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Conferences, Chapter Events & Field Trips
Updated 1 December 2009
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NEARA's Fall Meeting November 7-9, 2008
Mainstay Inn ~ Best Western Newport, Rhode Island
Mainstay Inn Rates & Directions
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Schedule of Events
Featured Speakers & Abstracts
Scott Wolter: The Hooked X: Key to the Secret History of North America
William Smith: Navigating with Nephi
Peter Anick: Boulders, Rows, and Sunlight: A Year of Observations at a Lithic Site in Framingham Massachusetts
Daniel V. Boudillion: Nashoba Hill: The Hill that Roars
Richard Lynch: A 3000 Year History of Culture & Conflict in the Holy Land
William Penallow: More Astronomical Alignments & New Ideas About the Newport Tower
Steve Volukas: Newport News
Steve Volukas: CSI Dighton Rock Update
Daniel Fernandez-Davila: The Chachapoyas: Unknown Discoveries in the North High Jungle of Peru
Norman Brockenshire: The Lost Mounds of Western New York
Jean-Daniel Stanley: Coastal and Marine Geoarchaeology: Exploration and Recent Discoveries of Ancient Buried and Submerged Sites
Field Trips Sponsored by Jim Egan, Rhode Island State Coordinator
● Friday Field Trip: 7 November 2008
● Sunday Field Trips 1 & 2: 9 November 2008
Newport, Rhode Island
Centrally located off of coastal Rhode Island's Route 138, this Newport area hotel offers beautifully-appointed guest rooms and suites; each equipped with cable satellite television and free high-speed Internet access for guests' convenience. Enjoy dining at the onsite restaurant or relaxing at the end of the day with a refreshing drink from the cocktail lounge, located on the hotel premises, before soaking in the outdoor swimming pool. The Best Western Mainstay Inn also features meeting and banquet facilities to accommodate up to 100 guests, a business center, wedding services, an exercise facility and guest laundry.
NEARA has secured a rate of $65.00 per night, plus applicable sales taxes for single or double occupancy, $80.00 per night, plus applicable sales taxes for triple, and $95.00 per night for quad occupancy. When you call to make your reservations, mention that you are a NEARA member and verify that you are receiving the special rate. We haven’t seen rates this low in 15 years so take advantage by reserving your room early! Phone 401-849-9880 now to make your reservation!
Additional points of interest in the area include:
Website: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=40002
Important Notice: The cut-off date for NEARA special rates is October 7th so call to reserve your room now! After the cut-off date, all rooms being held for NEARA will be released back into general inventory and any requests made after October 7th will be subject to room availability.
Please make your reservations by October 7th.
Registration (click here)
Please follow the link for Fall Meeting registrations form. Please print the form, fill it out, and mail it in to the address on the form. (We do not have on-line registration capabilities as yet.) Thank you!
Notice: NEARA Members receive a discount on the registration fee. If you would like to become a NEARA member there is a Membership Application attached to the Registration Form. . NEARA 2009 Spring Meeting: 24-26 April 2009, Best Western, Keene, New Hampshire
NEARA Field Trips NEARA Field Trips are organized by the State Coordinators for the individual New England (and surrounding) states.
Non-members may participate in field trips, but should contact these coordinators for details and directions.
Please call ahead to confirm trip details and get on the list! Bring water, bag lunch, favorite bug juice, camera, etc. Hope to see you there!
Massachusetts Chapter State Coordinator: Peter Anick 58 Blanchette Drive Marlborough, MA 01752 508-481-8400 Email: peter_anick@yahoo.com
NEARA field trip to King Philip's Rock for winter solstice observations
Fred and Beppy Martin are offering to lead a unique field trip to a suspected archaeo-astronomical site in Sharon, MA. Weather permitting, we will have a chance to observe and record both sunrise and sunset alignment events at several stations in the vicinity. Target date is Dec. 12, with three backup dates in case of cloudy weather. (You can learn more about the site in this .pdf document on the web: www.neara.org/ballard/mavor.pdf )
The trip also includes guest speakers describing the site and its features and a midday visit to Borderland State Park for lunch and lithic features there.
For more information on the trip, please send the Martins an email at kpr@nbeam.com.
Date: Dec. 5, 2009 Rain date: TBD Time: Meet at 10. Finish around 4pm Meeting place: 20 Nagog Park, Acton, MA in Bickford’s parking lot, just off Rt. 119 in Acton Bring: picnic lunch and drink
Description:
Dan Boudillion (www.boudillion.com) will show us a number of sites in the greater Littleton area:
RSVP to peter_anick at yahoo.com. In case of cancellation, you will be sent an email the day before.
October 18, 2009 - Led by Chuck Drayton
Fall Mass chapter field trip Sunday, Oct. 18: Foxboro, MA (Rain date Oct. 25)
Let’s enjoy the fall colors and get in the mood for the fall NEARA conference with a field trip to the Foxboro State Forest. The woods are home to perched and aligned boulders, dolmens, standing stones, cairns and “prayer seats”.
Meeting time: 10:00 am. (Arrive at 9:45 for orientation. We’ll try to hit the trail by 10).
Meeting place: Parking lot near the radio tower in the F. Gilbert Hills State Forest, Foxboro.
Directions; From 495, take exit for Route 1 north. Go about 1.5 miles up. Look for a very small access road called High Rock Road on the right hand side (just before the state police barracks). If you drive this winding little paved road to its end, there’s a nice place to park at the head of the trail system near the radio tower. It is the northernmost parking area listed on the map at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/F.GilbertHills.gif .
What to bring: picnic lunch, good shoes for hiking (possibly in swampy areas), bug/tick spray, sun lotion, gps, cameras, etc.
Rough itinerary: We will try to see as many of the known features in the forest as we can fit in. Chuck Drayton will serve as guide for part of the trip. Photos and information about the lithic sites there can be found on his web site at http://foxborough.k12.ma.us/ancientstones/AShome.html . Some features, such as the circular “prayer seats” are referenced in Mavor and Dix pp. 222-223. We anticipate finishing up around 5pm.
Please RSVP by email (include a phone number) to peter_anick@yahoo.com so we know who is coming/whom to notify in case of cancellation. I can be reached at 508 481-8488 (home) or 774 249-3118 (mobile, day of trip only).
June 15, 2009 - Led by Cathy Taylor
The next Massachusetts field trip will be held on Saturday June 20. Hosted by Cathy Taylor, it will take in a number of sites in the greater Upton area that are mentioned in Chapter 2 of the Mavor and Dix book, Manitou.
Rough itinerary: Meet at Golden Spoon parking lot at 9:30 to get an overview
from Cathy and consolidate into as few cars as possible. Depart by 10. We will
explore a number of places northeast and northwest of the Upton chamber,
including a praying village site, springs and stone ovens (chambers?) near
Whitehall Reservoir and stone work at high points and conjunctions of streams in
the vicinity. This will give everyone an idea of the larger area within which
the famous Upton stone chamber is situated. We’ll end our trip in late
afternoon (5-ish) with a visit to the chamber itself. If it’s a sunny day, we
may get a hint of the solstice sunset alignment that Mavor and Dix refer to.
January 4, 2009 - Led by Cathy Taylor
Put
on your boots and gloves for the first Massachusetts field trip of 2009. Cathy
Taylor will lead us through two praying villages in
Uxbridge.
Time: Sunday, Jan. 4, 10am to ~4:30pm, with a break for lunch
Please contact Peter Anick (peter_anick@yahoo.com) for further details (meeting place and cancellation plans in case of inclement weather).
June 24, 2007 - Led by George Krusen
On Sunday, June 24, 2007 NEARA member, George Krusen will lead a field trip in Boxborough, MA through an area that was part of the Nashoba Praying Village.
Meet at 3:00 P.M. in Boxborough at the intersections of Littleton Road, Depot Road, and Littlefield Road. To find this intersection take Exit 29 off I-495 and go East on Route 2 (towards Acton) to Exit 41. Go South on Central Street, toward West Acton, and turn right on the first road, which is Littlefield Road. Then go about a mile and turn right onto Littleton Road. Park your car by # 30 Littleton Road.
George Krusen will show us three sites. First, he will show the sunrise alignments on the Sudbury Valley Trustees Land. Second, he will show us a chamber. The axis line of this chamber suggests a possible connection to Hassamessitt, in Grafton, and even to Orient Point, Long Island, NY.
Then we will follow George in our cars to go to the Boxborough Esker. We will walk a mile on the esker to where we can picnic and about 7:00 P.M. observe the summer solstice sunset (or its location if it is overcast). We will leave the esker by 8:00 P.M., near the intersection of Route 495 and Route 111.
The Boxborough Esker is a two and ½ mile long ridge about 56 feet tall that runs between two swamps. There are stone rows, stone mounds, and pits, on and near the esker. Near the end of the esker two earthen ramps, which begin some feet apart, lead diagonally down to the valley below, meeting near two U-shaped “prayer seats”. See: MANITOU, by Mavor and Dix, Chapter 11, page 275.
Please where comfortable shoes, bring food and water, a flash light, and any bug spray you would like to use. As always, dress for the weather.
RSVP to brendatoomey@verizon.net. When emailing me please put NEARA in the subject line. Please do not just hit “Reply” and send my notice back to me, start a new email, or call me at 508-885-0993 and leave a message.
May 20, 2007
The Massachusetts chapter of NEARA will hold a field trip to Borderland State Park on Sunday, May 20. Our last visit to Borderland, in 2001, was led by Ellie Ricker. We all miss her.
The park spans the borders of Sharon and Easton, MA. For centuries this land marked the territorial boundary between the Wampanoug and Massachusetts tribes. It was being used by both tribes for hunting and fishing in 1690, when the first colonists moved to the area. On our tour we will see a stone prayer seat, a chamber, and many other interesting stone constructions, and geological features. We will record their GPS locations for our site reports. The park geologist, Bill Hocking, and the Visitor Services Supervisor, Ellenor Yahrmarkt, will join us. She will show us the Ames Mansion after our NEARA tour.
On Sunday, May 20, beginning at 10:30 we will meet at the Borderland State Park parking lot. Bring two $1.00 bills. The parking fee is collected by a machine, not by a person with change!
At 11:00 we will start our hike. Please dress for the damp weather. A few showers are expected during the afternoon, but generally I think it will be alright. Bring a sandwich and water. Plan to secure your car keys, cell phone, and camera in a backpack, or another safe place. I'm told they find about two cell phones there everyday!
Directions: From I-95 TAKE Exit 7 (in Foxborough), onto 140 east. In Mansfield turn onto 106 east, to Poquantic Avenue north (near Easton), and left on to Massapoag Avenue and then follow signs about two miles to the park entrance. See the DeLorme Atlas, pages 52-53. Parking fee of $2.00
To learn more about the park and for more detailed directions: www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/bord.htm www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/brochures/bord/welcome.htm
Please contact Brenda Toomey for registration and directions to all Field Trips:
Massachusetts Coordinator: Brenda Toomey, Box 724 Spencer, MA 01562, 508-885-0993
New Hampshire Chapter State Coordinator: Donna
Thompson
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
New Hampshire Technical Institute Library 31 College Drive Concord, NH
Taught by Mark Greenly New Hampshire Archaeological Society
Registration fee $10
Learn:
To register or for more information, contact Donna Thompson at rubydruby@comcast.net or (603) 434-5135
June 28, 2009 - NH Summer Get-together
The NH Spring Get-together is now officially a summer get-together! We have moved the date to Sunday June 28th so that it does not conflict with board meetings, field trips, graduations, Father's Day, etc!
The festivities will be held from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM at Donna Thompson's home at 3 Towne Drive in Derry, NH.
All are welcome (anyone who may be interested in NEARA, spouses, kids, etc!)
This is a great time to connect with other NEARA members; bring your pictures, your interesting articles, questions, and your passion for unusual conversations! Plan to bring a dish to share.
Please RSVP by June 24th to Donna Thompson (603-434-5135 or rubydruby@comcast.net) if you plan to attend!
June 7, 2009 - Led by Nancy Foley
The New Hampshire chapter of NH NEARA will be holding a field trip to Henniker, NH on Sunday, June 7, 2009, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Spots on the itinerary include:
If you would like to join us, meet at Country Spirit Restaurant at 68 Maple St. Henniker, NH 03242 at 10:00 AM; we will carpool from here. Further directions will be available for field trip participants at that time.
Pack water, a lunch, bug spray, and sunscreen; dress for outdoor hiking.
For more information, contact Donna Thompson at (603) 434-5135 or at
June 21, 2008
The New Hampshire chapter of NEARA will host a field trip in Salem, Derry and Windham, NH on Saturday June 21, 2008 at 9:30 AM. We will view the following sites
Many of these sites have been documented by NEARA; some have not been recorded
and we could use your ideas!
April 15, 2006
On Saturday April 15, 10:30 a.m. we will meet in Dunbarton, NH, to learn how to make accurate and permanently useful site reports, in a standardized fashion so any of us can click into action when we discover new sites or update old site files. Dunbarton is some ten miles southwest of Concord. For exact directions email Margaret Venator at mvenator2000@aol.com. Or call at 603-774-3577.
Vermont Chapter State Coordinator:
Lisa A. Gannon Williston, VT 05495 802-999-9699 Email: Lisa-Gannon@comcast.net
All field trips will be held the last Saturday of each month, except where
noted. Meet at designated point at 10:00AM.
Maine Chapter State Coordinator:
Roslyn Strong Phone: 207-882-9425
New York Hudson Valley Chapter
State Coordinator: 855 Sleepy Hollow Road Briarcliff, NY 10510 914-373-4247 Email: polmidge@optonline.net
Volunteer Steward Program for Rockshelters. Contact the Trailside Museum 845-786-2701 x263
November 7, 2009
North Salem Field Trip: Saturday, November 7th. We will visit a CHAMBER off of Hardscrabble Road, a STONE CIRCLE just over the border in Brewster and the North Salem Dolmen.
Meet at 12:15 PM in front of the Swan Deli which is on the east side of route 684 just south of exit 7. (Go slightly south after exiting and you are there.) We will visit the CHAMBER (on private property) at 12:30, then the STONE CIRCLE (on private property) and lastly drive to the North Salem Dolmen.
Call Polly Midgley at 914-373-4247 or 914-610-6047 (Cell) with questions.
October 25, 2009
CHAMBERS IN KENT; SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25th. Donna Savino and Gerry McGloughlin will lead us. Meet at 12:30 PM at the Carmel Diner. We will procede together to the Maynard Road CHAMBER, then VISIT A CHAMBER off of Nicols Road and lastly see a CHAMBER near the Putnam County Veterans Park.
The Carmel Diner is on route 52 in the center of the town on the west side of the road. "Down Town Carmel" is a small place so it is not hard to find.
Bright colors (ORANGE) are recommended. The bow-hunting season begins 10/17. Tick deterrent is also a good idea. Call Gerry McGloughlin @ 914-337-7084 with any questions.
November 29, 2008
Field Trip to Lockwood Lane, Mahopac, NY, 9:30am, Leader: Terry Bierce
Saturday, November 29, 2008: We will be visiting some really great chambers
and seeing some interesting stonework. Lockwood Lane is an abandoned
dirt road, mostly moderate hiking with a few steep hills. Hiking shoes
suggested. Bring lunch and plenty of water. It is also hunting
season so wear bright clothing. Raindate Sunday Nov 30th.
October 13, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007: This is a Field Trip to view one chamber in Cranberry Lake Preserve in North White Plains, NY and several chambers in Silver Lake Park located in White Plains/Harrison, NY on Saturday, October 13. We will meet in the parking lot of Cranberry Lake Preserve at 11:30 AM. Cranberry Lake Preserve is located at 1609 Old Orchard Street, North White Plains. From Route 22, turn at the traffic light for Old Orchard Street and continue on Old Orchard Street for a short distance, then turn right at the sign for Cranberry Lake Preserve. Continue on the road into the parking lot.
After viewing the chamber at Cranberry Lake, we will proceed to Silver Lake Park in White Plains/Harrison.
May 12, 2007
Field Trip to Bull Hill (Taurus Mountain), Beacon, NY, 10:00am, Leader: Chip Marks
Meet in the parking lot of the Desmond Fish Library in
Garrison at the intersection of Rte. 413 and 9D. This is a place of many perched
boulders, researched alignments, good views and interesting trails. We will car
pool to a parking place part way up the hill. Questions: Chip Marks @
845-424-3422
Events of Interest to NEARA
...Under Construction...
Non-NEARA sponsored events that may be of interest to NEARA Members
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Special Event April 17, 2005
Central Massachusetts Chapter of the Massachusetts Archeological Society
Field Trip
On Sunday, April 17, Rick Lynch (NEARA President) will lead a field trip for the Central Massachusetts Chapter of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society. It is being run as a fund raiser and the cost to join the trip will be $5.00. This trip will be well worth the cost, and if you are not yet a member of the MA Archeology Society you will meet many kindred spirits. Rick will take people to the following sites:
Persons going on this
trip will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the McDonald's located at exit 87 off of I-395 in
CT. (I-395 is a continuation of I-290 in Worcester.) The trip will begin
promptly at 9:30. If you have any questions email Rick Lynch at
HstrclRsch@aol.com.
