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Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
William Francis Galvin

Massachusetts Historical Commission

Massachusetts Archaeology Month 2026

2026 marks the 34th annual Massachusetts Archaeology Month in October. We will add events during the month to this page as they become available.

In the meantime, look into your local museums, historical societies, and other cultural institutions. Many of these organizations across Massachusetts offer online programs and content throughout the year.

You can also use our online content to explore archaeology in Massachusetts, such as the Archaeology Resources for Teachers, which includes links to museums, websites, books, and other resources.

18th-century creamware teapot, crafted by the Wedgwood Manufactory in Staffordshire, England

This 18th- century creamware teapot, crafted by the Wedgwood Manufactory in Staffordshire, England, offers insight into the consumer culture and political turmoil of colonial America leading up to the Revolution. Excavated from the Three Cranes Tavern Site in Charlestown, recovered as part of the Central Artery Project (the “Big Dig”), this teapot highlights just how deeply ingrained tea consumption became in colonial life. Tea drinking originated in China, becoming widespread in Europe and the British colonies in the late 17th- century. Tea drinking quickly evolved from an elite luxury into a widespread ritual enjoyed across social classes. To meet demand, British potters, like Wedgwood, mass-produced teawares in an array of materials and price points. With the events of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, a simple household object like this teapot became a political symbol. The choice to serve or boycott tea became an overt declaration of political allegiance. Today, this teapot is on public display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, featured in the America at 250 exhibitions within the newly reimagined 18th- Century Art of the Americas Galleries.

Archaeology Month Posters

View some past Massachusetts Archaeology Month posters

Events

Ongoing

  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
    • Explore the MFA’s reimagined galleries of 18th- century Art of the Americas that bring together works from across North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean—including works by Native American and Indigenous makers. Several archaeological artifacts from the MHC’s collections are on display.

September

October 3, 2026

  • Brewster's Ancient Burial Ground Tour
    • Located behind the First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist Church, 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
    • A guide from the Brewster Historical Society will provide the history of the Brewster Ancient Burial Ground, sharing highlights of some of the townspeople buried underneath these centuries-old headstones. Tickets required.
  • Archaeology at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
    • 131 Waquoit, East Falmouth, 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Learn about archaeological practice and the long history of human occupation and land use around and on Waquoit Bay and Washburn Island. Join in hands-on archaeology activities. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.
  • The Dead Do Tell Tales: Revolutionary Era Gravestone Stories
    • American Legion at 1 Prospect Street, Hatfield, 2:00 p.m.
    • Presented by historical archeologist Bob Drinkwater, charter member of the Association for Gravestone Studies, this will be a fascinating look at the gravestones and stonecutters in the Revolutionary era. A walk across the street in the Hill Burial Ground (founded 1676) is included in this MOTT 250th special event, with a focus on the graves of the Revolutionary era.

October 5, 2026

  • Vault to Vessel: Explore "Old Ironsides" with USS Constitution Museum
    • Boston National Historical Park, 2:00 p.m.
    • Join USS Constitution Museum Curatorial Staff for a special viewing of artifacts in the Museum’s Samuel Eliot Morison Memorial Library, followed by a guided tour of “Old Ironsides.” This exclusive, guided exploration of naval life during the Age of Sail will start in the Museum’s Reading Room to “open the vault” and look at items from the collection. Then, we’ll head over to board USS Constitution and journey through the decks to see how sailors lived and worked there in the early 1800s.

October 6, 2026

  • Native American land Use and Colonial Cape Cod
    • Sturgis Library, 3090 Main Street (Route 6A), Barnstable, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
    • Join archaeologist Dan Zoto for a fascinating look at how Indigenous land use helped shape Cape Cod’s earliest English settlements. Drawing on archaeology, paleoecology, and ethnohistory, Dan will explore how Wampanoag land management, including clearing land for maize cultivation, influenced where English settlers chose to build their communities in the 17th century.

