Conferences, Chapter Events & Field Trips

 Updated 1 December 2009

● Conferences & Meetings

● Field Trips & Chapter Events

 

● Events of Interest to NEARA Members

● Archive of Past NEARA Conferences & Meetings

● Archive of Past NEARA Field Trip & Chapter Events

NEARA's Fall Meeting November 7-9, 2008

Mainstay Inn ~ Best Western

Newport, Rhode Island

Featuring: ● Narragansett Runestone ● Lunar Compasses ● Stone Rows & Celestial Alignments ● Nashoba Praying Indian Village ● Ruins in the Holy Land ● Newport Tower ● Dighton Rock Update ● Ruins in the Andes ● Lost Mounds in NY ● and Coastal & Marine Geoarchaeology

Schedule of Conference Events

Featured Speakers & Abstracts

Conference Field Trips

Mainstay Inn Rates & Directions

Conference Registration

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Schedule of Events

Friday November 7th

Saturday November 8th

Sunday November 9th

Featured Speakers & Abstracts

Scott Wolter: The Hooked X: Key to the Secret History of North America

This presentation will discuss the likely origin of a mysterious symbol that appears on five medieval runic inscriptions carved on stone that were found in North America.  My research shows this symbol represents the essence of the ideology of the people who carved these stones which has lead to new evidentiary discoveries, in America and in Europe, that are consistent with that ideology. These findings appear to be opening the door to a new understanding of several pre-Columbian artifacts and sites, and the untold history of North America.

 

            

The Narragansett Runestone is only accessible at low tide (right).  The photo on the left shows the inscription on the stone which includes the hooked X (bottom line left).

 

Scott Wolter is a geologist by trade and owns American Petrographic Services in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Alice B. Kehoe refers to Wolter as "a hard scientist...who understands the methodology of science and inference, from data, to the best explanation.” He has done a lot of work on the Newport Tower, the Spirit Pond Runestones, and now he seeks to unravel the mystery of the hooked X. 

William Smith: Navigating with Nephi

In this talk, William will explain how a large stone (sun dial mold) found on my farm in southern Ohio in 1977 has inspired me to identify tools used for ancient navigation.  One of these tools called the Lunar Compass was used around 50 BC by a Samaritan named Nephi to navigate from Europe to the United States.  I will show supporting evidence of how these early travelers went from New York to Wisconsin and gave the Native Americans the technology to keep time in moons.  In addition, I will provide a working model of the lunar compass which is on file in the US Patent office.  This is the first public explanation of this early navigational tool.

 

William Smith is a retired mechanical engineer and graduate of Purdue University.  He is a local certified archaeologist who resides in West Chester, Ohio.  In 1977, he and his wife Gloria found a large mystery stone on their farm in southern Ohio.  With 31 years of research relating to this artifact, he has identified many ancient tools used for early navigation.  Recently he applied for a patent on a lunar compass that shows evidence of its use worldwide long before Columbus. He has published articles in Ancient American and lectured at local archeology groups and AAAPF.  He is founder and president of the THOR Group. He has explored the stone ships in Sweden, Stonehenge in England, the Mayan structures in Mexico and many of the stone circles and Dolmens in America. With his six years of service on the local board of zoning appeals and his engineering and archeology experience he supervises local excavations to assist in assuring the protection of Native American sites and artifacts.

Peter Anick: Boulders, Rows, and Sunlight: A Year of Observations at a Lithic Site in Framingham Massachusetts

Over the past year and a half, Peter has been studying a row and boulder site he discovered in Framingham, Massachusetts.  This talk will describe several intriguing features of the site, including observations made during solstice and equinox sunrises.  A potentially related cairn site will also be discussed, as well as previously documented cases of split boulder/row configurations.

 

Peter Anick is the newly appointed NEARA Massachusetts state coordinator.  Peter does research and development on search assistance technology for the Yahoo search engine.

Daniel V. Boudillion: Nashoba Hill: The Hill that Roars

There is a very special hill in Littleton Massachusetts that roars.  The Indians thought the winds were pent inside; the Colonials said it sounded like cannons; some folks climbed it to await the rapture; and others erected an altar stone on its top.  It's a well-known hill, famed these days for its ski slopes.  But its history is far more strange, and ongoing, than anything that has ever swooshed down its slopes or taken the chair-lift.  Gather round the ski lodge fire, friends, and hear the strange tale of Nashoba Hill: of a dark king under the mountain and an island village of vision quests and shamans.

 

Daniel V. Boudillion has an avid interest in both historical research and the unusual and forgotten tales of Massachusetts.  He has a popular website devoted to his excursions in Massachusetts, and is the NEARA Webmaster.  His articles and photography have been published in a number of magazines, and he contributed extensively to the newly published book Weird Massachusetts.  He works as a sales engineer in the power generating industry.

Richard Lynch: A 3000 Year History of Culture & Conflict in the Holy Land

The presentation will be an overview of my recent personal crusade to Jerusalem and the Holy Land.  An in depth tour of the old city of Jerusalem and many surrounding ruins were the focus of my research.  Special attention was paid to Hebrew, Crusader, and Templar influence and how it affected the Jerusalem we see today. 

 

Arabs and Christians have been in conflict over this disputed land for nearly 3000 years and many of these differences have changed little. The presentation will be well illustrated with pictures of the people and places of the most controversial piece of land on the planet!

 

Rick Lynch is past president of NEARA.  He has had a very long interest in history and archaeology, especially in areas of New England and the American Southwest.  He is also a long time amateur astronomer.  Over the last few years his focus has been on the history of the Holy Land and especially the history of the Templars and their impact on the new world.

William Penallow: More Astronomical Alignments & New Ideas About the Newport Tower

At the time of the winter solstice the sun shines thru W2 and strikes the inside of the Tower above and to the left of W3. It then moves down and shines thru both W2 and W3.  It then continues down and to the right striking the quartz keystone in the arch between pillars P7 and P8.  Directly opposite on the outside is the keystone with a large round reddish colored stone representing the sun.  As you approach local noon the shaft of sunlight moves down and to the right just passing the east side of P1 striking the ground near the new metal bench on the new sidewalk due north.  This affords an opportunity to determine the time of winter solstice precisely.  The full moon at certain times will also follow this path -  at special times Venus will also! Some implications of these important alignments will be discussed.

 

William Penhallow graduated from Brown Univ. with an Sc.B. in Physics, received an M.S. in Physics from the Univ. of Maine, was a research physicist in Sound and Vibration at Electric Boat and then joined the physics faculty at the U.R.I in 1959. He held two National Science Foundation Faculty Fellowships doing graduate work in astronomy at Indiana University and Wesleyan. He taught physics, astronomy, and meteorology for 37 years.  Spent sabbaticals at Wesleyan, Brown and Yale.  Established a teaching and research observatory at URI and a public one at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI.  Participated in the International Comet Halley Watch in 1986.  Retired from URI as a Professor Emeritus of Physics in 1992 and am still active in the field of Archeoastronomy.

Steve Volukas: Newport News

Report on an unexpected opportunity to extend the archaeological investigation of Newport Tower, conducted by the Chronognostic Research Foundation, into an area previously inaccessible.  An exploratory dig by volunteers found tantalizing indications of a suspected but previously unknown structure surrounding the tower.  Samples collected might provide a firm date or just add the lore and mystique of the Newport Tower.
 

Steve Volukas is a pilot for Island Airlines in Hyannis, MA.  Producer/Director public access TV programs at C3TV Comcast channel 17 on Cape Cod.  Involved with Multicultural Festival of Cape Cod, Cape Cod Immigrant Center, and Lithuanian-American Community of Cape Cod.  Interest in possible Norse other unexplained sites between Nova Scotia and Rhode Island began in 2005.  He joined NEARA in 2006 and now serves on the NEARA Board. 

Steve Volukas: CSI Dighton Rock Update

A continuation of last year's report on what may have occurred near Dighton Rock as we try to solve a possible 600 year old murder mystery.  A trail of clues stretching from Nova Scotia, to Maine, to Narragansett Bay may reveal 'the story', who made the inscription on the rock, and why.  Also, some insights from the recent Atlantic Conference.

Daniel Fernandez-Davila: The Chachapoyas: Unknown Discoveries in the North High Jungle of Peru

Chachapoyas is a name that is rarely found in archaeological texts.  Encompassing an area of at least fifty thousand square kilometers inside of the tropical cloud forest in the north high jungle of Peru, its settlements resemble some of the uncovered Mayan ruins at the end of the nineteenth century.  This Pre-Inca civilization, overlooked by field researchers, has left countless sites behind that are now covered by thick vegetation.  Today, spectacular findings are changing our classical hypothesis about the ancient dwellers in this remote area of the Andes.

