Dr. Travis Parno, the Director of Research and Collections at Historic St. Mary’s City, will be presenting on the Archaeology of Maryland’s Colonial Beginnings at St. Mary’s Fort.
Ongoing excavations at the site of St. Mary’s Fort are shedding new light on the first decade of colonial settlement in early Maryland. The St. Mary’s Fort archaeological site offers a glimpse into the colonizers’ hopes, apprehensions, and adaptations of Chesapeake realities. This presentation provides an overview of the fort’s rediscovery in 2018, updates from the last five years of excavation at the site, and insights into where the work of interpreting the site will go from here.
Dr. Travis Parno is the Director of Research and Collections at Historic St. Mary’s City. He has 20 years of experience excavating and researching historic sites in Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Bermuda. In addition to overseeing the Department of Research and Collections, Dr. Parno directs excavations at St. Mary’s Fort site, home to the first fort constructed by the European colonizers who established the Maryland colony in the spring of 1634. He is also a founding member of the Chancellor’s Point Working Group, a team of museum professionals and descendants advising the study and commemoration of enslaved individuals buried at the site of Chancellor’s Point.
Dr. Parno received his B.A. in Anthropology from the College of William & Mary in 2006, his M.A. in Historical Archaeology from Bristol University in the UK in 2008, and his Ph.D. in Archaeology from Boston University in 2013.
This meeting of the NHSM Archaeology Club will take place on Zoom. It is free and open to the public, although non-members are asked to please donate $5 to support the club.
When you register for the program, you’ll receive the Zoom link and passcode via email with your registration confirmation. Please contact the community coordinator (rbaldwin@marylandnature.org) with any questions.
NHSM’s Archaeology Club was founded in 2019 to promote the value of archaeology in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and surrounding areas. The goal of the club is to educate citizens and residents in the ethics and methods of archaeology and to document, discover, and promote local history. The Arch Club is inclusive of all persons who have an interest in archaeology.
Although you don’t need to be a member to attend a meeting, membership gives you access to additional experiences. Annual NHSM membership is $35 for individuals, $50 for families; Arch Club membership is an additional $5 for individuals and $10 for families.
If you are not yet a member of NHSM, click here to join. When you join as a new member, you can add the club membership(s) of your choice to your registration. Current NHSM members who wish to join any clubs should email the Community Coordinator at rbaldwin@marylandnature.org.
