MIDDLE ATLANTIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE
2026 CONFERENCE DETAILS
When
March 11-15, 2026
Where
Wyndham Gettysburg
95 Presidential Circle
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 339-0020
General Hotel Rate:
$139/night plus $15.29 taxes and fees (taxes are currently 11% but are subject to change)
Reservation Link
Government Hotel Rate*:
$110/night plus $12.10 taxes and fees (taxes are currently 11% but are subject to change)
Government-rate Reservation Link
*Government ID and tax-exempt form must be shown at the front desk to receive this rate.
To receive the conference rates, reserve by February 16th.
Deadlines and fees
Registration for presenters (primary author on poster/paper, panelist) must be completed by December 15, 2025.
Pre-registration for non-presenters should be completed by February 7th, 2026.
Registration Type | Pre-registration by February 7th | Registration after February 7th |
Member | $50 | $65 |
Student Member | $40 | $55 |
Non-Member | $60 | $75 |
Student Non-Member | $40 | $55 |
Guest | Free | Free |
$1 from all registrants will go towards the MAAC Student Scholarship Fund.
Student Paper / Poster Competition
THE MIKE KLEIN MEMORIAL
STUDENT PAPER AND POSTER COMPETITIONS
Paper and Poster Submission Deadline
February 26, 2025
Submission Format
Papers: Word doc or PDF only. Papers must be the length of 20-minute presentation.
Posters: PDF only
2026 Rules
Students and recent graduates are invited to submit single-authored papers and posters on any topic relating to archaeology in the mid-Atlantic United States. There are two separate contests: one for undergraduates and one for graduate students. Students are placed within the flow of the conference in appropriately themed sessions or may be part of an organized session if they have been invited to do so. Papers will be evaluated by a panel of judges, drawn from the MAAC membership, with diverse backgrounds in the field of archaeology.
Who can enter?
Students currently enrolled in an academic program and recent graduates (those within three years of receiving a Bachelor's degree or one year of completing a thesis/dissertation) are eligible.
Only single author papers and posters will be considered.
Students must be a member of the MAAC, registered for the conference, and must present the paper or poster. All contestants are eligible to receive reimbursement for their membership and registration fees.
Guidelines
Judges are asked to base their decisions on the following criteria:
Content - Is the work well organized? Is a problem or research question presented and answered by the student? Does the student use archaeological data and/or relevant theory to support the argument? Is the research question placed within a larger social, cultural, or economic context? Are appropriate sources used to support the argument?
Presentation - Judges will consider the oral presentation (the presenter's ability to communicate to an audience) as well as the student's overall presentation of their research. They should also evaluate the use of audio-visual aids.
Contribution to the field - Judges will consider the originality of the research, as well as overall the contribution or usefulness to the field of archaeology.
Awards
The winning students are encouraged to submit their papers to the editor of the Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology. They will receive $100 when their articles are accepted in final format for publication. Winners will also receive a one-year membership in MAAC. All participants in the student paper competition are strongly encouraged to submit their papers for consideration.
FIELD TRIPS/WORKSHOPS
The following Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference sponsored workshops will be held at the Wyndham Gettysburg (Conference hotel). To register you must be logged in to your MAAC website account. Workshop registration is accessed under the STORE tab on the conference website. All workshop attendees must be registered for the 2026 conference. The deadline for registration is March 4, 2026. Contact Mandy Melton (melton.archaeoserv@gmail.com) with registration questions.
