The Archaeological Society of Delaware invites invites everyone to join and hear about a presentation by John W. Martin on the Middle Woodland at Millsboro Pond, Sussex County in Delaware.

Archaeological investigations on behalf of the FHWA and DelDOT on the north side of Millsboro, Delaware identified two precontact sites located on terraces above both sides of a tributary to Indian River. One of the sites is a stratified multicomponent site, while the other only has a single component dominated by Mockley ceramics. Both sites include argillite debitage with rhyolite included at one, material likely acquired through trade networks. The presence of late Woodland I components at both of these small sites suggests an association with the Indian River Middle Woodland Complex downstream along the north side of Indian River. The proximity of sites with high preponderance of Mockley ware and non-local lithic material provides an opportunity to examine the sites in this portion of Delaware within the larger context of the Middle Woodland in the Middle Atlantic Region with expressions extending to the north and the south.

A native Delawarean, John Martin has 44 years of historic preservation experience, beginning as a field and lab technician to managing the CRM group for an engineering company. Trained as an archaeologist, he has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in the same from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. John is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and has managed archaeologists and architectural historians on hundreds of projects in ten states. He moved over to DelDOT in November of 2020 from the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), where he had been since the beginning of 2019, working with several agencies including DelDOT. Prior to the SHPO, John worked for several private consulting firms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania following a stint at the University of Delaware Center for Archaeological Research beginning in 1983, which came after his start at DelDOT in 1980. John is currently the President of the Archaeological Society of Delaware and serves as chair of the Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation. 

Archaeology is a scientific discipline that seeks to understand how people lived in the past. It is the only means of learning new information about those who left no written records and provides another avenue of study for those who did leave records. Delaware prehistory dates back of 12,000 years and there is a rich colonial history: all of which can be studied through archaeology.

The Archaeological Society of Delaware is a non-profit organization established to promote the preservation and study of archaeological sites in Delaware. Advocacy is an important aspect of the society as sites succumb to development, coastal erosion, and infrastructure projects. Membership is open to all persons with an interest and there are three chapters (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex).