Digging deep into Scratch Blue Salt-Glazed Stoneware

  

This week’s blog is continuing our discussion of artifact types with relatively short periods of manufacture. These can be very useful in dating an archaeological site or feature. Today, we will look at another form of historic ceramic, salt-glazed stoneware emphasizing one form of decoration, scratch blue and its variations.

Salt-glazed stonewares were a common type of ceramic  in manufacture for a hundred year period between 1685-1785, with its peak in popularity circa 1720-1770 (Edwards and Hampson 2005:30, 34). As a durable and versatile ceramic form, salt-glazed stoneware began to replace tin-glazed earthenware and porcelains as common dining and tea wares in England. Their thin, dense paste made them light, durable and attractive and the distinct “orange-peel” like textured finish aids in  identification  of salt-glazed stoneware by archaeologists.

Examples of plain white salt-glazed stoneware with “orange-peel like” glaze from Fort Hunter.

The orange-peel like finish came about through the addition of salt to the glaze on the vessel while the kiln was at the highest temperature, thus giving it the name salt-glazed stoneware. These attributes included with different types of decoration, such as “scratch blue”, allow archaeologists to narrow down the period of manufacture. 

Example of scratch blue salt-glazed stoneware from Fort Hunter (36Da159)

Examples of scratch blue salt-glazed stoneware from Fort Hunter

Scratch blue, is called such due to the thin blue lines that are present on the ceramic body. Produced through a process of incising or scoring deep lines in the ceramic and neatly filling the lines with cobalt blue oxide and wiping the excess clean before firing, the finished scratch blue ceramic often has simple geometric or floral patterns. In production from 1744-1775, scratch blue was commonly used to decorate cups and saucers, pitchers and punch pots (Hume 1969:117). Due to this short manufacture date range, scratch blue salt-glazed stoneware can be a useful tool in dating an archaeological site or feature.

Scratch blue salt-glazed stoneware fragments from a tea cup recovered at Fort Hunter (36Da159)

 Another type of incised decoration on salt-glazed stoneware, called scratch brown, is an earlier form of scratch decoration with manufacture dates between 1720 and 1730, and are rare finds (Hume 1969:117; https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov). Following the same technique as scratch blue decoration, scratch brown uses iron oxide to fill the incised lines prior to firing.

One final variation of scratch-blue decoration found on archaeological sites today is debased scratch blue. Using the same manufacturing techniques as scratch blue stoneware, debased scratch blue used a more liberal amount of the cobalt powder and the excess not wiped off for clean striking blue lines. A later version of scratch blue stoneware debased scratch blue dates between circa 1765 and circa 1795 (Skerry and Hood 2009:106). 

Example of debased scratch blue stoneware from Fort Hunter. 

As can be seen through these brief descriptions even a small variation in decoration can make a difference on how archaeologists date and interpret a site. We hope this information has helped you see how small details can allow for a better understanding of past human behavior. Look forward to more descriptions of artifact types from Pennsylvania in future blogs. To see additional examples of ceramic types and other artifacts please visit our online collections.

What would the Farm Show be without our dugout canoe? 

 

Recently The State Museum participated in the Virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show with a special "virtual booth."  Check out a featured interview with Dr. Kurt Carr talking about our 800- year-old dugout canoe and our replicas at PHMC's virtual booth landing page. 

 

References:

Hume, Ivor Noel

1969      A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia (reprint)

 

Edwards, Diana and Rodney Hampson

2005      White Salt-Glazed Stoneware of the British Isles. Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk.

 

Skerry, Janine E. and Suzanne Findlen Hood

2009      Salt-Glazed Stoneware in Early America. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Williamsburg, in association with University Press of New England, Hanover.

