From the MAS President - MASS ARCHAEOLOGY · working through the final MAP report and have begun a new strategic planning effort in 2015. To support that work, the IMLS has once again

www.MassArchaeology.org Issue 41, No. 1 Winter 2015

MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.

ROBBINS MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY

From the MAS President New Website Launches!

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Save the date! The MAS will hold its annual Spring Meeting on Saturday, April 11, 2015. Join us at the Robbins Museum in Middleborough for a day of discussion and learning. Registration at the Robbins starts at 9:30am. Members are $10 and non-members are $12. The annual business meeting will be held from 10am-12pm. Enjoy lunch in Middleborough on your own.

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The afternoon speaker program convenes at 1pm in the Barbara Luedtke Lecture Hall at the Robbins. A preliminary program of speakers is included with this newsletter. For more information about the speakers and the program for the day can be found at online www.MassArchaeology.org. See you on April 11th!

MAS Spring Meeting on Saturday, April 11, 2015

Issue 41, No. 1 Winter 2015

In This Issue…

Chapter News

MAS SPRING MEETING April 11, 2015

MAS Wins Important Federal Grant to Support Strategic Planning

NE/Winter Chapter Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7pm R.S. Peabody Museum 175 Main Street, Andover

Central Chapter Meeting Saturday, April 4 at 7pm Zion Lutheran Church 43 Whitmarsh Ave., Worcester

Dear Members and Friends,

I invite you to explore the recently re-launched MAS website. After months of work, the newly re-designed hub has come together beautifully. As before, you can find all the latest society, museum and chapter information at www.MassArchaeology.org. Our thanks to Judith Randall of Daughters In Design (and Massasoit Chapter Corresponding Secretary) for her many hours of design help.

Among the information you will see on the new website is the announcement of the Spring Meeting set for Saturday, April 11, 2015. Mark your calendars for a program of talks that will cover topics from New England to Central Texas.

Finally, we ask you to spread the word about the MAS as we expand our programming and revitalize the Robbins Museum. If you or someone you know would like to be added to our mailing list, email us at [email protected]. And, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest.

Sincerely,

Philip J. Graham

President

Celebrating Our Annual Appeal Donors

Massasoit Chapter Meeting Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:30pm Adams Heritage Center 33 Summer St, Kingston

Membership Report

Regional News from the World of Cultural Resource Management


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MAS Wins Important Federal Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services

On July 22-23, Dr. Michael Hammond (second from left) joined MAS Trustees Ted Ballard, Suanna Crowley, David

DeMello, Bill Taylor and Fred Robinson (from left to right) for the

IMLS sponsored Museum Assessment Program to improve MAS and Robbins

Museum operations.

Celebrating Our Donors Our thanks to the individuals, families, and organizations that supported our Annual Appeal in 2014!

Continued on page 4

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The Trustees of the MAS are proud to announce that the Society recently received a grant funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that supports state and local organizations as they care for and interpret American heritage, culture and innovation. The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) Grant awarded in 2014 provided a comprehensive review of the MAS organization, facilities, and collections. This highly competitive grant recognized the Society’s recent efforts to revitalize itself and strengthen its education and preservation mission. A grant of $4,000 was made to provide expert consultation with a senior-level museum professional who could observe MAS operations and make detailed recommendations for improvement.

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The MAP award was administered by the American Alliance of Museums, a national advocacy organization, which paired the MAS with Dr. Michael Hammond, Executive Director of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum of Palm Springs, California. Dr. Hammond completed his doctoral work at Columbia University in archaeology and had spent many years in both academic and cultural resource management settings before transitioning to museum administration. “We could not have imagined a better fit for our organization,” commented Robbins Museum Director David DeMello. Dr. Hammond’s background in both archaeology and museums created an immediate rapport with the trustees and volunteers who came together for this review.

Clovis Contributors ($1,000 and up): Donald Beal David DeMello Carole McCarthy

Eden Enablers ($750):

Curtiss Hoffman Bifurcate Backers ($500):

Charles Smith Brewerton Boosters ($250):

Ted Ballard Fred Robinson

Vosburg Volunteers ($100): Charles Adams Archaeological & Historical Services Margaret Atkins Frederica Dimmick Timothy Fohl Dianne Gilbert Henry Hammond Tonya Largy

Vosburg Volunteers ($100): Tonya Largy Wayne Legge Daniel Lorraine Arthur Miller William Napolitano Douglas Sharpe Alan Smith Laurie Stundis Lee Varvaro

Squibnocket Supporters ($75 for the 75th!): Janet Bessette Bridgewater Savings Bank Mike Cavanagh Suanna Crowley (2) Fuzzy Downs Phil Graham Susan Jacobucci Jordan Kerber Lloyd Keyes Dan Lorraine Vic Mastone

Squibnocket Supporters ($75 for the 75th!): Anne Marie Mires Stephen Pendery Anna Ramstead Lindsay Randall John Rempelakis

Other Contributors:

Harry Anderson Bernadine Birch Esther Braun Gino Buccella Jennifer Caldelari Andre Cormier Charles Deknatel Tom Doyle Taylor Ford James Gage Robert Jonas Nancy Kenney Bruce Rusch Judy Sessler Mark Simonitsch Dotty Thayer

www.MassArchaeology.org


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Data Recovery at the Queset Site in Easton

Contributed by Brian D. Jones, AHS, Inc.

