyday objects, and interactives. This compact exhibition educates visitors on the continued Native presence in the region, and provides an overview of the history and events from the 1600s to the present that have impacted the lives of the Nanticoke, Powhatan, and Piscataway tribes. The exhibition was curated by Gabrielle Tayac, Ph.D. (Piscataway)

Rosenstock Site - Late Woodland village site, worked from 1979 to 1992, recently preserved by the Archeological Conservancy. It was discovered in the early twentieth century and collected by locals, it can be called the "first city" of Frederick, as suceeding village complexes were used here by Native Americans over hundreds of years and yields important insights into the connections between sites along the Potomac River and known sites further north. More Info Here. A hocker figure made from deer bone found on the site was used as an element of the Frederick Dreaming artwork.

The Wise Farmstead and Fox Gap Portion of the South Mountain Battlefield. The Wise Farmstead (ca 1858 to 1879) was the home and farm of Daniel Wise and his family, located in a beautiful ridge top setting on the crest of the Blue Ridge in central Maryland.

A late Woodland native American village site. Who were these people, and why did they come here, why did they disappear, and where did they go? Many questions and many eager volunteers seeking the answers.

A Civil War battlefield and encampment site. A French Carribbean family with perhaps the most slaves in the County. A barn built unlike any other North of Louisiana. Also native American sites.

Metal detecting for artifacts on the battlefield, and the replanting of the 1860's orchard with the heirloom apple varieties that were cut to the ground by bullets during the battle.

One of Frederick's earliest remaining historic structures and unique in Maryland for its construction styles. A rare example of Dutch architectural features brought down from New York state by a widowed woman and her large family. Test pits were completed to aid in placing new parking as the site is restored and opened more frequently to the public.

Long before the clustered spires, a fabled, simple log structure served as the focal point of religious life in Frederick County. A few clues from the reports of missionary Palantine Ministers hint at its location without any certainty. From the old German diaries we glean a few clues and believe we have a sense of where the church may have been located, and its not where everyone seems to believe from local markers. But ground penetrating radar yields no further proof.