Category: Native American (Page 1 of 5)

Pennsylvania Archaeology Month is Here!

October 1, 2025 / nicholaszeitlin / 0 Comments

October is Pennsylvania Archaeology Month! Every October, events and programs are held across Pennsylvania to celebrate the Commonwealth’s deep past.

PA SHPO partner agencies and organizations including the the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA) and their local chapters, the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council (PAC), as well as local historical societies and universities, offer public archaeology programs for all ages to highlight their region’s archaeological and historical significance. We have a lot of announcements this year so here we go!

2025 Archaeology Month virtual learn at lunchtime.

Mark your Calendars! 2025 Archaeology Learn at Lunchtime Events

August 27, 2025 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

I am excited to announce this year’s lineup for the virtual Learn at Lunchtime series during October for Archaeology Month. Sign up now for the four free presentations scheduled for Fridays this October.

Preservation Partner Spotlight: Poquessing Trail of History

July 16, 2025 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Partnership is often a key ingredient for a preservation outcome. The value of partnership and collaboration, the importance of preservation networks, and leveraging resources are all central ideas of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation plan, Historic Preservation: The Keystone of Community. Continue reading

Color-coded map of Pennsylvania with each county in a different shade of blue and a number in a circle.

A Blast from the PASS: The 2024 Annual PASS Report

February 26, 2025 / Taylor Napoleon / 0 Comments

On this day 12 years ago….

*Insert horrible photo with questionable style choices and aggressive side bangs*

Thankfully, this is not that kind of blast from the past. This is your yearly recap on archaeological site recording and survey efforts throughout Pennsylvania.

Small masonry marker with metal stars and American flag in a field.

Untold Stories of PA’s State Parks and Forests at Laurel Hill

February 5, 2025 / Guest Contributor / 4 Comments

Two Black men, Edenborough Smith and John Harshberger appear in the 1850 census on tracts of land now situated in Laurel Ridge State Park overlooking Johnstown’s West End. From at least the 1820s, and possibly as early as the turn of the 19th century, Smith, Harshberger and their families lived in a community of Black, White, and Indigenous people that has been referred to as the Laurel Hill Settlement, Brown Farm and “the Mountain.” Eight generations lived on the Mountain until the property was claimed by the state in 1967.

Geoarchaeology 101: How deep do archaeologists dig?

October 16, 2024 / Justin McKeel / 1 Comment

October is Archaeology Month, so today let’s talk about a key part of identifying archaeological sites: geoarchaeology and geomorphology.

Wooded area with leaves covering the ground over a large depressed hole. — Precontact jasper quarry pit in southeastern PA. Photo by Don Giles, PHMC, 2005.

Quarrying our Data for Quarry Districts Part 2: The Updated Hardyston Jasper District

June 26, 2024 / Kristen Walczesky / 0 Comments

Back in October 2023, we shared a blog highlighting the updates to the Hardyston Jasper District that PA SHPO archaeologists were working on. These updates included reevaluating our PASS data to create and formally designate the NPS/Keeper Eligible Hardyston Jasper District, refine the district’s boundaries from the boundary established in the 1988 report by Anthony and Roberts, and identifying and evaluating sites for inclusion in the Hardyston Jasper District.

Aerial view of archaeology dig with excavation squares, exposed stones, plywood borders, and people and tools. — Field school excavations in progress around one of the stone hearth foundations uncovered at Fort Halifax (36DA0008).

A Trip Through the PASS: The 2023 Annual PASS Report

February 21, 2024 / Taylor Napoleon / 1 Comment

Now that 2023 is officially in the PASS, let’s look back on another successful year of archaeological site recording and survey efforts throughout Pennsylvania.

Line drawing showing a collection of shelters surrounded by a fence. — Drawing of "The Indian Fort Sasquesahanok" in Pennsylvania from Herman Moll's 1720 map of North America.

Highlights of Pennsylvania Archaeology

November 22, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 4 Comments

November is Native American Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. One of the ways to learn about Native American heritage in Pennsylvania is through archaeology.

What PA Places are on your list?

October 25, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 2 Comments

Any Pennsylvanian at heart has a list of places in the Keystone State that captures the essence of who we are.

Category: Native American (Page 1 of 5)

Pennsylvania Archaeology Month is Here!

Mark your Calendars! 2025 Archaeology Learn at Lunchtime Events

Preservation Partner Spotlight: Poquessing Trail of History

A Blast from the PASS: The 2024 Annual PASS Report

Untold Stories of PA’s State Parks and Forests at Laurel Hill

Quarrying our Data for Quarry Districts Part 2: The Updated Hardyston Jasper District

Highlights of Pennsylvania Archaeology

What PA Places are on your list?

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