October 10, 2026

  • Cobb House Museum and Windmill Village Open House
    • 739 Lower Road and 51 Drummer Boy Road, Brewster, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    • Don't miss this opportunity to discover Brewster’s rich past at these historic locations. The Museum and Woodworking Shop and the Windmill Village be open for free tours and demonstrations. In addition to these well-preserved historic buildings, artifacts and exhibits from Brewster’s past are on display. Meet the miller and blacksmith at the Windmill Village.

October 13, 2026

  • The Tobacco Takers: Puritans, Pipes, and Bodily Care
    • Harvard Geological Lecture Hall (hybrid lecture), 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
    • Diana DiPaolo Loren, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator, Peabody Museum, Harvard University and Stephen W. Silliman, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Boston discuss how tobacco, Indigenous to the Americas and cultivated by Native peoples for thousands of years, was introduced to Europeans in the 16th century, and by the early 17th century, it had spread across the globe. Drawing from her new book, The Tobacco Takers: Puritanism, Smoking, Health, and the Archaeology of Bodily Care (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026), Diana DiPaolo Loren will share archaeological, archival, and visual evidence that recasts tobacco and tobacco pipes as tools of bodily care for both physical and metaphysical ailments. The program will include a conversation with archaeologist Stephen W. Silliman. Preregistration required.

October 17, 2026

  • Archaeology Day at Minuteman National Historical Park
    • North Bridge Visitor Center, Concord, 10:00 am – 4:30 p.m.
    • Join the National Parks Service Park Rangers for a 3:00 p.m. special tour of the North Bridge Battlefield where recent investigations uncovered musket balls fired during the Shot Heard Round the World.
    • From 10 am until 4:30 p.m. come explore a NEW exhibit at the North Bridge Visitor Center including a new painting of the battle on April 19, 1775. Throughout the day historical artist David Geister will speak about his painting and other historical art.
  • Archaeology at Riverbend Farm, Blackstone Canal and Heritage State Park
    • River Bend Farm Visitor Center, 287 Oak Street, Uxbridge, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Learn about the cycle of the seasons from the Indigenous perspective, and traditional fishing methods along the Kitticuck (Blackstone) River, help to weave a net, archaeological practice and the long history of human occupation and land use on and along the Blackstone River. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.

October 18, 2026

  • Terrestrial and Marine Cultural Resource Management in the Commonwealth: Views from the Land/Water Interfaces
    • Fall River Heritage State Park, Davol Street, Fall River, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Talk by David Robinson, Director & Chief Archaeologist, Massachusetts Board of Underwater and DCR staff. Learn about the archaeology of lands and waters and the history of people in Fall River and the Taunton River for many generations. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.
  • Archaeology at Great Falls Discovery Center
    • 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Learn about the cycle of the seasons from the Indigenous perspective, traditional fishing methods along the Kwenitekw (Connecticut) River, help to weave a net, and more. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.

October 24, 2026

  • Guided Tours of the Old Burying Ground on Albany Road
    • Historic Deerfield, 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
  • Archaeology at Mount Holyoke Range State Park
    • Notch Visitors Center, 1500 West Street, Amherst, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Learn about the cycle of the seasons from the Indigenous perspective, traditional fishing methods along the Kwenitekw (Connecticut) River, help to weave a net, practice archaeological screening, and more. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.
  • Massachusetts Archaeological Society Annual Meeting
    • Details TBD

October 25, 2026

  • Archaeology at Quabbin Reservoir
    • Visitors Center, 100 Winsor Dam Road, Belchertown, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
    • Learn about the cycle of the seasons from the Indigenous perspective, traditional fishing methods along the Swift River, the history of the Quabbin Reservoir, practice archaeological screening, and more. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.

November 26, 2026

  • Houghton’s Pond, Blue Hills, Blue Hills Fest 2026
    • Join DCR to celebrate Archaeology Month in collaboration with the Friends of the Blue Hills at Blue Hills Fest. Participate in Hands-on Archaeology Activities. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.