Monocacy Archeological Society
Frederick, Maryland
Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland
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: September 12, 2018
Dr. David Hixson, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Anthropology, and Cultural Geography at Hood College, Frederick Community College and Shepherd University will give a presentation on the work that he and his students have been doing at the Rocky Springs site. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 12 in the Community Room of the C. Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick Street, in downtown Frederick, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public.
They have been excavating at one of the stone structures that is part of the Rocky Springs Chapel, Inc., historic site. Debby Ellen Moone, President of the Historic Rocky Springs Chapel, Inc., will also attend the meeting and will be available to answer questions about the organization and the history of Rocky Springs.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Chapter will be September 12th.
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
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
Charles County, Piscataway Zekiah Fort Find
Upcoming Archeological Events:
Wednesday, October 10, 7:00 p.m. - MAS monthly meeting - speaker to be confirmed.
Saturday, October 13 - Archeological Society of Maryland Annual Meeting hosted by the Northern Chesapeake Chapter at Havre de Grace - all day event
Saturday, October 20 - Oktoberfest at Schifferstadt - the Monocacy Chapter will have a table with artifacts representing the time period of Schifferstadt and information about the prehistory of this area. We need the support of members of the Chapter to staff our table. We must be set up and ready to go by 9:30 a.m. and need to remain set up until 5:00 p.m. Please let us know at the September meeting if you can assist with this and the times that you would be available.
Sunday, October 28 - 2:00 p.m. - Maryland Four Centuries Project event in Frederick at the Community Room of the C. Burr Artz Library. Dr, Stephen Potter, retired National Park Service archeologist, will discuss British contact in the 17th Century and trace Native American culture back 17,000 years based on his work in the Potomac Valley. Dr. Henry Miller of St. Mary's City will discuss his work at Historic St. Mary's City. The meeting is free and open to the public, but come early as seating will be limited.
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. A barn built unlike any other North of Louisiana. 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.