Welcome to PennsylvaniaArchaeology.com, the home for The Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology.  This web site is designed to disseminate news and information concerning Pennsylvania Archaeology, and to provide a central online forum for the SPA and SPA Chapters. The Contents listing to the left serves as a navigation bar through the main pages of this web site.  Some sections are still under construction, and more sections will be added in the near future.  PennsylvaniaArchaeology.com is owned and sponsored by the SPA, and supported through your membership and donations.  

Pennsylvania Archaeologist

North Fork Chapter Meeting -- Sat. May 15, at 7:00 pm
Location: Golden Eagle Inn, Brookville, Pa., Intersection of Route 28 and 322.
Program:  The chapter will be reviewing plans and preparations to begin a formal mapping project this weekend to record the Scripture Rocks areas in and around Brookville.  These massive rocks were inscribed during the early 20th century by Douglas Stahlman who believed he had a vision instructing him to carry out such a mission.  Each rock carries a theme metical biblical inscription and was named by Stahlman in a day journal now in the possession of the Jefferson County History Center.  The public is invited to attend and participate in this project.   For further information contact Ken Burkett at (814) 365-5563 or (kenburkett@comcast.net).

Allegheny Chapter Meeting  -- Tue. Jun. 2, at 7:30 pm
Location: Kresge Theater, Grace Library Building, Carlow College, 3333 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland).
Program:  Bob Oshnock, Member, Westmoreland Archaeological Society, SPA Chapter 23, will present the program on The House Patterns of the Drew People on the Consol Site.

Ohio Valley Annual Dinner Meeting -- Sat. Jun. 6, at 5:00 pm
Location: Garden Gate Restaurant on Rt. 422 in Prospect, PA.
Dinner Speaker: Mike Woshner, member, Allegheny Chapter #1, will present the program on Birth of an Industry: Rubber & Pre-Plastics in the Mid-Nineteenth Century.  Allegheny Chapter member Mike Woshner’s presentation and display at our June 6th meeting will highlight over thirty-five years of collecting and research on the earliest days of the rubber and pre-plastic industries.  His topic, “Birth of an Industry: Rubber and Pre-Plastics of the Mid-Nineteenth Century,” is of interest and importance to historians and archeologists for at least three reasons: While these materials are sometimes overlooked in many references to cultural materials, rubber and hard rubber artifacts may be found in virtually any historic site dating from the late 1840s. The hundreds of material applications in the mid-1800s, including clothing, boots, military accoutrements, buttons, combs, and medical instruments, touch almost all social levels and walks of life. Manufacturer and patent markings can help differentiate early materials from plastics and may provide references for dating a specific site or area. The presentation will track the early history of and development of rubber, hard rubber, gutta-percha, and related materials including the evolution to our modern-day latex and plastic.   Rare artifacts from museum collections and archeological projects will be featured, along with surprising visuals of mid-century water beds, an elastic baby jumper, and a chatelaine made for an empress.  Several original items will also be displayed, allowing you to examine the exquisite workmanship and material characteristics.  For more information contact Amanda Valko at  AVALKO@mbakercorp.com or phone durnig the day 412-269-7959.

Westmoreland Chapter Meeting -- Wed. May 2, at 7:00 pm
Location: Unity Township Municipal Building located about 0.2 miles north of route 30 at the Beatty crossroads on Beatty Co. Road.  Look for the Kawasaki dealership at the crossroads.  The intersection is four miles west of Latrobe and seven miles east of Greensburg on U.S. Route 30.
Program: To be announced

Somerset Chapter Meeting --
Location:  Somerset Historical Center, 10649 Somerset Pike (Rt. 985), Somerset, PA 15501 (814) 445-6077
Program: