The Society for
Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc.
 Newsletter
Fall 2004

 

The 75th Annual Meeting was held in Clarion, Pa hosted by Ohio Valley Chapter 22.  The diamond jubilee celebration was very well done and the Society extends its appreciation to the host chapter.

Annual Meeting Highlights
North Fork Chapter 29

The Society welcomes a new Chapter located in Brookville, Pennsylvania.  The petition for the North Fork Chapter was approved by the Board of Directors at Annual Meeting.  The Chapter meets at the Jefferson County History Center in Brookville.  The president of the chapter is Andrew J. Myers.  You may contact Andy at RD1, Box196A, Brockway, PA 15824 or through the Society’s website or from Chapter representative Ken Burkett at 814-365-5563 or burken@adelphia.net.  Congratulations Chapter 29!

A Resolution is support of the Susquehanna Riverlands Preservation Project was issued from the Society.  The Project intends to establish a regional Native American Heritage Site with educational and parkland components.  It will preserve the Lauxmont Farm that includes the endangered Byrd Leibhart Site.  More information can be obtained from Vice President, Paul Nevin.

Annual Meeting
Annual meeting host chapters are needed.  A plea has been issued for volunteer chapters to host this important annual event. Contact Mary Alice Graetzer for planning information at rxg8@psu.edu.

Society Officers 2005
General election of officers is scheduled for Annual Meeting 2005.  Please consider serving the Society as an officer or director.  To put yourself or someone else in nomination, please contact the Secretary.  All persons seeking office must be members in good standing.

SPA Awards Committee
Donna George has resigned as chair of the Awards Committee.  Ginger Dlutowski was appointed to that position.  The Society would like to thank Donna for the many years of happy awards ceremonies to honor our best.
2004 Annual award recipients were:  Anna Warren, Westmoreland Chapter 23, and Ed Kaufman, Ohio Valley Chapter 22 received the Archey Award.  The J. Alden Mason award for professional archaeologist was presented to Dr. Catherine Spohn, John Shrader Chapter 21.  Jacob L. Grimm C-14 award went to Westmoreland Chapter 23 for the Consol Site.

Annual Chapter Reports
Eleven chapters reports were received recording activity for 2003.  Chapter activities included, lectures, tours, educational symposiums, digs and social events such as, banquets.  Good communication has been enhanced by the network system of board meetings, email and especially, the Society’s website.  Chapter meeting and contact information is available on the SPA site at www.PennsylvaniaArchaeology.com.

Site Recording in Pennsylvania
449 new sites were recorded in Pennsylvania in 2003.  The total recorded sites is 19,888.  These sites are recorded in large part by avocational archaeologists and cultural resource management activities.  Site recording remains an important method of site protection for preserving Pennsylvania’s archaeological history.

Election of Elmer Erb Permanent Fund Trustees
      Dr. Stanley Lantz and Mr. Charles Hannon were elected to six-year terms ending in 2010. Trustees are responsible for guiding the decisions of the Elmer Erb Permanent Fund, which insures sustained service to the Life Members of the Society and supplements the general fund.

Jacob L. Grimm IV C14 Award

The Society’s C14 program was designed to help chapters and individual members with the cost of C14 dating.  Individual applying must be a member in good standing to qualify for the funding.  Applications will be reviewed and awards made at the SPA Annual Meeting if applications are received before the meeting date or April 22, 2004
Please address all requests for matching C14 dating funds to: James Herbstritt, BHP, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North St. 2nd Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0093 or e-mail: jherbstrit@state.pa.us


Attention Members
Membership renewal forms are included in this mailing.
All Chapter officers are required to be members in good standing with the SPA.  All state officers, board of directors and Elmer Erb Permanent Fund trustees are required to be current members of SPA. 