 

https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/ColonialCeramics/Colonial%20Ware%20Descriptions/WhiteSalt-glazed.html

 

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/typeceramics/type/jackfield-type-ware/

 

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

The Edible World Around Us: Plant Use in the Past and Present

There is an edible world around us that was expertly known and used for millennia before the arrival of the first Europeans to North America. Even the early settlers had an acute knowledge of plants and their culinary and medicinal uses. Today, much of the knowledge once considered essential for life has been traded for easily accessible and neatly packaged foods and medicines. It can be easy to forget that much of what we take for granted, both in cuisine and medicine is deeply rooted in the past.

Indigenous knowledge of the natural world has been passed from generation to generation through a rich oral tradition. The study of plants and their uses through cultural knowledge is called ethnobotany. Beyond the staples corn, beans, and squash, famously referred to as the three sisters, a multitude of other plants were utilized by the prehistoric people who thrived in North America. In many parts of the world, similar traditional knowledge persists to this day out of necessity or tradition.

A indigenous man and woman sitting on a rush mat eating fruit(?).

(Image: White, John, 1906,0509.1.20, www.britishmuseum.org/collection., 1585-1593, Online. Accessed 12/21/2017.)

Plant remains are relatively rare in Pennsylvania’s archaeological record due to the poor preservation of organic material, but plant use is well documented in ethnographic accounts of historic tribes and knowledge held by modern indigenous communities. Some indigenous groups have been reluctant to share traditional medicinal knowledge with outsiders out of concern that it will be used by pharmaceutical companies wishing only to profit from the information without respect or acknowledgement to the indigenous communities and their intellectual rights.

In North America, many species which we today consider to be weeds or nuisance plants had culinary or other importance to indigenous people. The plants most often used by Native Americans were also the most common and in many cases, are still common today. Plants were collected with respect and attention to conservation to ensure its survival. The time of year in which the plant was collected could determine its intended use. Some plants collected for culinary use as sprouts may be collected for their flowers or roots once mature, other plants become poisonous. It is important to know and understand the plants which are being collected.

A depiction of Native Americans harvesting bark and fruit from trees near a settlement.

(Illustration: Jonathan Frazier)

The study of medicinal plants and substances through cultural knowledge is called ethnopharmacology.  It is not secret that many over the counter and prescription drugs find their roots in nature. Aspirin’s pain relieving ingredient has its history in willow bark, which could be steeped in water and drunk as a tea. Beano, another common drug and anti-flatulent, gets its effectiveness from an enzyme found in the fungus responsible for black mold. Surprisingly, around 50% of cancer treatment drugs approved in the last 30 years are derived either directly or indirectly from nature. The most common ailments treated by medicinal plants were those of the gastro-intestinal system. Today, many natural teas can be found in your local grocery store intended to treat the same issues and using some of the same plants, such as mint and ginger.

Although many native plants have fallen out of favor for culinary use, others have been elevated to such high status as to collect a hefty price tag at modern markets. In many parts of North America, spring brings an abundance of desirable wild foods including morel and chanterelle mushrooms, ramps (a wild leek with a mild garlicy onion flavor), and fiddleheads (fern sprouts).

Foods (meat, maize, etc.) cooking in a pot over a fire.

(Image: White, John, 1906,0509.1.11.a, www.britishmuseum.org/collection., 1585-1593, Online. Accessed 12/21/2017.)

Pennsylvania is fortunate to host an abundance of wild plants. Modern foragers, much like those of the past, look forward to Spring when nature’s bounty abounds. With the shortest day of the year now behind us, we can look forward to Spring and all it brings.

You can explore more Native American foodways at the State Museum of Pennsylvania’s booth at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show, taking place Jan 6-13, 2018 in Harrisburg, PA. The State Museum will host an exhibit space featuring information on native American foodways and the history of the development of agriculture in Pennsylvania. Prehistoric artifacts on display illustrate the transition for native groups from primarily hunters and gatherers to farmers.  The changes in stone tools including spear points and atlatl weights during the Transitional Period (2900 BP- 4850 BP) to stone hoes and pestles in the Woodland Period (1550 AD- 2900 BP) reflect this culture change. A corn grinding station utilizing stone tools allows visitors to experience the process used by native peoples. Our booth will be located opposite the carousel in the Main Exhibition Hall of the Farm Show Complex.  Mark your calendar and plan your visit to the 102^nd Pennsylvania Farm Show (http://www.farmshow.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx)

References:

Densmore, F. (1974). How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts. General Publishing Company, Ltd.

Medve, R. and Medve, M. L. (1990). Edible Wild Plants of Pennsylvania and Neighboring States. The Pennsylvania State University.

Uprety et al. (2012). Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants in the Boreal Forest of Canada: Review and Perspectives. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 8(7). https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4269-8-7

USDA website on Ethnobotany: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/

Veeresham, C. (2012). Natural products derived from plants as a source of drugs. Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research, 3(4), 200–201.  http://doi.org/10.4103/2231-4040.104709

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

Archaeology Exhibit at the 2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show

         

  Here we are again; it is January and The State Museum of Pennsylvania is setting up our annual exhibit at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This is our biggest public outreach program of the year and, according to the Farm Show web site, it is the “largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits.”  Our goal is to engage the public in a discussion of the value of archaeology and to encourage visitation to the Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology at the State Museum. As in past years, the State Museum’s exhibit is set up in the Family Living section, located in the main exhibition hall of the Farm Show Agricultural Complex next to the MacClay Street Lobby across from the carousal. The 101st annual Pennsylvania Farm Show begins Saturday, January 7, 2017 and runs through Saturday, January 14.

            Our theme for this year’s exhibit is Pennsylvania Petroglyphs – a rare glimpse into the minds of ancient Native Americans.  It features a life size, 20 X 9 foot, banner depicting the Little Indian Rock Petroglyphs and a resin cast of the Parkers Landing Petroglyph.  We have a brochure on the Petroglyphs of Pennsylvania, including a map of Pennsylvania petroglyphs and a detailed reproduction of Little Indian Rock. This petroglyph is part of a group of seven rock islands, located just below the Safe Harbor Dam, 10 miles south of Columbia or 40 miles south of Harrisburg. The site contains approximately 300 petroglyphs and is one of the largest clusters of such carvings in the Eastern United States.

      The resin cast is named “Missibezhieu” (Mish ee pa zu) or, the underwater panther.  This was a mythical creature found in Ojibwa stories.  It is part of the Parkers Landing petroglyph site located on the Allegheny River in Clarion County. 

            The other related handouts are a Heritage Magazine article about the making of the petroglyph banner and a connect the dots handout for children. Finally, we have a petroglyph rock art activity – Connecting with the Past -  where young children can trace images from the Little Indian Rock Petroglyph thereby creating their own petroglyph.

            The banner is derived from a rubbing (http://twipa.blogspot.com/2009/03/schuylkill-county-petroglyph.html) by Paul Nevin of Little Indian Rock.  It took Paul two days to transpose the designs onto several large pieces of paper.  The rubbing was then digitized (http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/archaeology/native-american/little-indian-rock.html) by the Publications Division of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) under the direction of Ted Walke, former PHMC Publications Chief.  Now that this petroglyph is in an electronic format, it will significantly facilitate the analysis of these designs by researchers. 

             The exhibit is a cooperative endeavor by the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc. (SPA), the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council (PAC), and The State Museum of Pennsylvania.   Members of the SPA will be on hand offering information about the organization and answering questions. If you are interested in joining the SPA; new memberships include the biannual journal Pennsylvania Archaeologist, announcements of the annual SPA meeting, newsletters and a special Farm Show bonus of three previous issues of the journal will be included. So, stop on by and see what SPA is all about!

