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

Monocacy Archeological Society

Frederick, Maryland

Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland

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

Join MAS only $5 per year!

The Monocacy Archeological Society (MAS) 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.

Dues are now payable for 2018 for the Monocacy Chapter, $5.00 per person per year, and for the Archeological Society of Maryland. Membership forms will be available at the meeting and online.

Next Meeting: May 9, 2018

Tracy Harwood Jenkins, a PhD anthropology student at the University of Maryland, will present "Archaeology in Support of Activism: The Hill Community Project". The program will be held on Wednesday, May 9, in the Children's Program Room of the C. Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick Street, in downtown Frederick, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The Hill Community Project is a multidisciplinary effort to document the history of a more than 200-year old African-American community, in Easton, Maryland, that was free three generations before the Civil War. The Hill neighborhood currently faces blight and pressures toward gentrification, but community leaders are working toward development that is respectful of the neighborhood's long history. Scholars, including archaeologists from the University of Maryland, aid in this effort by changing negative narratives of place and by sharing stories of family, church, work, and struggle that convey and deepen the significance this neighborhood holds for its residents. These histories support ongoing efforts to restore historic homes and churches on The Hill.

The meeting will be held in the Community Room of the C. Burr Artz Library, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public. Please come out and support archeology and the National Park Service.

If Frederick County Public Schools are closed or close early because of inclement weather, the presentation will be rescheduled.

For more information, visit our web site, www.digfrederick.com or call 301-378-0212.

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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!

The Monocacy Archeological Society does not condone "Treasure Hunting" or looting archeological sites and therefore we do not place monetary value on artifacts.

Please remember that archeological data (and significance) is tied to the spatial (horizontal and vertical) relationships that artifacts and sites hold. Removing artifacts from their provenance irreparably loses key archeological context and may destroy all ability for associated residue or soil testing.

For more information about these events, watch the web sites for updates and program details. For more information, call 301-378-0212.

Dig Deeper into Maryland Archeology!

Archeological Society of Maryland

Maryland Historical Trust Archeology

Monocacy Battlefield Slave Village at L'Heritage Plantation

Jefferson Patterson Archeological Conservation Lab and Museum

Archeology in Annapolis

Annapolis 19th Century African American Life Dig

Anne Arundel Lost Towns Project

Port Tobacco Archeological Project Blog

Historic St Mary's City Archeology

Baltimore Historic Lloyd Street Synagogue 1845 Mikveh Discovery

The Middle Woodland Period in Central Maryland

Archeology at Wye House, Talbot County 2006

Anne Arundel Pig Point Site

Charles County, Piscataway Zekiah Fort Find

State Highways Archeology

Upcoming Archeological Events:

April 28 - ASM Annual Spring Symposium, People's Resource Center, 100 Community Place, Crownsville; 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Complete program available at the ASM web site: www.marylandarcheology.org. Fee. Bring your own lunch.

May 25 - June 4 - 2018 Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology - registration fee payable in advance or at the site which is at Calverton in Calvert County, the same location as last year.

June 13 - 7:00 p.m. - MAS meeting in the Children's Program Room of the C. Burr Artz Library. Don Peterson of our chapter will present a program on Native American Fish Traps in the Potomac River, primarily in the Brunswick area.

There will be no meeting of the Chapter in July and August.

Past Chapter Projects:

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 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.

Claggett Retreat Site Field School and Swomley Artifacts Display at C Burr Artz Library, Frederick. Article and Video

Read about local Chapter Member George Evans and his archeological pursuits.

Monocacy National Battlefield, Best Farm Site

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

Antietam Battlefield - Civil War

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.

The Search for the Lost Monocacy Log Church

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.

Local avocational archeologist and regionally respected Chapter Member Spencer Geasey donates his archeological library to Frederick.