Eastern States Archaeological Federation
Membership:  ESAF will donate 20% of the membership fee to the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc. if dues are paid through the SPA.  Membership includes Archaeology of Eastern North America (AENA), and informational announcements throughout the year.
Fees are:  $30.00 Individual membership and $40.00 Institutional.  For postage to foreign countries add $5.00.  Please make checks payable to Treasurer, SPA.  Foreign Checks must be in US funds or drawn on a US bank.  Send to: Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc., P.O. Box 10287, Pittsburgh, PA 15232-0287


Discover and Preserve Brochure

A new printing of the popular “Discover and Preserve” brochure has been completed. The brochure may be used to promote proper recording of artifacts and collections and to encourage donations of collections to proper repositories.  Copies of the brochure are available to chapters.  A supply will be housed at the State Museum and may be obtained by contacting Steve Warfel at 717-783-2887 or email at swarfel@state.pa.us.

______________________

The Revised SPA Constitution has been reprinted in Vol. 72 (1) of The Pennsylvania Archaeologist.  The Constitution outlines the purpose of the Society, the duties and responsibilities of the officers, directors, chapters and members.  Please review the document for changes.  This is your personal copy of the SPA Constitution please keep it for future reference.

____________________

October is Archaeology month in Pennsylvania

The Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology joins the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council, The Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, The Bureau for Historic Preservation and numerous cultural resource management organizations in celebrating Pennsylvania rich archaeological resources.  Events are planned statewide to educate the public and call attention to the preservation and conservation activities ongoing in the state.  The calendar of events is included in this newsletter.


 
PENNSYLVANIA ARCHAEOLOGY MONTH CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 2004

SAVE THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE

Archaeology Month is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc., and the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council. Its purpose is to increase awareness of the important historic and prehistoric archaeological sites in the Commonwealth. These sites are part of the heritage of all Pennsylvanians. Everyday, archaeological sites are destroyed. We hope that through the Archaeology Month events, more Pennsylvanians become aware of this part of our history and work to protect our endangered resources.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.

Note: the following event listings are organized by region.

Northeast
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology - Forks of the Delaware Chapter 14
Event:        Chapter Monthly Meeting.
Date:        Thursday, 7 October.
Time:        7:30 PM
Contact:    Philip Perazio, Phone: 570-421-9525, Email: pperazio-kar@sunlink.net.
Description:
Excavations at the Manna Site, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area - Year 2. This will be a slide-illustrated presentation about the Temple University archaeological fieldschool’s second season at the Manna Site, a prehistoric Native American site in the Upper Delaware Valley. The work revealed a stratified series of Late Woodland occupations as well as a complex of food processing and storage pit features.
Directions can be found at Chapter 14's web page at the Siftings web site - www.siftings.com.

Southeast
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology - John Shrader Chapter 21
Event:        Hay Creek Valley Historical Association’s (HCVHA) Apple Festival
Location:    Joanna Furnace, Route 10 near Morgantown, Berks County
Date:        Saturday, 9 October
Time:         7 AM-4 PM
Contacts:     Cathy Spohn, President, Chapter 21 -
Phone  610-678-1274 (home) or 610-205-6711;
        Email cspohn@state.pa.us
Charles Jacob – Phone 610-469-9530
Description:
John Shrader Chapter 21 will have an information stand at HCVHA’s annual Apple Festival at Joanna Furnace.  Chapter members have been actively engaged in the archaeological investigations and restoration of Joanna Furnace over many years.  SPA members will provide information on archaeology, the role of the SPA, and the various projects Chapter 21 members have been involved with in addition to our work at Joanna.  We will have an exhibit of the archaeological research and field schools held at Joanna Furnace.  The current excavations at the hot blast engine area and casting house will be open for visitors to see.  Admission is free and parking is on site.


Celebrate
Archaeology Month
 in Pennsylvania


SPA Chapter 21 will also have an information stand at HCVHA’s annual Fall Festival that runs from Friday, September 10 through Sunday, September 12, 2004, also at Joanna Furnace.  Admission is $5 per person over age 12 on Friday and $7 per person on Saturday and Sunday.  Passes for $10 for two are available through the contacts listed above.  Besides the archaeological exhibits, there will be nineteenth century crafts, antique cars and agricultural machinery, a Civil War encampment, music and other attractions.  The funds raised go to sponsor archaeology and restoration at Joanna Furnace, as well as a field school for local students.

Central
The PHMC Commonwealth Archaeology Program and the City of Harrisburg
The public archaeological program at City Island in Harrisburg, that had for a number of years been a central event in Pennsylvania’s Archaeology Month, is again suspended this year. Federal and state funding shortfalls have resulted in budget cuts in the PHMC and consequent loss of field/lab staff in the CAP program, as well as loss of funds to use consultants when needed. As a result, the PHMC can afford neither the monetary expense nor the staff time necessary to successfully conduct the City Island program. However, we hope that this situation will turn around for the better over the next few years.
Penns Valley Area Historical Museum
Event:    “‘Not a Virgin Land, But a Widowed One’: Native Americans in Central Pennsylvania”.
Sponsor:  Penns Valley Area Historical Museum and Haines Township Fall Festival.
Location: 
Aaronsburg, CentreCounty,Pennsylvania 
Between State College and Lewisburg, on Route 45.
Date:    3 August ﷓ 15 December 2004, with the
 Festival occurring on 2 and 3 October.
Time:     Museum hours are Wednesdays,
 Saturdays and Sundays, 1﷓5 p.m

The Festival's hours on 2 and 3
 October will be from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Contact:   Bruce Teeple, Curator,
(814) 349﷓8276,
P.O. Box 37, Aaronsburg, PA.
email: mongopawn44@hotmail.com
Description:
This exhibit will portray life in Central Pennsylvania from Paleolithic times, through the Woodland period, until shortly after the European invasion.

West
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology - Ohio Valley Chapter No. 22 and the Clarion County Historical Society
Event:        Indian Artifact Show
Location:    The Clarion Holiday Inn (Exit 62 ﷓ Interstate 80)
Date:        Saturday, 9 October
Time:        9 AM until 5 PM.
Contact:        Ken Burkett, burken@adelphia.net or at (814) 365﷓5563
Admission:     $5.00 for Adults and $3.00 for Students age 12 - 18
Description:   

This is not a buy and sell show, but designed
 During Pennsylvania Archaeology Month to
present educational artifact displays, speaker
 Programs (with slides) on Pennsylvania
Archaeology, Artifact Identification, and Flint
 Knapping Demonstrations.

Educational Artifact Displays from Pennsylvania and New York with some of the finest privately held groupings of prehistoric and historic Native American relics including flint tools and points; ground stone items, pipes, beadwork and pottery.  Other activities will include a scheduled series of educational slide programs on topics of local excavations and artifacts presented by regional archaeologists, demonstrations of flint knapping techniques to make stone tools and points and throwing spears with the atlatal. Knowledgeable individuals will be on hand all day to provide free identification of artifacts for the public.

Northwest 
Department of History/Anthropology,
Edinboro University of PA
 
Event: Open House, Fort LeBoeuf Museum
Location:     Waterford, PA       
Date:          Every Saturday and Sunday in October
Time:          Noon to 4 PM
Contact:      Dr. Renata B. Wolynec, (814) 732-2570 or wolynec@edinboro.edu

Description:
Archaeological displays at the museum
include remains from the beaver trade, WPA excavations in the late 1930s, and Eagle Hotel excavations conducted by Edinboro University Archaeological Field Studies from 1975 through 1987.  Of special local interest is a replica of the only known original of Celeron’s lead plate and a highly detailed model of an Iroquois village. 
Event:          Open House, excavations near the Yellow House, Battles Farmstead Museums of Rural Life
Location:      Girard, PA
Date:          Every Tuesday and Thursday morning in October, weather permitting (closed October 7 and 12)
Time:          10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Contact:      Dr. Renata B. Wolynec, (814) 732-2570 or wolynec@edinboro.edu
Description:
The public is invited to observe students enrolled in Archaeological Field Studies as they search for evidence of a smokehouse and granary

Event:    Lecture – Learning About the Past from Human Mortuary Remains.