Special Event April 30, 2005
Central Massachusetts Chapter of the Massachusetts Archeological Society
Semi-Annual Meeting
Special Event April 30, 2005
Conference on New England Archeology
25th Annual Meeting
Special Event April 30, 2005
Central Massachusetts Chapter of the Massachusetts Archeological Society
Chapter Meeting
Special Event August 21, 2004
Programs For Environmental Awareness & Cultural Exchange Presents:
A Time Before New Hampshire
Michael J. Caduto is an award-winning author, ecologist, musician and storyteller who has taught at numerous nature centers, museums, schools, colleges and universities. His books include A Time Before New Hampshire: The Story of a Land and Native Peoples; Native American Gardening: Stories, Projects and Recipes for Families and the best-selling Keepers of the Earth® series.
Special Event September 27, 2003 New England Native American Institute Presents: A field trip to Lancaster, Sterling and Princeton, Mass to see prominent sites in King Phillip's War. "We will be visiting Lancaster, Sterling, and Princeton, Massachusetts. Join us on a tour of sites that figured prominently during King Philip's War. We will start in Lancaster and visit the site of the "Old North Village" from here we move to the site of Rowlandson Garrison and monument. It was here that Mary Rowaldson was captured. We move across the street to the old cemetery where Rev. Joseph Rowlandson had his first 2 meeting houses/churches, are marked by a monument. We then travel to the restricted "Old Settler's Cemetery" located close by. In this cemetery is a monument stone with the entire deed of land from sagamore, George Tahanto to John Houghton for all the lands in the Lancaster Sterling area. From here we will visit the garrison house's of Cyprian Stevens, Ephraim Roper, and Thomas Sawyer. Next we are on to Rowlandson Rock, where Mary was taken on the first night of her capture, as the town of Lancaster burned under the attack of Monoco. We will then travel along the Massachusetts Bay Path, the old Indian road from the ocean heading west to the "inside lands" to Princeton, where we will visit Redemption Rock. Here, Mary Rowlandson was released by the Indians and reunited with her surviving family. If time allows, we will also visit Mt. Wachusett. Our last stop will be at Lake Waushacum where we will visit the site of the Waushacum Lake Battle. Please register by September 25, 2003" Cost $10.00. For directions: http://www.nenai.org/calview.html, or call 508-791-5007.
Special Event October 18, 2003 The Massachusetts Archaeological Society Presents: 64th Annual Meeting The 64th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society will be held at the Middleboro Public Library on October 18, 2003. Schedule of Events: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/mas/AnnualMtg2003.JPG Directions: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/mas/MuseumDirections.JPG MAS P.O. Box 700 Middleborough, MA 02346 508-947-9005
Special Event: Running Indefinitely
Peabody Museum In collaboration with Harvard's Museum of Natural History Presents:
Encounters with the Americas Encounters with the Americas is an exhibit exploring the native cultures of Latin America before and after 1492, when the first voyage of Columbus initiated dramatic worldwide changes. Encounters considers 16th century native responses to military and religious missions, the introduction of new plants and animals, and the tragic toll of new diseases. It explores the unique, pre-1492 civilizations, exemplified by the Classic Maya and Post classic Aztec. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology and houses one of the most comprehensive records of human cultural history in the Western Hemisphere. Te Peabody Museum engages in ongoing anthropological discourse through exhibitions, workshops, symposia, and publications; allows faculty and students to draw upon the collections to enrich classes and research; and serves a wide public audience through educational programs developed in collaboration with Harvard’s Museum of Natural History. For more info: Peabody Museum
Special Event: Opens October 18, 2003
American Museum of Natural History Presents:
Petra: Lost City of Stone The most comprehensive exhibition ever presented on the stunning art and culture of this ancient near eastern crossroads.
Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History, and Timothy Rub, Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, announced today that Petra: Lost City of Stone, the most comprehensive exhibition ever presented on the ancient city of Petra, and its creators, the Nabataeans, will open at the American Museum of Natural History on Saturday, October 18, 2003. Presented under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, Petra is the first major cultural collaboration between Jordan and the United States. This groundbreaking exhibition, on view in New York City through July 6, 2004, offers North American audiences the opportunity to learn about the ancient metropolis of Petra, which was literally carved from the red sandstone in the harsh desert cliffs of southern Jordan. From the second century B.C. to the second century A.D., Petra stood at a nexus of international silk and spice trade routes linking China, India, and Southern Arabia with the markets of Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Syria, and was governed by the Nabataeans who were renowned for their great skills in trade, agriculture, engineering, and architecture. For full details: www.amnh.org/exhibitions/petra/?src=e_h
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