Maryland Historical Trust Archeological Synthesis Project

The MHT Archeological Synthesis Project was launched in 2007 by the Maryland Historical Trust Board of Trustees to begin the process of synthesizing data from the thousands of excavation projects that have been conducted in Maryland over the past few decades. It consists of a searchable database that is linked to our Maryland Archeological Site Survey files, but is also tied to synopsis reports and cover sheets generated by reviewing each larger excavation project. The synopsis reports contain a capsule summary of the overall site report, organized in a way that makes it easier for researchers to quickly pull out the most relevant information they would need for reconstructing the past activities at a site. The cover sheets deal more with the history of archeological activity at a site; specifically the justifications for fieldwork, research objectives, and the potential for future research at the locale.

For more information on the Archeological Synthesis Project please contact Matthew McKnight, Ph.D., at (410) 514-7610

Use and Access

The database is still under construction and we are not currently entertaining requests for access.

While the database is under development, it will be available only to the researchers who will be tasked with writing the aforementioned volumes on the Prehistory of Maryland and the Archeology of Colonial Maryland. The database will be housed locally at the Maryland Historical Trust and will be searchable by Access query for these individuals. As the database nears completion, plans will be made to distribute the information more widely to a broad audience. The database is being designed with the long-term goal of making the information accessible to a wide range of users — including federal, state, and local government archeologists, private consultants, academic researchers, and the general public via the internet.

Justification

Since passage of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), governmental agencies across the country have been required to evaluate the impact of all government-assisted construction projects on archeological resources. As a result, numerous survey and site excavation reports have been generated over the last 40 years, producing an ever growing amount of archeological data. The documentation presented in those reports may be all that tangibly remains of an important site once it is destroyed.

• With the focus on project-specific data collecting, there has been little time or funding for broad regional synthesis, so that a given site can be compared to others around it and discussed within a broader context.
  
• Every year approximately 100 new archeological reports are added to the Maryland Historical Trust library. Like most states, Maryland has struggled with the issue of how to make this important “gray literature” more accessible.
  
• These reports often consist of hundreds of pages each, some with multiple volumes and extensive appendices.

The MHT synthesis project takes these original Phase II and Phase III archeological reports, condenses the data into manageable (around 4-5 pages on average) synopsis reports that are searchable via the database that generates the synopsis reports. The end result is that users and researchers in the public and private sectors, as well as academia, will be able to readily acquire and compare critical archeological data from sites throughout the entire state. Regional chronologies, our understanding of the distribution of artifacts, comparison of site types, and our knowledge of prehistory and history will all benefit. We believe this will be an invaluable tool to assist agencies and their consultants in more effectively fulfilling their compliance responsibilities. The synthesized data will help redirect future investigations to examine data gaps, provide readily accessible comparative data to enable informed evaluations of National Register eligibility, and focus research questions to target important issues for data recovery efforts. Additional anticipated products will be overview volumes aimed toward the general public, including the Prehistory of Maryland and the Archeology of Colonial Maryland.

Design

Each site that has been the subject of a Phase II or a Phase III archeological investigation is summarized in a site synopsis report. All of the new data, from both phases if applicable, is combined into a single site report. The list below provides some (but not all) of the major categories of data being included in the synopsis reports. In addition, a project cover sheet is prepared to summarize the entire compliance project (e.g., road widening, prison construction, housing development, etc.). The project cover sheet summarizes the archeological work undertaken for the project, research questions addressed, and other useful information. The data for these two products is actually stored in a relational database that is searchable by site number, name, major temporal period (historic/prehistoric) and keywords. A more detailed description of the database, synopsis report, and cover sheet designs can be found HERE.

(*precise coordinates available to qualified researchers only, “rough” coordinates may be available to a broader audience)