Tree-Ring Dating and Historic Structures: A Look at the Science of Dendrochronology-Member Only Night

Membership has its privileges. Throughout the year, NHSM offers FREE programs just for members. This February we invite you to come and mix and mingle with fellow natural history enthusiasts while enjoying light libations provided by Lothan Distillary then sit back and learn all about Dedrochronology from a world expert.

The science of dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, has long been used to provide insight into many of America’s most famous buildings, from George Washington’s Mount Vernon to James Madison’s Montpelier, the birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and much of the town of Colonial Williamsburg. But did you know that pioneering work on its development was done right here in St. Mary’s City? Join dendrochronologist Michael Worthington on an exploration of this fascinating but little-known science and the ways that it has changed our understanding of historic structures. He will discuss how dendrochronology works, how it has been applied in England and America, and the ways that it has shed light on the architectural development of Maryland and beyond.

This free event is open to current members of NHSM. Become a member today
While free - for planning purposes, please RSVP.  

Presented By: 
MICHAEL WORTHINGTON, DENDROCHRONOLOGIST - Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory

Michael Worthington is a dendrochronologist with wide-ranging experience working on both sides of the Atlantic. Among the many buildings he has dated are the Josiah Henson Site (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and Doughoregan Manor in Maryland; Decatur House in Washington DC; Mount Vernon and many of the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia; Drayton Hall in South Carolina; the birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams and the Fairbanks House (the oldest surviving timber frame house in North America) in Massachusetts; the Officers’ Club at the Presidio in San Francisco, California; and Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London in England. He also enjoys working on smaller vernacular buildings and has been commissioned by numerous homeowners in the US and Europe to date their houses privately. He has extensive media experience and has appeared on the PBS television series “History Detectives” and “Time Team America.”

Michael began his career in buildings as an industrial archaeologist at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire, England. He spent seven years as the excavation supervisor for the British television series “Time Team.” After deciding to specialize in dendrochronology, he received his academic training through a grant from English Heritage at the University of Oxford. At Oxford he was a member of staff at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art and an assistant tutor on the master’s degree course in Archaeological Science. Upon moving full-time to the United States in 2010, Michael opened the Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory. He currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.