39th Annual Spring Symposium on Archeology

The Way It Was: Reflections on Maryland Archeology


Saturday, April 17, 2004
People's Resource Center
Crownsville, MD




The Human Side in Pursuit of the Past
Richard Slattery

The author will narrate experiences he and associates had while engaged in the pursuit of Archeology here in Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere in the country.


PVAC: The Potomac Valley Archeological Club
Hugh Stabler

This talk will focus on the Potomac Valley Archeological Club's exploration by foot and canoe, which located a number of important sites in this region, often with the help of Captain John Smith's map.




The Richard E. Stearns Memorial Lecture


The Richard E. Stearns Memorial Lecture is named in honor of Richard E Stearns (1902-1969), curator of the Department of Archeology at the Natural History Society of Maryland for more than 30 years. Mr. Stearns located numerous archeological sites in the Chesapeake area, and carefully documented his surface and excavated finds. He published numerous archeological articles and several monographs, and donated his collection to the Smithsonian Institution. A commercial artist by profession, he was nonetheless a pioneer in Maryland archeology, instrumental in recording much of Maryland prehistory.

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Maryland Archeology-Prior to 1960
Howard McCord

Maryland Archeology before 1960 had a mixed history -- much neglect, but occasional bright spots illuminated by Holmes, Marye, Ferguson, Stephenson, Scmitt, Slattery, Stearns and others. Their work provides the base on which more recent archeologists have built.


Sixty Years of Maryland Archeology, As I Remember It
S. O. Geasey

Discussion and slide show of some of the early field schools and other early archeological work, mainly in Frederick County. It will include more recent work from 1975 through 1997 while with the SHA.




The Iris McGillivray Memorial Lecture

Iris McGillivray was a founding member of the Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc., ably serving the Society for over thirty years as Secretary, President, Newsletter Editor, Field Session Registrar, and Membership Secretary. She is perhaps best known, loved, and respected for her organization of the annual Spring Symposium, first held in 1965, arranging all aspects of the day-long program. In 1991 Iris was presented with the Society's William B. Marye Award to honor her services to archeology in Maryland.

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We've Come a Long Way in Forty Years, But
Nancy C. Geasey

A review of activities of the Southwestern Chapter of ASM from 1965 until 1980, including arrival of the first state archeologist, the merger of the two societies, reminiscences of some of the early members.


Beginnings of the Maryland State Archeology Program
Tyler Bastian

Vocational archeologists and their allies successfully lobbied the General Assembly during the mid-1960s for a State Archeologist. Experiences of the new State Archeologist will be recalled.


The History of Both Archeological Societies of Maryland
G. Reynolds

Discussion of the creatrion of both the Archeological Society of Maryland within the Maryland Academy of Sciences, and the Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc., as well as the speaker's work on sites in northeastern Maryland, including the I-95 corridor.