Well we made it, spring is finally upon us! To many of us spring brings thoughts of birds, new tree buds and dare I say it… warmer weather. To those of us in the Mid-Atlantic’s archaeological community the beginning of April also means it must be time for the annual Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA) Meeting. This weekend (April 8 – 10) marks the 82nd annual meeting and will be hosted by the John Shrader Chapter #21 in Morgantown, PA. The theme for this year is, From Wilderness to Metropolis: Archaeology of Pennsylvania’s Woodlands, Farms and Cities.

This year’s presentations promise to be as informative as ever. Sessions begin each day at 9:00 AM and include: The Archaic in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Before and Below I-95: Ongoing Archaeological Investigations in Philadelphia and Archaeology of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Woodlands, Farms and Cities. There will be two concurrent sessions Sunday morning; Session A: Precontact Period Investigations and Session B: Post Contact Period Investigations. Our own Janet Johnson will be presenting a paper on New Deal Historical Archaeology during Sunday morning’s Session B.

As always there will be a banquet Saturday night starting at 6:00 PM, the Guest Speaker will be Dr. Dean Snow, professor of Anthropology at Penn State and former President of the Society for American Anthropology. He will be discussing Big Ideas in American Archaeology: How Pennsylvania Can Contribute. More fun ensues following the banquet with the distribution of annual awards and the live auction.

The annual meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. If you are interested in attending, the meetings will be at the Holiday Inn Morgantown located on Rt. 10, one mile south of the Turnpike exit for Morgantown. Walk-in Registration is $30 and the banquet cost is $27. Please come and support our state Archaeological Society and its purpose:

The Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc. was organized in 1929 to: Promote the study of the prehistoric and historic archaeological resources of Pennsylvania and neighboring states; Encourage scientific research and discourage exploration which is unscientific or irresponsible in intent or practice; Promote the conservation of archaeological sites, artifacts, and information; Encourage the establishment and maintenance of sources of archaeological information such as museums, societies, and educational programs; Promote the dissemination of archaeology by means of publications and forums; Foster the exchange of information between the professional and the avocational archaeologists.

For more information, visit PAarchaeology.state.pa.us or the Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology at The State Museum of Pennsylvania .