Thomas Mayr was a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County and an avid amateur archaeologist starting in 1926 while still in High School. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Mayr recorded the specific location of all of his finds in journals, kept up with both anthropological and archaeological literature of the time, and corresponded with professionals to learn best practices in archaeology and artifact curation. In the late 1960s, he worked with Tyler Bastian (Maryland’s first State Archaeologist) to document the many sites on both sides of the Patuxent River that he had identified, and was so respected by Mid-Atlantic archaeologists that he was invited to give papers at their first professional conferences in the early 1970s. Mayr believed deeply that amateur archaeologists needed a scientific body that would confer some degree of professional training, which led to his becoming one of the founding members of the Archaeological Society of Maryland. The descendants of Thomas Mayr recently donated his collections to Anne Arundel County, representing well over 100 known and unknown archaeological sites, primarily from central and southern Maryland counties.
Jenn Babiarz is the Archaeological Collections Manager and Laboratory Manager for Anne Arundel County’s Office of Planning and Zoning. She’s spent the last two decades working towards better, and more reciprocal, communication between archaeologists and Maryland citizens to help build more vibrant community histories.
This meeting of the NHSM Archaeology Club will take place on Zoom. In order to receive the Zoom link you need to register. 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.
Registration
Levels:- NHSM Archaeology Club: $0
- NHSM Member: $0
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Education for All: $0
Suggested Donation $5