 

Daniel Fernandez-Davila received a BA in archaeology from the Catholic University in Lima, Peru, and a MA from the University of Leicester in England.  He was a field researcher in the highlands and coast of Peru in 1995-2000.  He’s served as Archaeological Adviser in the production of Documentaries for Discovery Channel, BBC and South African Broadcasting.  Currently he is History and Geography teacher at Wayland Middle School

Norman Brockenshire: The Lost Mounds of Western New York

Norman Brockenshire was raised on a farm in Batavia NY located between Buffalo and Rochester.  He witnessed first hand the many thousands of arrow heads and spear points people found while farming in Western NY.   His own great grandfather had a large collection and when Norm was young he concluded that the Native Americans, long ago, had to have had tremendous wars amongst themselves.  They would have taken place right in the area where he lived.  His work is based upon the relationship between the Indian Burial Grounds in Western New York State and the Book of Mormon.  There are references to E. G. Squire’s book, The Ancient Monuments of New York State.  This is not an ecclesiastical discussion but an archaeological, historical and geological one.  It addresses the evidence that the Iroquois of Eastern and Western NY are descended from this earlier mound building culture. 

 

Norman Brockenshire is the author of the book “The Mounds of Western New York”.

Jean-Daniel Stanley: Coastal and Marine Geoarchaeology: Exploration and Recent Discoveries of Ancient Buried and Submerged Sites

The relatively new subfield of coastal and marine geoarchaeology is presently experiencing rapid development as scholars of different disciplines discover and interpret ancient sites along the world's coastal margins.  This line of research provides valuable insights for geologists, archaeologists, and historians working together, and helps clarify the respective roles of human activity versus natural impacts over time in the coastal margin environment.  The area of scholarship integrates a broad spectrum of specialties, including archaeology, history, coastal geology, geography, oceanography, climatology and coastal protection, and encourages multinational collaboration.  The presentation will highlight approaches used to study ancient coastal settlements now buried along the coast or submerged beneath the waves, and will emphasize examples in the Mediterranean.  It is envisioned that this type of research could provide new discoveries on the coastal margin of New England. 
 

Jean-Daniel Stanley is a geologist who spent the past 42 years of his career as Senior Scientist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Trained at Cornell, Brown, and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole in Paris, he has researched topics in the French Alps and spent many years working on the origin and sediment fill of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1985 he began a study of Egypt's Nile delta, work that evolved to collaboration with archaeologists studying ancient Greek settlements now submerged off the Nile delta. He has also begun a series of studies of ancient Greek sites off southern Italy. During the course of his career he has published 10 books and over 300 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and has received honors from professional organizations in the US and in Europe. His present ambition is to better formulate the new field of coastal and marine geoarchaeology as a professionally recognized research area.

Field Trips Sponsored by Jim Egan, Rhode Island State Coordinator

● Friday Field Trip: 7 November 2008

Lithic Sites in Southeastern Massachusetts

Field Trip led by Steve Voluckas

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● 12:00pm   Depart from hotel

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●   1:00pm   Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton Mass.

                          (viewing of the “Dighton Headstone”)

●   2:00pm   Dighton Rock State Park Museum

                         (see famous Dighton Rock with its many inscriptions)

●   3:30pm   Westport Dolmen (large dolmen very near the coast)

● Sunday Field Trips 1 & 2: 9 November 2008

Field Trip #1: Archeoastronomy of the Newport Tower

Led by Bill Penhallow

 

●  9:00am   Depart from hotel

●  9:30am   Touro Park (also visit Redwood Library, one of America’s 1^st libraries, adjacent to park)              

Field Trip #2: A potpourri of Lithic sites in RI
Led by Jim Egan

 

●  9:00am   Depart from hotel

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●10:00am   Narragansett Stone, in North Kingston (A runic inscription of unknown origin on a large rock in Narragansett Bay; only visible at low tide; wading may be required.)

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●11:00am   Queen’s Fort, in North Kingston  (A a hilltop fortress of female native American leader Quiapen.)

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●12:00pm   Lunch at restaurant at intersection of Route 102 and Route 95

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●  1:30pm   Parker Woodlands, in Coventry, and  nicely constructed 4-foot tall cairns

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●  2:30pm   Turkey Meadow Brook cairn field, in Coventry.  (On hillside with over 100 small rock piles; also several dolmens and a tall cairn, similar to those in nearby Parker Woodlands.)

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●  4:00pm   Chamber, in Foster  (A L-shaped stone chamber built into a hillside.)

Lodgings: Mainstay Inn ~ Best Western

Newport, Rhode Island

Mainstay Inn ~ Best Western Hotel & Conference Center, 151 Admiral Kalbfus Road, Newport, RI, 02840-1310.  Phone: 401-849-9880, Fax: 401-849-4391, Reservation Line: 800-780-7234, Website.