Location:  Hendricks Hall
126, Main Campus, Edinboro University of PA,
Edinboro, PA.
Date:        Wednesday, 27 October
Time:        6 PM to 8:30 PM
Contact:      Dr. Renata B. Wolynec, 814-732-2570 or wolynec@edinboro.edu

Description:
The presentation will focus on what archaeologists can learn from human skeletons, grave goods, features, and other remains that were part of human mortuary behavior.

The following organizations and businesses have made financial contributions to the Archaeology Month Fund. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.

There are numerous web sites where you can find further information about archaeology in Pennsylvania. Among these are:

Pennsylvania Archaeological Council
http://www.pennarchcouncil.org/ ;

Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology http://www.pennsylvaniaarchaeology.com/

 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission/Bureau for Historic Preservation.
  _________________


Discover and Preserve Brochure

A new printing of the popular “Discover and Preserve” brochure has been completed. The brochure may be used to promote proper recording of artifacts and collections and to encourage donations of collections to proper repositories.  Copies of the brochure are available to chapters.  A supply will be housed at the State Museum and may be obtained by contacting Steve Warfel at 717-783-2887 or email at swarfel@state.pa.us.

_______________________


Jacob L. Grimm IV C14 Award


The Society’s C14 program was designed to help chapters and individual members with the cost of C14 dating.  Individual applying must be a member in good standing to qualify for the funding.  Applications will be reviewed and awards made at the SPA Annual Meeting if applications are received before the meeting date.
Please address all requests for matching C14 dating funds to:  James Herbstritt, BHP, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North St. 2nd Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0093 or e-mail: jherbstrit@state.pa.us

                           
Bald Eagle Chapter #24
State College


The Bald Eagle chapter will have an information table at the annual Spring Creek Day on September 19 at Fisherman's Paradise near Bellefonte.  On October 2 and 3 chapter members will identify artifacts and offer help with site recording at the Aaronsburg Fall Festival.  The new museum of the Penns Valley Historical Association there is featuring an exhibit this fall
of local Native American artifacts and information about the area's prehistory.  Chapter members have provided assistance for this exhibit.


Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Bureau for Historic Preservation
The Commonwealth’s Archaeology Program


Recent Activities
Submitted by Doug McLearen


The CAP program of BHP continues to focus its efforts on a project titled “The Stabler Tract”, in Lancaster County near Millersville.  The project tract is the location of 36LA1100, an important Shenks Ferry village of the Funk Phase. The site is named the “Quaker Hills Quarry Site”, after the location of a former limestone quarry that sits adjacent. 

CAP returned to the site this past spring and found that the winter stabilization of the excavations had worked very well, and that no damage from the severe winter had occurred. During the spring and through the present summer field season thus far, additional controlled surface collections have been conducted, larger areas of the site have been opened, and additional features are being tested.  In addition, CAP was pleased to have two PHMC interns (Dickinson College and Penn State) and a sizeable group of Temple University archaeology students, who worked at the site every day while gaining valuable experience in field techniques and Late Woodland archaeology.

Following the palisade line out in contiguous trenches there were several surprises.  First, it became obvious that the village is larger than once thought; at this point it appears that the palisade would have enclosed an area of at least four acres. Moreover, the possibility that the post mold line was eroded away on three sides has now been discounted. Instead, the line has proved continuous except where two obvious entrances are located. Another surprise is that we now know that we are only dealing with about one half to three quarters of the original village; the remainder would have been located on adjacent property where it has either been destroyed or is at least partly intact under massive fill associated with the neighboring quarry. 

The palisade’s post mold line was traced both north and south of its original exposures on the western edge of the site and, as the line gradually arced both northeastward and southeastward, it headed directly into the adjacent property where the former quarry is located. At its northeastern point it runs directly into a ridge of old quarry spoils and, at its southeastern point, the line runs into the edge of a filled area and manmade wetland on the adjacent property.  This wetland appears to have been created from damming a springhead and, when the curve of the palisade is taken into account and projected out, it makes it likely that the actual spring was enclosed within the village. What now appears to be the actual center of the site is located along the eastern edge of the property and the spring must have been downhill from it.