| FIELD TRIPSField Trip 1: Pine Grove Furnace State Park: Iron Furnace and Ironmasters Mansion TourA guided tour of Pine Grove Furnace State Park with local historian and chairman of the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Andre Weltman. Located in the South Mountain region just north of Gettysburg, Pine Grove Ironworks was a typical charcoal-fueled iron smelter in operation c.1770s-1895. We will explore the blast furnace and historic buildings including the 1829 Ironmaster's Mansion, the park's ironmaking museum, and part of the Appalachian Trail Museum in a former 1783 gristmill. This visit will include short walks on uneven ground to enter an historic cemetery and an abandoned iron ore quarry in the State Park (participants with limited mobility are welcome, but may need to skip these brief portions of the tour). There are bathrooms but no other amenities open in the State Park at this time of year. Background materials available here: https://www.friendsofpinegrove.org/documents. DATE:Thursday, March 12, 2026 TIME:1:00 PM - 4:00 PM REGISTRATION:TBD PARTICIPANTS:25 DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:March 4, 2026 |
Field Trip 2: Gettysburg Railway Train Ride TourGettysburg Railway tour offers an exciting cultural experience that highlights the historic significance of the rail line. Passengers can enjoy a first-class train ride near the battlefield, with views of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and the picturesque countryside. Along the way, you’ll learn about various historical points of interest and the modern-day use of the railroad, all from the comfort of fully renovated 1950s-era passenger railcars. DATE:Friday, March 13, 2026 TIME:4:00 pm - 5:30 pm REGISTRATION:$30 PARTICIPANTS:15+ DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:March 4, 2026 |
WORKSHOPSWorkshop 1: Digging Through DataThis workshop will provide a high-level introduction to best practices, tools, and challenges of working with data including collecting, cleaning, managing and analysis. It will introduce the concepts of Data Lifecycles and Management plans and provide resources for successfully completing these vital components of archaeological work that ensure data are properly prepared for future sharing and reuse. We’ll also review tools to clean, manage, and analyze data like OpenRefine, R and RStudio. Finally, we will discuss ethics of Open Science and Open Data using the FAIR+CARE principles as a starting point. This workshop will provide practical resources for getting organized, handling messy data, and reducing common data-handling errors. Participants of all levels of technical ability are welcome! DATE:Thursday, March 12, 2026 TIME:9:30 AM-12:00 PM REGISTRATION:$15 (100% of registration costs will be donated to the student fund) PARTICIPANTS:15 ORGANIZER:Beth Bollwerk (Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Monticello) Jolene Smith (Virginia Department of Historic Resources) DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:March 4, 2026 Questions can be directed to: Elizabeth Bollwerk (ebollwerk@monticello.org) and Jolene Smith (jolene.smith@dhr.virginia.gov). | 
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Workshop 2: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Belonging, and Mattering (DEIB&M) in Archaeology
This two-hour training provides a foundational overview of disability, ableism, and accessibility within archaeology and related professional settings. Participants will build a shared understanding of key concepts while examining how diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and backgrounds strengthen organizations and research practice. The session offers tools for navigating sensitive conversations in ways that foster open, respectful dialogue across professional, organizational, and community contexts. Through discussion and applied examples, participants will assess strengths and challenges related to accessibility in academia, cultural resource management, hiring and retention, professional organizations, fieldwork, and training. The training also emphasizes community-building, supporting people with disabilities, and strengthening allyship to promote more inclusive and accessible professional environments.
DATE:
Friday, March 14, 2026
TIME:
4:00 PM-6:00 PM
REGISTRATION:
$20
PARTICIPANTS:
30
ORGANIZER:
Mia Carey (Unearthing Our Past, LLC)
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:
March 4, 2026
Questions and information can be directed to Mia Carey: Mia.Lashaye.Carey@gmail.com
Workshop 3: Intro to GPR
DATE:
Sunday, March 15, 2026
TIME:
9:00 PM-12:00 PM
REGISTRATION:
TBD
PARTICIPANTS:
TBD
ORGANIZERS:
Dave Givens (TerraSearch Geophysics, LLC) and Luc Renaux (Goodwin & Associates, Inc.)
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:
March 4, 2026
| BOOK ROOMAdvertise your company or field school in the 2026 Middle Atlantic Archaeological Bookroom! The annual meeting will host a book room for vendors and organizations. Space is limited. Your table will be visited by over 250 participants of the conference, including CRM professionals, archaeologists from local, state, and federal government agencies, academic institutions, museum professionals, archaeological conservators, and undergraduate and graduate students. Businesses:$100 Non-Profits:$20 Deadline for tables:February 25, 2026 Fee Payments:Please visit our store page to pay advertising and table fees. Questions and information can be directed to Elyse M. Adams: Eadams29@gmu.edu |
ADSAdvertise your company or field school in the 2026 Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference program! Your advertisement will be seen by over 250 participants of the conference, including CRM professionals, archaeologists from local, state, and federal government agencies, academic institutions, museum professionals, archaeological conservators, and undergraduate and graduate students. Advertisements will be in color for the online program and in black and white in the print edition distributed at the conference. Full page ads:$250 Half-page ads:$125 File size:4.24x6.25, 300dpi required, submitted as a JPEGDeadline for ads submissions:February 25, 2026Fee Payments:Please visit our store page to pay advertising and table fees. Questions and information can be directed to Elyse M. Adams: Eadams29@gmu.edu |
STUDENT SPONSORSHIP
MAAC actively encourages student participation. Since 2007, the student sponsorship program has provided financial assistance that allows students to attend MAAC. At the 2025 conference, for instance, this program covered membership and the meeting fee for 34 students - including every student presenter. We would like to be able to support all of MAAC's student presenters for the 2026 conference. Doing so requires academic departments, consulting firms, organizations, and individuals to contribute to the student sponsorship program. It costs $70 to sponsor a student. Please consider being a student sponsor for the 2026 MAAC meeting, and if you are financially able to do so, we encourage you to submit a $70 payment through the Store. Contact Matt Greer (matthew.greer@siu.edu) with questions. Thank you in advance for your support!