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:

• The historic Newport Mansions   

• Historic Downtown Newport & Waterfront   

• The Naval War College   

• Cliff Walk   

• The International Tennis Hall of Fame

• Fort Adams  

• Blithewold Mansion, Garden, and Arboretum

Website: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=40002

Important Notice: The cut-off date for NEARA special rates is October 7^th 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 7^th 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. 

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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

12-9-2008 Message from Peter Anick:  Beyond organizing field trips, I'd like to see our chapter work together to refresh our state's site reports, building a comprehensive map of sites, their status and features.  I'd also like to encourage members to dig into online resources and local libraries to locate more early reports on our region's stone sites and Native American ethnograhphy so that we can make better hypotheses about sites' origins and functions. 

December 12, 2009 - Led by Fred & Beppy Martin

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.

December 5, 2009 - Led by Dan Boudillion

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:

•   Littleton’s Sara Doublet Forest: small chamber, perched boulder, neo-pagan circles, turtle effigies, corn planting mounds, odd stone row stone-work and tooled stone.

•   Harvard’s Shaker Village: 1 ton rocking stone and standing stone

•   Boxboro esker: prayer seats, 3 earthen rings & ditch

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.

• Meeting time: 9:30 am
• Meeting place: Golden Spoon Restaurant parking lot, 85 W Main St, Hopkinton, MA‎ (just off Rt. 495, exit 21A east)
• What to bring: picnic lunch, good shoes for hiking, water boots (or sandals and towel) for wading into the Upton chamber, bug/tick spray, sun lotion

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.

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). 

Peter Anick
Massachusetts State Coordinator
 

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.

A first nation tribe, the Nipmuc, which translated means "small pond people”, settled at Wacentug("tribe that fished rich waters), and "Shockalog", (burned place or dry fox place)". Wacentug had about 50+ people living there by the mid 1600s. The Nipmuc were an Algonquian tribe who had a highly developed agriculture. The name Nipmuc is also translated as "people of the fresh waters". In this region of small lakes, and rivers, they grew corn (maize), beans and squash. They had a graphite mine, and had developed a written language. The tribe moved with the seasons, fishing and farming, in the gently rolling hills, woodlands, and streams of what would become the heart of southern New England. Nipmuc villages were typical of their Algonquian heritage.

One village was referred to as Waentug or Wacentug, after the tribe that fished the rich waters. Waentug was located in the Ironstone section of Uxbridge.

A second praying Indian village was located near the West River and Mumford River, at Rice City. These were two of the 14 Praying Indian villages established by Reverend John Elliot who translated the Bible into the Native American Nipmuc language.

 ● There is a iron bog with a long dug in ditch/path with an esker and stone wall
 ● A stone/earth pyramid with some prayer seats- unclear if we will be able to see well with snow
 ● Stone walls going from Blackstone River up hillsides
 ● King Phillip's rock- LARGE boulder lookout with quite a view of river

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:

New Hampshire Chapter
 

State Coordinator:

Donna Thompson
3 Towne Drive
Derry, NH 03038
603-774-3577
Email: rubydruby@comcast.net

September 26, 2009 - GPS Training Workshop

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:

• How to use your GPS unit

• GPS accuracy

• How to create maps with GPS

• Free GPS related software

• How to obtain better results in the field  

• Outdoor mapping exercise

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:

• "House Rock", an immense glacial erratic in Hillsboro

• Franklin Pierce barbecue pit remains, a relic of the political past

• Antrim Monolith on an island in Pierce Reservoir (mentioned in early NEARA journal)

• Henniker Chamber, an unusual "burial" chamber and "vegetable storage bin" on top

     of Bear Hill

• Cairns that are possible burial markers

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

rubydruby@comcast.net .

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

• "Little Cave" chamber in Windham, NH
• "Indian Rock" and stone chair in Windham, NH
• A stone chamber and large barn foundation in Derry, NH
• Carved stones, balanced rock, and stone walls near this Derry chamber
• Large "Olmec" stone head in Derry, NH
• Cairn field, stone walls, and turtle rock in Derry, NH
• Afternoon trip to nearby "America's Stonehenge" in Salem, NH (discounted admission rate $7.50 per adult)

Many of these sites have been documented by NEARA; some have not been recorded and we could use your ideas! 

 We will meet at Donna Thompson's home (3 Towne Drive, Derry, NH) for coffee at 9:30 AM and depart for the trip at 10:00 AM.  Directions to each site will be handed out before we depart.  We will return to Donna's house at 2:00 PM.  At that time we will head over to America's Stonehenge with anyone who wants to attend. 

 Please note there is an admission rate of $7.50 per adult for the America's Stonehenge portion of the trip.  For more information, to sign up for the trip, or for directions to Donna Thompson's house, please email rubydruby@comcast.net.
 

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
284 River Cove Road

Williston, VT 05495

802-999-9699

Email: Lisa-Gannon@comcast.net

For complete field trip details, call or email Lisa at 802-879-3902, lgannon@quixnet.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
94 Cross Point Road
Edgecomb, ME 04556 

Phone: 207-882-9425
Fax: 207-882-8162
Email: krosspt@lincoln.midcoast.com

New York Hudson Valley Chapter

State Coordinator:
Polly Midgley

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

October 25, 2009

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.

We will meet at 9:30am at Sycamore Park parking Lot, Mahopac, NY,  to condense cars and leave for Lockwood Lane at 9:45.  A DEP Permit or Guest Pass and a valid picture ID is required.  If you do not have a permit, you can log on to the DEP website and print out an application.  All Guests pass holders must have the filled out application with them.  After the trip, you can send it in to acquire a permanent permit.  I will have extras with me also so everyone bring a valid picture ID. 
 

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

* * *

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:

• The "Gallop Rock Shelter" a Native American deer kill site in Voluntown, CT. 
• Oneco, CT, two stone chambers, a colonial cellar hole and other objects of interest.
• The Moosup River Chamber.
• The Rattlesnake Rock Shelter, in W. Greenwich, RI.
• The Ochee Springs Soapstone Quarry in Johnston, RI.

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

Saturday, April 30: MA Archeological Society (MAS) Semi-Annual Meeting at the University of MA in Amherst: Paleo-Indian Sites in New England. A full day of talks and activities beginning at 9:30 at Thompson Hall 102.
 

Special Event April 30, 2005

Conference on New England Archeology

25th Annual Meeting

Saturday May 7, daytime Conference on New England Archeology (CNEA), 25th Annual Meeting, Sturbridge Village, "New Directions on Old Roads". Pre-registration is $15.00. and $20,00 at the door. If interested send money to Charlotte Taylor, 150 Benefit St., Providence RI 02903, 413-222-4140. Free admission to Sturbridge Village is included.
 

Special Event April 30, 2005

Central Massachusetts Chapter of the Massachusetts Archeological Society

Chapter Meeting

Saturday May 7, evening Chapter Meeting for the Central Massachusetts Chapter of MAS. Craig Chatrier, M.A., will talk about the Plymouth Archeological Rediscovery Project, New Bedford, MA. Meetings begin 7:00 p.m. and are in the basement of the Zion Lutheran Church on Whitmarsh Avenue, off Route 12 in the Greendale section of Worcester. Park across the street, and enter church from the side street.
 

Special Event August 21, 2004

Programs For Environmental Awareness & Cultural Exchange

Presents:

A Time Before New Hampshire

Presenter:  Michael J. Caduto
Hosted by: Student Conservation Association Center for Conservation Service
Location:  SCA Center for Conservation Service, Charlestown, New Hampshire
Date:  Saturday 21 August 2004
Time:  9:00am-4:00pm
Fee:  $40  (includes all materials)

For further information and pre-registration (required) contact:
Michael Caduto: 802-649-1815 (tel/fax);   or e-mail: michaelcaduto@p-e-a-c-e.net

Title: A Time Before New Hampshire

Description: The story of New Hampshire's amazing geology and the state's tumultuous ice age are among our most fascinating ancient histories.  These formative events have been followed by 12,000 years in the lives of the Abenaki (Alnôbak), the native peoples of this region.    This program looks at both the history of the landscape and the deep connection that the native peoples of this region maintain with their homeland, Gedakina, "Our Land."

Come spend the day on a  journey immersed in the natural and cultural histories of New Hampshire and nearby Vermont.  Participants will imagine a living past through stories, slides, discussion, music and a journey into the countryside.  We¹ll explore traditional land use, stewardship and the impacts the Alnôbak have had on the land.  During the afternoon we'll visit some historic places.  This field trip will include Native American folklore and information about the traditional uses of wild edible, medicinal and poisonous plants.  We'll also sample some wild edibles.
 

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:

64^th 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

     mas@bridgew.edu

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 16^th 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.

Highlighting new scholarship and recent archaeological discoveries, Petra opens at American Museum of Natural History

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