The nearby Slackwater site in Manor Township, and the Murry site in Washington Boro, are two Funk Phase Shenks Ferry settlements that were extensively excavated. Although the details of the two settlement layouts differed, each proved to contain unusually large structures in the centers of their villages. In both cases, these buildings were interpreted as non-domestic, community structures, even though the exact function of them were interpreted somewhat differently by their investigators. We are currently in the process of opening the center of the Quaker Hills Quarry Site, and a large rectangular feature, two pits, some unusual burned features, and a number of post molds have been found.  Among the molds found in this area to date is the pattern of at least one conventional structure. The findings of this brief report will probably be out of date by the time that it is read, and we look forward to presenting the results and preliminary interpretations of these efforts in the next newsletter.

SPA members interested in volunteering with CAP on this site should contact Doug McLearen at 717-772-0925.

PHMC Scholars in Residence Program General Information

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) invites applications for its 2004-2005 Scholars in Residence Program. The program supports short-term, full-time research and study at any of the facilities maintained by the Commission.

The Scholars in Residence Program has a four-fold purpose:
·    To promote the interpretation of Pennsylvania history;
·    To encourage research that draws upon the Commission's archival, artifact, and architectural collections;
·    To promote the dissemination of research findings to both the professional community of scholars and the public; and to develop collegial relationships between scholars an Applicants are encouraged to conceive of research topics as broadly as possible, including beyond the boundaries of Pennsylvania. While the proposed research must draw significantly on PHMC collections, it is not required that it be limited to these collections.
Particular consideration will be given to proposals that address topics relevant to the broad interpretive themes presented by Commission facilities, including but not limited to Pennsylvania's tradition of religious and political toleration, colonial life, rural and agricultural history, industrial history, military history, architectural history, and the history of historic preservation.

Proposals that address the agency's current interests in twentieth-century history, the history of public policy, and social history broadly defined, as well as those that focus on the history of people underrepresented in the state's history, including but not limited to minorities and women, are encouraged.

Also of interest are proposals for research that draws upon the Commission's extensive artifact collections. Among proposals for research in the collections of the State Archives, priority will be given to those using original manuscripts not available on microfilm.

Please explore the PHMC Web Site at www.phmc.state.pa.us for further information about Commission programs and research collections, including material at the State Archives of Pennsylvania, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and at sites along the Trail of History.

New Book Releases

JACOB MY FRIEND
His 17th Century Account of the Susquehannock Indians
By Barry C. Kent

ISBN Hardcover: 1-4134-5986-2
ISBN Soft cover:  1-4134-5987-0
Published by Xlibris

    A novel and history portraying colonial events and changing Susquehannock culture during the period of their terrible clash with Europeans and other Indians.  The story is based on history, archaeology and anthropology, and is brought to life through actual accounts and a vivid fictional narrative of the Dutch trader known to the Indians as Jacob My Friend.
    Specifically it applies to the area of Chesapeake Bay, the Susquehanna and Delaware River valleys.  However, in a general way it is the story of all Native Americans.
617 pages, 3 maps, endnotes & bibliography

To order: Call 1-888-795-4274, or order online at www.xlibris.com, or visit your local bookstore.
 

The Great Journey
The Peopling of Ancient America

Brian M. Fagan

ISBN paper: 0-8130-2756-X
Price: $24.95
Orders: 1-800-226-3822 or www.upf.com

    The saga of how Asians came across the Bering Sea land bridge is widely regarded as a classic of archaeological writing, sets forth different scenarios for first settlement, the controversies over the extinction of large Ice Age animals and brief overview of cultural developments since the time of the Paleo-Indians.  Lavishly illustrated with maps, photographs, and line drawings, the updated edition of The Great Journey offers an entertaining yet sober assessment of what we know about the first Americans.
288 pp. 6X9. 150 illustrations, further reading list, index. 