Finally, don’t forget that our 20-foot-long replica dugout canoe is also featured in the exhibit. Everyone is welcome to stop and test it out by climbing in and imagining how it would have been to live thousands of years ago, when this was one of the main modes of transportation. While taking a “ride” in the canoe you can read our poster and look at the photos about how dugout canoes were made and how the State Museum’s archaeologists and volunteers made the exact canoe you are sitting in through traditional methods with traditional stone tools. While you are at it, get a picture of the family in the dugout.

Visit our exhibit at the Farm Show; learn about Pennsylvania archaeology and have fun with the family. 

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

Once again it’s Farm Show time. January 9-16th, 2016

This year commemorates 100 years of the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show. According to the Farm Show web site it is the “largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits.”  Of course, the Section of Archaeology at The State Museum of Pennsylvania is one of those exhibits, complete with an authentic replica of a 20 foot dugout canoe. Our exhibit features the origins of farming and is entitled Foragers to Farmers, the development of Agriculture in Pennsylvania.

Farming is more labor intensive than hunting and gathering and there is a debate in archaeology as to why early Indian populations in Pennsylvania gradually began focusing on seed plants such as goosefoot, lambs quarter and maygrass for food; eventually growing these plants in gardens and finally adding maize to their diet. The dependence on maize in the diet by about A.D. 1200 corresponded to the development of large villages and significant changes in social organization.  During the 1700s, European farms began to dominate the region and farming change to include livestock and grains. By the late 19^th and early 20^th century, farming became more mechanized and fed huge numbers of people. The artifacts on display document this change over the past 5000 years.

An addition to this year’s exhibit is a stone mortar and pestle which are being used to demonstrate corn grinding.  Corn quickly becomes a food staple after A.D. 1200 spurring dramatic social changes.  Small egalitarian groups of people grew tribal societies.

This is an excellent opportunity for us to connect with the community.  We talk to an average of 40-50,000 visitors each year at the Farm Show and are able to share our knowledge with interested citizens of the Commonwealth.  One of our goals in reaching out to the community is to share the significance of archaeology and the importance of recording archaeological sites.  The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the State Agency for preserving our historical and archaeological heritage.  The State Historic Preservation Office (SHIPO) records and maintains the files to all known sites across the commonwealth.  This database of information enables state agencies such as PENNDOT to plan for highway projects that will have the least amount of impact on archaeological resources.  Archaeology is an expensive undertaking and avoiding those sites reduces the expense of building a road or bridge.

 

As a result of our interactions this year, we received information on the discovery of a Paleoindian projectile point from Berks County and another individual shared a grooved axe with our archaeologists.  Both of these individuals were able to provide site discovery location which is crucial to our understanding of past human behavior and settlement patterns. We hope you will continue to share these finds with our staff either at the Farm Show or at our offices in the museum. 

The Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA) is also participating in our exhibit as they have in past years.  Representatives are on hand to answer questions about the Society and membership which includes the biannual journal, Pennsylvania Archaeologist, newsletters and meeting announcements.  As an additional benefit of joining at the Farm Show you will receive three past issues of the SPA journal.

As you may have noticed, our location has changed from past years.  Although still in the Main exhibit hall we are no longer near the entrance to the Small Arena but next to the Maclay Street Lobby across from the carousal.  Many people have commented on the change as an improvement so hopefully you will all be able to find us. The Farm Show runs through 5:00 p.m. Saturday, January 16^th.  So there is still plenty of time for your annual “ride” in the dugout.

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

Archaeology Exhibit at the PA Farm Show

Here we are again, a new year and the grand event of the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The 99^th annual PA Farm Show began last Saturday January 10, 2015 and runs through tomorrow Saturday January 17 at 5 p.m. As in past years, The State Museum of Pennsylvania’s exhibit is set up in the Family Living section, located in the main exhibition hall of the Farm Show Agricultural Complex. In cooperation with the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology and the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum we have put together quite an exhibit. This year’s exhibit demonstrates how environmental changes have contributed to the social and technological adaptations of humans in Pennsylvania beginning around 19,000 years ago.  The exhibit features artifacts ranging in time from the Paleoindian period to the Late Woodland and includes projectile points, scrapers, knives, bola stones, net sinkers, adzes, axes, grinding stones, pottery, bone fish hooks, pestles and more. Our exhibit also includes informative panels discussing how the environment changed throughout these prehistoric periods and the responses by humans, which we can see through the artifacts and floral and faunal remains.

