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 2019 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: September 11, 2019
Rebecca Rush and Rick Lane of Forest Glen Commonwealth, Inc. will present "No Small Change--How the Civil War Changed our Money" at the opening session of the fall season for the Monocacy Archeological Society. The meeting will take place in the Community Room of the C. Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick Street, Frederick, on Wednesday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m. The program includes talk about printing of new currency, the "greenbacks", instead of using coins and the printing of what are now considered rare forgotten coins.
October 9 - MAS meeting, 7:00 p.m. at the C. Burr Artz Library. Kyle Dalton, now with the Civil War Medical Museum in Frederick, will present a talk about this area during the French and Indian War.
November 13 - MAS meeting, 7:00 p.m. at the C. Burr Artz Library. Dr. John Wah will present a talk about the rhyolite study recently concluded which encompassed areas in both the Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania and in Frederick County.
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:
September 8 - 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Open house at the Zion Church and Cemetery in Urbana. The event is sponsored by Frederick County Landmarks Foundation. The church is located at 8998 Urbana Church Road and there was some archeology done there in the cemetery and near the existing building. Usually the church is not open to the public.
September 8 - 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - The Lovettsville Historical Society, 4 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, presents a program by the Germanna Foundation on the Shenandoah Valley's German Heritage. The program is open to the public with donations collected.
October 5 - ASM Annual Meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. with the papers starting about 10:30 a.m. Please help make a display of the activities of MAS for this event. Full program will be in the ASM October newsletter. The meeting will be held at the Maryland Veterans Museum, Newburg, Maryland. Directions are in the September ASM newsletter. The location is about nine miles south of La Plata on Route 301.
October 19 and 20 - Oktoberfest at Schifferstadt Museum - MAS will have a booth and we need your help to staff it as well as prepare a somewhat different display for this year. You can let us know if you can help at our September or October meetings.
October 23 - 7:00 p.m. Dr. William Kelso will present a program "Digging Up the Truth about Jamestown" in honor of their 400th anniversary. The program will be held at the Whittaker Campus Commons at Hood College.
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.