Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference

Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference
Name	Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference
Abbreviation	MAAC
Formation	1940s
Type	Professional organization
Region served	Mid-Atlantic United States

Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference

The Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference traces regional collaboration among scholars in the Mid-Atlantic United States, bringing together archaeologists from institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, and Johns Hopkins University. It serves as a nexus for practitioners linked to agencies including the National Park Service, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Maryland Historical Trust, New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, and Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and for members of societies like the Society for American Archaeology and the Archaeological Institute of America. Annual gatherings attract curators, field directors, graduate students, and avocational archaeologists involved with projects at sites such as Montpelier (Virginia), Jamestown Settlement, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Fort McHenry, and Belle Grove Plantation.

History

Founded amid mid-20th-century regional professionalization, the conference evolved alongside institutions such as Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, American Philosophical Society, Field Museum of Natural History, New York State Museum, and Smithsonian Institution branches. Early leaders included curators and academics affiliated with University of Delaware, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Drexel University, and Lehigh University who coordinated salvage archaeology and survey projects influenced by legislation like the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and programs at the Works Progress Administration. Shifts in method and theory tied the conference to movements represented by scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis, and fieldwork paradigms at sites connected with Lewis and Clark Expedition histories, colonial archaeology exemplified by Plymouth Colony, and Indigenous archaeology linked to communities such as the Lenape and Powhatan Confederacy. Over decades the conference responded to professional standards set by organizations like the Register of Historic Places frameworks and collaborated with federal entities such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on underwater cultural heritage.

Organization and Governance

The conference operates through committees and an executive board with representatives from academic departments including Boston University, Syracuse University, University of Maryland, College Park, George Washington University, and Temple University. Governance documents align with best practices similar to those advocated by American Anthropological Association and involve liaison roles with state agencies such as the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs and national institutions including the National Park Service. Officers have come from museums like the Winterthur Museum, archives such as the National Archives and Records Administration, and cultural resource management firms that consult for entities like the Department of Defense and the U.S. Forest Service. Committees oversee ethics, program planning, and conservation policy in concert with stakeholders including the Historic American Buildings Survey and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Membership and Participation

Membership draws professionals, students, and avocational members from colleges and organizations such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Yale University, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rutgers University–Camden, and museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Participation spans fields represented by curators at the Essington Museum, federal archaeologists from the Army Corps of Engineers, CRM specialists from firms working with the Federal Highway Administration, and tribal cultural officers from groups such as the Shinnecock Indian Nation and Pamunkey Indian Tribe. Student chapters from institutions like Penn State University, University of Delaware, and Binghamton University routinely present posters and panels.

Annual Meetings and Conferences

Annual meetings rotate through host institutions including universities like University of Delaware, Rutgers University, University of Maryland, and cultural venues such as the American Museum of Natural History, Independence National Historical Park, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Programs feature paper sessions, poster sessions, symposia, and workshops with speakers from organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, Society for Historical Archaeology, and the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology. Field trips often visit archaeological sites affiliated with Monticello, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, and regional historic landscapes protected by entities like the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Offices.

Publications and Awards

Proceedings, abstracts, and edited volumes have been distributed in collaboration with university presses such as University of Pennsylvania Press, Rutgers University Press, and scholarly journals including American Antiquity, Historical Archaeology, Journal of Field Archaeology, and regional newsletters modeled after publications from the Society for American Archaeology and Historic Preservation Education Foundation. The conference confers awards recognizing student research, site stewardship, and lifetime achievement, paralleling honors granted by institutions like the Society for Historical Archaeology and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Regional Impact and Collaborations

The conference fosters collaborations among universities, museums, state agencies, tribal nations, and federal bodies including the National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Science Foundation—supporting projects at sites such as Jamestown, Fort McHenry, Great Falls (Potomac River), and research initiatives linked to collections at the Smithsonian Institution and regional museums. Partnerships with centers like the Center for Archaeological Studies and networks similar to the Northeast Anthropology Association advance public outreach, curation standards, and educational programming with schools and community organizations including historical societies and preservation trusts.

Category:Archaeological organizations in the United States