The State Museum’s Janet Johnson preparing the exhibit cases

The State Museum’s Kurt Carr speaking with visitors looking at an exhibit case

State Museum of Pennsylvania 2015 Farm Show Exhibit

Don’t forget that our 20 foot long replica dugout canoe is also featured in the exhibit. Everyone is welcome to stop by and test it out by climbing in and imagining how it would have been to live hundreds of years ago with this as one of your main modes of transportation. While taking a “ride” in the canoe you can read our poster and look at the photos about how dugout canoes were made and how the State Museum’s archaeologists and volunteers made the exact canoe you are sitting in through traditional methods with traditional stone tools.

Visitors enjoying the dugout canoe at The State Museum of Pennsylvania’s exhibit

Members of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA), as in years past, will be on hand offering information about the organization and answering questions. If you are interested in joining the SPA; new memberships include the biannual journal Pennsylvania Archaeologist, announcements of the annual SPA meeting, newsletters and as a special Farm Show bonus of three previous issues of the SPA journal will be included. So stop on by and see what SPA is all about!

SPA’s Ken Burkett on hand to answer questions

 In addition to the State Museum’s artifacts and panels, this year the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum has put together a display with additional brochures and booklets about events happening at the museum. There is also information about their Heirloom Seed Project, which preserves Pennsylvania’s past through heirloom vegetables and plants that were significant to Pennsylvania Germans from 1750 to 1940.

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum display

Thus far, the 99^th annual PA Farm Show has given us the opportunity to reach thousands of individuals with a current count at 32,736 and a projected count of 46,128 visitors total for the week. With a visitor count like this we have been able to disperse thousands of brochures, magazines, posters, tattoos, and free planetarium show tickets. Most of all the PA Farm Show has always given us the opportunity to share our knowledge of Pennsylvania’s past with all those who take a moment to stop by, sit in the canoe and chat with our volunteers and staff. We hope to see those of you who have not already visited tomorrow to let us share a little of Pennsylvania’s history and archaeology with you.

 References:

2015    The Heirloom Seed Project. http://landisvalleymuseum.org/index.php/programs/heirloom-seed-project/

2014    Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology Membership. http://www.pennsylvaniaarchaeology.com/Membership.htm

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

2014 Pennsylvania Farm Show

The New Year is upon us, and with it is the return of the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The 98^th annual PA Farm Show begins at 9 A.M. this Saturday the 4^th and runs through 5 P.M. the following Saturday, the 11^th. The State Museum of PA’s display will be set up in the Family Living section, located in the main exhibition hall of the Farm Show Agricultural Complex.

setting up for this year's Farm Show

Our exhibit for this year’s Farm Show, a cooperative endeavor by the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc. (SPA), the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council (PAC), and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), is an extension of the topic discussed at the Workshops in Archaeology program held at the State Museum of PA back in November entitled, “The Archaeology of a Troubled Nation 1776-1876”. This period covers the Revolutionary War; the War of 1812 and the final break with Great Britain; economic growth and the industrial revolution; and the anti-slavery movement and the Civil War.

Pennsylvania played a significant role in all of these events. At the dawn of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was the third largest colony. It contributed abundant supplies and labor to the war with Great Britain. After the Revolution, it continued to contribute to the growing nation in the form of farming and industry. With its vast natural resources such as coal, lumber and iron, it made a significant contribution to the industrial revolution.  Pennsylvania was also at the center of economic and social change during the mid 1800’s. Along with its anti-slavery stand, it made a significant contribution in the form of men and supplies to the Civil War.

