“Although the written word may not have endured, the material remains of the past often have survived. They are there, waiting to fill in the missing pages of history...”

Ivor Noël Hume, Historical Archaeology (1972)

To the casual observer, the modern world has all but erased the traces of over ten thousand years of human history and prehistory in Maryland. No towering pyramids rise skyward, no collection of ancient texts fill the archives, no crumbling ruins stand in the landscape. To the archeologist, however, the “material remains of the past” — the broken pottery fragments, the stone axe, the sunken ship — lie all around us, just waiting to be discovered!

Archeology is about the discovery and decipherment of the unseen, the unknown, the unrecorded. For Native Americans who have lived on this land for millennia, for African-Americans whose history was so long ignored and distorted, for the nameless immigrant rowhouse dweller of 19th century Baltimore, archeology is often the best or only source of information. It is the job of the Maryland Historical Trust's Office of Archeology to help discover, learn from, and preserve these tangible, but fragile, remnants of our past. Through its diverse education, preservation, and research programs in terrestrial and underwater archeology, the Office of Archeology is helping all Marylanders to “fill in the missing pages of history.”

A bibliographic listing of various archeological reports from Maryland is available on the National Archeological Database (NADB). Qualified researchers may review copies of these reports at the MHT library. Requests for copies of the reports, however, should be directed to the report's author(s) or sponsoring agency.

From the sandy fields of the Eastern Shore to the rocky mountains of western Maryland, the Terrestrial Archeology Program is responsible for identification, study, and preservation of Maryland's non-submerged archeological heritage. This heritage is as diverse as the remains of a 10,000-year-old Paleoindian hunting camp, the remnants of the Indian villages recorded by Captain John Smith in 1608, the 17th century fort of the last Nanticoke Indian “emperor,” and the 18th century home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

A major component of the Terrestrial Archeology Program's research unit is the Annual Field Session in Maryland Archeology. This venture joins professional archeologists and volunteers to carry out excavations throughout the state. In the past the field session studied sites as varied as prehistoric campsites, an historic Indian village, an 18th century planation, and a Revolutionary War shipyard. Public participation is encouraged, both in the field and in the lab.

Throughout the year, the Terrestrial Archeology Program also sponsors or co-sponsors numerous educational activities open to the public. These include an annual Workshop in Archeology and Maryland Archeology Month. In addition, the Terrestrial Archeology Program issues permits for archeological investigations on state-owned or state-controlled lands, and provides oversight of MHT-grant-funded archeology projects undertaken on land.

The Maryland Historical Trust's underwater archeology program, the Maryland Maritime Archaeology Program (MMAP), was created in 1988 to inventory and manage the state's submerged cultural resources. These include prehistoric sites; historic structures such as buildings and bridge and wharf remains; and a range of vessels from native log canoes to colonial merchantmen and warships, and even relatively modern shipwrecks of historic significance. In addition to survey, the program is responsible for the administration of the Submerged Archaeological Historic Property Act and its implementing regulations including permit applications, site assessment and evaluations of National Register eligibility, and regulatory conformance.

MMAP actively undertakes cooperative endeavors with numerous groups and agencies at local, state, and federal levels to promote wise management as well as public education and outreach. These partnerships include the U.S. Navy; the National Park Service; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Maryland State Highway Administration; the Maryland Department of Natural Resources; maritime, historical and archeological societies; dive clubs; metal detecting groups; and local and regional schools. One such cooperative venture was the recent establishment of the state's first underwater shipwreck preserve. The program welcomes volunteers, who play an integral role in all projects, and attempts to provide a variety of opportunities for public participation through fieldwork, internships, and workshops.

The Maryland Historical Trust currently curates over 7,000,000 archeological artifacts and the number is growing every day. This diverse collection ranges from microscopic plant and animal remains, to prehistoric stone tools, to the remnants of Revolutionary War shipyard burned by the British in 1781. In 1998, the Trust completed construction of the state-of-the-art Maryland Archeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) to treat and house collections at its Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. The collections can be used by university-level students and researchers, and artifacts are available on loan to qualified museums and organizations for exhibition. If you would like information on access for research, volunteer opportunities for working on the collections, or artifact loans, contact the Trust's Collection Manager, Rebecca Morehouse, at 410-586-8583.