Gloria S. King Research Fellowship in Archaeology Award Announced

The Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Laboratory is pleased to announce they have selected Christopher Shephard as the recipient of the 2013 Gloria S. King Research Fellowship in Archaeology.  Mr. Shephard is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary.  He is researching the exchange of copper and shell objects among Algonquian societies of the late Woodland through early Colonial periods and the rise and transformation of chiefly authority across the southern Middle Atlantic.  During his fellowship, Mr. Shephard will be studying several archaeological collections curated at the lab to look at questions related to the nature of competitive gift-giving and feasting in the negotiation of power and authority among the indigenous societies of the Tidewater.

Hands-On History

JPPM enjoys a productive relationship with Huntingtown High School and Social Studies teacher Jeff Cunningham. In previous years, Jeff’s archaeology classes, under the supervision of Education Director Kim Popetz, produced three cell phone tours for the park. The students worked on the audio tour projects at every level, including conducting oral history interviews, developing tour themes and scripts, recording the tours and writing press releases about the projects.

Kids’ Work

What do making ice cream, doing laundry and playing marbles have in common? They are all part of an exciting new program for fourth graders, created by and being run by JPPM docents, under the guidance of Education Director Kim Popetz. Entitled “Kids’ Work”, this program takes a look at what life was like for African American children growing up in post-Civil War Calvert County.

Intern Spotlight

This summer, we welcomed intern Drew Karnoski to the conservation department of the MAC Lab. Drew is currently earning his Bachelor of Science degree in conservation of objects in museums and in archaeology at Cardiff University, a leading research university located in Wales. Prior to his arrival here, Drew worked on the conservation of Roman iron artifacts and post medieval shoe leather, and he dabbled in FTIR spectroscopy. Drew came to the MAC Lab to learn conservation in a practical working environment, and that he did. The conservators at the lab were happy to teach him treatments for a wide variety of archaeological materials and to offer him the opportunity to work with our staff in the lab and in the field to further his education. Drew was a pleasure to work with and we wish him well in his future studies!

Drew (2nd from right) with MAC Lab conservators and Navy
divers at the site of the Scorpion, the Chesapeake Flotilla’s
flagship, which fought in the War of 1812.

Treating a historical monument in Havre de Grace.