Archaeological investigations conducted at many historic sites from this period provide us with unbiased documentation of these important historical events. They presented us with the personal effects of those who served our country, their sacrifices and, ultimately, archaeology contributes to a better understanding of this turbulent time in American history. Large text panels illustrate important aspects of each of these periods of conflict and corresponding artifact displays will help to engage on lookers with their heritage.

A series of informational brochures produced by the Section of Archaeology covering a wide range of interests are complimentary, as well as copies of Pennsylvania Heritage and American Archaeology magazines courtesy of our friends at the PA Heritage Foundation and the Archaeological Conservancy respectively. Membership forms for the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology will also be on hand. 

Still more offerings include passes to the State Museum of PA’s planetarium, the current Archaeology Month Poster highlighting the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and rub-on “tattoos” featuring the Section of Archaeology’s logo, which is, if you ever wondered, a stylized version of a human face effigy sometimes found adorning the rim of Susquehannock pottery of the Washington Boro Phase (c. 1600-1625 A.D.).

a look back at last year's Farm Show exhibit

And of course, no trip to the Farm Show would be complete without a photo-op in the ever popular replica wooden dugout canoe, with or without milkshake. Guys, gals, young and old, even the occasional dog love the dugout canoe!

So brave the winter weather and make your way to the 98^th annual Pennsylvania Farm Show. We hope to see you there!

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

2013 PA Farm Show Wrap-up

The 2013 PA Farm Show is nearly done for another year with today, Friday the 11^th, and tomorrow the final days of the show. As in years past, our archaeology exhibit has been well received by the attendees. Occasionally, folks passing by would thank us for our work in preserving and interpreting the Commonwealth’s rich cultural heritage. Such praise from the public is flattering, and a wonderful moral boost for the troops, reinvigorating us to bolster our efforts in raising awareness about all things archaeological in Pennsylvania.

This year’s theme, commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the end of the French and Indian War, seemed to engender a great deal of interest with the crowd. By way of a little bit of statistical extrapolation, we’ve calculated that throughout the week, somewhere in the neighborhood of 38,000 people were engaged in our exhibit, enjoying complimentary Archaeology Month posters, Heritage magazines, temporary tattoos of the Archaeology Section logo, and our growing series of archaeology brochures, including this year’s, that focuses on the French and Indian War in Pennsylvania.

Volunteers answered questions and shared their knowledge of archaeology
 and the French & Indian War period with visitors.

The large and colorful hanging text panels detailing important events of the conflict were intently studied by many, and some of the best artifacts recovered from French and Indian War forts in Pennsylvania were on display, sparking questions from young and old interested in learning more about that time period or archaeology in general.

Mr. Lynn Otto of the Augusta Regiment

Also, the addition of re-enactors from the Augusta Regiment was a perfect complement to our exhibit, the icing on the cake so to speak, especially given this year’s theme. A big thank you goes out to Lynn Otto and all the members of the Augusta Regiment for collaborating with the State Museum’s Section of Archaeology and bringing the French and Indian War soldier to life for our visitors.

Of course, it goes without saying that the 20 foot long dugout canoe continues to amaze and impress. For many the photo op is simply irresistible, with some folks making it an annual event. Here are just a few of the candids:

Front to back; David Dunn, Director of The State Museum; Brad Smith,Curatorial Supervisor;Jim Vaughn, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) and Brad Miller, volunteer.  Looking on is Kurt Carr, Senior Curator, Section of Archaeology. 

One final thank you goes out to our senior management for their support of this program, the State Museum of PA exhibits staff , our own Section of Archaeology staff, and last but certainly not least, our loyal volunteers for making this year’s farm show exhibit another resounding success, THANK YOU!

To those of you looking ahead, next week we will resume our county by county tour of Pennsylvania archaeology with Lancaster County. Stay tuned!

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