EASTERN STATES ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEDERATION
2005 Meeting
November 4, 2004 to November 7,2004
“JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE HURON”
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
ESAF/OAS MIDLAND 2004 PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

NAME__________________________________
INSTITUTION____________________________ADDRESS______________________________
E-MAIL ________________@_____________________
BEFORE OCT. 15th
PRE-REGISTRATION * CDN $50 or US $38 ___________
STUDENT PRE-REGISTRATION** CDN $40 or $US 30 ___________
AFTER OCT. 15th
REGISTRATION * CDN $65 or US $49.50 ___________
STUDENT ** CDN $50 or US$ 38 ___________
• *ALL SPEAKERS MUST BE MEMBERS OF THE OAS OR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
OF ESAF OR MEMBERS OF AN ESAF AFFILATED SOCIETY
• ** STUDENTS MUST PROVIDE COPIES OF VALID ID
BANQUET
Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet, Saturday November 6th, includes wine with dinner.   A vegetarian meal will be offered.
Featured speaker award winning novelist Lyn Hamilton, “Grave Consequences: A Life in Crime.”
CDN $40 or US $30 ____________
TOURS
In Champlain’s Footsteps Tour: Huronia, Thursday 9:00am to noon.
CDN $10, US$ 7.50 ______
Ste Marie I and Midland Museum, Thursday 1:30pm to 5:00 pm.
CDN $18, US $14 ________
In Champlain’s Footsteps Tour: Petunia, Sunday morning, no cost, will attend:  Yes or No
TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED
 CND $_______ US $________

MAKE CHEQUES OR MONEY ORDERS PAYABLE TO THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY IN CANADIAN OR US FUNDS AND MAILTO:
ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
1444 QUEEN STREET EAST
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, M4L 1E1

FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT CONTACT OAS OFFICE, VISA AND MasterCard ONLY.
oasociety@bellnet.ca (416-406-5959)

Contribution Opportunities

If you are looking for meaningful ways to honor a friend or commemorate an occasion, consider a donation to one of the Society’s dedicated funds. 
·    The James G. Luhman Fund will support Archaeology Month activities and educational initiatives.
·    The Elmer Erb Permanent Fund maintains Life Memberships and supplements Society projects and C-14 Grants.

Attention Field School Directors

The SPA is planning to publish a journal edition dedicated to reports from Field Schools.  This is an opportunity for your students to get published.  It is a valuable and rewarding experience for young people to see the culmination of their efforts in print. Coordinating the effort is Dr. Edmund Dlutowski.
Contact Ed for guidelines and information at 105 Woodlawn Road, Butler, PA 16001 or email at Edmund@zoominternet.net.

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New Editor for Pennsylvania Archaeologist

Bill Tippins has succeeded Joe Baker as Editor of Pennsylvania Archaeologist, the SPA's biannual journal. Bill is encouraging both professional and avocational archaeologists to submit manuscripts for publication. For submission guidelines, see www.PennsylvaniaArchaeology.com
Or contact:
Bill Tippins,
1090 Freeport Road,
Pittsburgh, PA 15238,
Phone: 412-784-8818, E-mail: btippins@sgi.net.



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In Memoriam

George Von Lunen III passed away on March 7, 2004.  George was a Life member of the SPA and past President of the Conamaugh Chapter of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology.  George, his wife Pat and Terry Werner were familiar faces at Annual Meetings for many years.  The Society extends condolences to Pat and the family.
______________________

76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology

April 22-24, 2005
Hosted by John Shrader Chapter 21
At the Holiday Inn
Morgantown, PA
610-286-3000 or 1-800-339-0264


Arrangements Chair:
Dr. Catherine Spohn
141 A Grandview Road
Wernersville, PA 19565
610-678-1274
Email: cspohn@state.pa.us

If you would like to volunteer to help at the meeting, contact Catherine.
_______________

Call for Papers

Program Chair: James Herbstritt
Commonwealth Keystone Building
Bureau for Historic Preservation
400 North Street, 2nd Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0093
Email: Jherbstrit@tate.pa.us


Look for complete Call for Papers information included in this mailing.

 


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