Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab)

Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) This page is managed by Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, where the Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Lab is located.

The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) is an archaeological research, conservation, and curation facility located at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology, in southern Maryland. All posts serve to highlight individual projects and treatment efforts of the conservation, collections, & research staff, interns and volunteers at the MAC Lab. All depa

rtments are apart of the MAC Lab's mission as the repository for all state owned artifacts to aid in research, curation, and access to Maryland archaeological artifacts and site records. The Conservation Department works with museums, non-profit organizations, government agencies and Cultural Resource Management firms to treat archaeological and historic collections from both marine and terrestrial sites. The laboratory is outfitted to handle bulk collections as well as oversized objects such as cannon and ship fragments. Services include, but are not limited to, x-radiography, cleaning and stabilization of metals, freeze-drying of waterlogged organics and reconstruction of ceramics and glass. For more information, please visit our website at www.jefpat.org/conservation.html

Join us for Public Archaeology!
05/21/2026

Join us for Public Archaeology!

05/21/2026
It is finally beginning to feel real---the end of construction and a return to a lab where we can go about business as u...
05/14/2026

It is finally beginning to feel real---the end of construction and a return to a lab where we can go about business as usual!

And so it begins!
05/05/2026

And so it begins!

04/30/2026

Experimental archaeology!

We enjoyed a visit from the Archaeological Conservancy last week!
04/30/2026

We enjoyed a visit from the Archaeological Conservancy last week!

Interesting ligatured printer's type from the Jonas Green Print Shop in Annapolis! This is a follow-up to our "Archeolog...
04/30/2026

Interesting ligatured printer's type from the Jonas Green Print Shop in Annapolis! This is a follow-up to our "Archeology versus Archaeology" video from a few weeks ago.

Two weeks ago we presented to you the great debate on the spelling or archAEology vs archEology. You all were not shy about voicing your opinion and the vast majority of you prefer the spelling with the extra A. This spelling derives from the traditional ligatured (or bound/connected) Æ, representing a diphthong of two vowel sounds together. One apocryphal argument for dropping the A in the spelling of archEology was that it saved the US Government on printing costs. More letters equal more ink and paper which costs more tax money.

Well behold the counter to that argument! Found in the Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Printshop site collection is a bookbinding punch with a ligatured Æ. Treated like any other single vowel, this piece would've made the spelling of archAEology a breeze. If the Green's were alive today, they'd be Team Extra A!

Read more about the Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Printshop collection being processed at the MAC Lab in this year's Maryland Archaeology Month booklet: https://www.marylandarcheologymonth.org/post/maryland-revolutionaries-jonas-and-anne-catharine-green

Address

10515 Mackall Road
Saint Leonard, MD
20685

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

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