The Queset Site (19-BR-649) is located in Easton, Massachusetts. The site was first identified by the Public Archaeology Laboratory in 1999 and further assessed in 2008 and 2012. The site was considered eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places based on the identification of quartz and rhyolite debitage, bifaces and projectile points, as well as a pit feature dated to 4430+/-30 B.P. Five quartz Squibnocket Triangle points were closely associated with the dated feature, while a rhyolite Neville-like point was found ca. 20 meters away.

Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. (AHS) completed a Data Recovery Program of the Queset Site in the fall of 2013. Forty-eight additional square meters of the site were excavated. AHS recovered 7,228 artifacts, including over 4,500 lithics. Native American cultural material from the site is comprised almost entirely of

Regional News from the World of CRM Compiled by John Rempelakis

Continued on page 4

quartz (61%) and rhyolite (38%). Artifacts from the combined excavations include twenty-three Squibnocket Triangles, three Snook Kill (Atlantic) points, a possible Otter Creek point, and the Neville-like point identified by PAL. Five locations of concentrated lithic material were identified. Three of these are defined by moderate to high concentrations of quartz knapping debris associated with Late Archaic Squibnocket Triangle points, all manufactured from quartz. Rhyolite is concentrated in one area and is associated with the three Terminal Archaic Snook Kill points (two rhyolite and one argillite). Another block contained a very dense concentration of quartz just south of the rhyolite possible Otter Creek point and the Neville-like point. These points may not be associated with the nearby quartz.

Thirty-six bifaces/fragments and six point fragments indicate that the production of projectile points was one of the main activities at the site. Unifacial tools and

AHS Archaeologists in the field at Locus 10.


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News from the Region Continued from page 3

MAS Wins Federal Grant Continued from page 2 TYPOLOGY

REISSUED!

Jeff Boudreau’s New England Typology is

back in our bookstore! After several months out of

print, a new version of A New England Typology of Native

American Projectile Points is back in our museum store

shelves and available online for sale. Your purchase helps

support the MAS/Robbins Museum!


SPECIAL EVENT!

The Northeastern Anthropological Association will hold its annual

meeting on March 27-28, 2015 on the campus of Franklin Piece

University in Rindge, NH. The NEAA conference theme this year is

Through the Looking Glass: Showcasing Contemporary

Anthropology. Interested attendees or presenters should visit

www.NEAA.org for more information on how to register

for this event.

utilized flakes numbered ten and indicate other types of cutting and scraping tasks were performed as well, while a small quartz awl-like tool suggests leather-working. A small number of additional features were identified during the latest excavation, but some of these appear to reflect historic-period activity at the site. AHS hopes to submit additional radiocarbon dates after soil samples have been processed. The Queset Site is important for helping to refine the chronology of the Late Archaic quartz tool tradition. Unlike most Late Archaic sites in the region, it contains not a single quartz small-stemmed point. Data from the site help to build an argument that the Squibnocket Triangle type dates to a relatively short period of time around 4,400 radiocarbon years ago (ca. 5,010 calBP). The finds support a similar hypothesis first proposed by Kevin McBride in 1984 based on data from the Lower Connecticut River Valley.

The MAS thanks AHS, Inc. of Storrs, CT, for contributing news from

around New England. More updates from cultural resource management firms and other organizations will be

featured in future issues of the Newsletter. Stay tuned for the latest

research!

Accompanying graphic Continued on page 5

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During a two day visit in July, Dr. Hammond reviewed operations polices, toured the facilities, and interviewed a number of museum volunteers and trustees, gathering as much information about the Society’s mission and vision as possible. These observations were gathered into a final report to which suggested a series of concrete steps for the MAS Trustees to consider. Among these were updates to the mission statement and a comprehensive review of operations policies. Dr. Hammond’s report also highlighted mechanisms for expanding public outreach and updating the Robbins facilities.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with Michael over those two days and welcomed his insight into the Society,” said Trustee Suanna Crowley. “And he has continued to make himself available in the months after his visit. It has been an extraordinary opportunity.”

The MAS Trustees are currently working through the final MAP report and have begun a new strategic planning effort in 2015. To support that work, the IMLS has once again invited the MAS to host Dr. Hammond and is offering a supplemental grant to facilitate a second visit to Middleborough this spring. The Trustees are currently working out the details for this meeting.

To learn more about how the trustees, members and friends of the Society are working to revitalize the organization for our visitors and our collections, visit our website at www.MassArchaeology.org to see how you can be a part of the effort. Thank you for your continued support.

$75 for the 75th Support the MAS!



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News from the Region Continued from page 4

Stemmed points from Locus 1- top: rhyolite projectile point tip, possible Middle Archaic. Bottom row, left to right:

argillite Neville variant point and refit flake; rhyolite Neville stemmed point; hornfels-like Atlantic pointbase and refit tip.

CHAPTER MEETING DATES

NE/Gene Winter Chapter 7pm Meetings

R.S. Peabody Museum 175 Main St., Andover, MA

February 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 April 21, 2015 May 19, 2015

Central Chapter 7pm Meetings

Zion Lutheran Church 43 Whitmarsh Ave., Worcester, MA

April 4, 2015 June 13, 2015

Massasoit Chapter 6:30pm Meetings

Adams Heritage Center 33 Summer Street, Kingston, MA

February 19, 2015

More information on programs and directions available at www.MassArchaeology.org

There have been 48 new members who joined or rejoined MAS since April 2014: David Brule John Campbell Mia Charbonneau Zoe Charbonneau Howard Clark Matthew Costa Dot Debassio Steve DiMarzo Penelope Drooker Gloria Dupre Joel Fowler David Graci Richard Michael Gramly Joseph Graveline Regina Greene Stephen Greene Marcia Johnson Brent LeStage Steven Loring Lynne Martin Gray Gibson McDonald Stephen McGinn Rachel Mulroy Elizabeth Myers Michael Myers Virginia Myers Michael Neary Timothy Neumann Cecy Pelrine John Pelrine John Pelrine, Jr. Robert Quevillon Juliana Ramos Judy Rembisz Martha Remington Emily Rux Gary Sanderson Heidi Savery Kenneth Schoen Sarah Schoff Nathan Scholl Ann Sharpe Jillian Smith Kimberly Smith Joshua Toney Jane Trigere Alan Vautrinot Meg Wilkes

Patrons: Ted Ballard Ashton Bradshaw Marilyn Crary

Suanna Crowley Thomas DeGirolamo Frederica Dimmick Fuzzy Downs Tim Fohl Phil Graham Elizabeth Greene Curtiss Hoffman

Sheila A. Lynch- Benttinen

Jeffrey Moore, Jr. Ed Moreland Steven Pendery Diane Pereira Daniel Rourke Bruce Rusch Robert W. Scheer Frederic Topor Supporting: Anthony Capozzi Michael Cavanagh Andrew Cormier Susan Jacobucci Thirza Joost Frederick Martin Vic Mastone Darrell Pinckney Dorothy Robinson Chester Soliz William B. Taylor Sustaining: Carol Barnes Esther Braun Bernard Cooper] Stuart Eldridge Linda Engelmann Donna Frehill Diane Gilbert Donald Gourley Lloyd Keyes Mark Lyons Gerald Macomber William Moody William Napolitano Brona Simon

Membership Secretary’s Report by Curtiss Hoffman As of January 21, the Society’s membership was 479, including all categories of membership. The following members have joined or renewed their MAS membership at higher levels of contribution:


Massachusetts Archaeological Society P.O. Box 700

Middleborough, MA 02346

Founded in 1939, the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preservation and public outreach about the heritage of Native American groups in New England and the science of archaeology. The Robbins Museum of Archaeology is located at 17 Jackson Street,

Middleborough, MA. The Robbins, along with several regional MAS chapters, hosts educational programs, lectures and tours. Please visit www.MassArchaeology.org for more information about our collections and programming.

Scheduled speakers include: Brianna Rae, “The Marshfield Airport Site.” William Farley, “A Preliminary Analysis of Archaeobotanical Remains from the Waterman House Site (MA 19-PL-426), a 1640s Puritan Household in Plymouth Co.” Zachary Singer, “Revisiting the Neponset Site: A Reanalysis of Formative Middle Paleoindian (Michaud-Neponset Phase) Site in the New England and Canadian Maritimes Region.” Grace Bello, “A Walk Through Time with the Boats Archaeological Site of Dighton, Massachusetts.” Ammie Mitchell, “Redefining Early Pottery in New York State.” Bruce Rusch, ‘Clovis/Pre-Clovis at the Gault Site in Central Texas.” Susan Jacobucci, “Beech, Purple-Leaved: An Examination of a Historic,

MAS Spring Meeting Speaker Program Saturday, April 11 at the Robbins Museum of Archaeology. Registration 9-10am.

Morning program 10am-12pm. Lunch on your own 12-1:30pm. Afternoon program 1:30-4pm. Members $10/Non-members $12.

Maurice “Doc” Robbins

Documents

From the MAS President - MASS ARCHAEOLOGY · working through the final MAP report and have begun a new strategic planning effort in 2015. To support that work, the IMLS has once again