Thursday, September 23rd

What Lies Beneath:

Recent Archaeological Investigations

at Marlpit Hall and the Allen House

Richard Veit, Ph.D.

The Allen House in Shrewsbury and Marlpit Hall in Middletown, New Jersey are significant local landmarks. Recent archaeological investigations, performed in association with proposed site improvements are revealing significant new information about these storied structures and the people who lived and worked in them. Especially significant is the discovery of a rich deposit of early 19th-century artifacts at Marlpit Hall, which may be associated with an outkitchen used by enslaved individuals. While the historical record provides considerable information about the families that owned these structures, archaeology can provide a more complete picture of the past and shed light on aspects of local history missing from the written record.

Dr. Rich Veit will be giving us a glimpse into an actual archaeological dig! Discover what secrets this fascinating process can reveal. Recent excavations at historic Marlpit Hall in Middletown, both interior and exterior, have yielded amazing information about those who lived there long ago. While the exterior dig is ongoing, every inch gives clues further into the past. We invite you to investigate along with us! Our upcoming exhibit, Beneath the Floorboards: Whispers of the Enslaved will be a culmination of the exhaustive new research that has been done at Marlpit Hall, reinterpreting the house to give voice to those who were enslaved there. 

Dr. Richard F. Veit is Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean of the School Of Humanities And Social Sciences at Monmouth University. He is the President of the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference, and his research has been featured on NPR, in Archaeology Magazine and at TEDx Navesink in 2014. Among many articles, he has authored five books including Digging New Jersey’s Past: Historical Archaeology in the Garden State, which received awards from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, New Jersey Academic Studies Alliance, and the New Jersey Center for the Book at Rutgers University. Two of his books, Digging New Jersey’s Past and New Jersey: A History of the Garden State are listed on the New Jersey State library’s 101 Great New Jersey books list. He serves on the New Jersey Historical Commission and on the boards of the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology, Crossroads of the American Revolution, and the Archaeological Society of New Jersey.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRESENTATION!
Thursday, October 28

Bernadette Rogoff presents
~ MORBID MONMOUTH ~

Attend at your own risk!
Get ready for a bone-chilling, spine-tingling presentation on the most macabre, dreadful and eerie objects in the MCHA collection. Bernadette Rogoff, Director of Collections, will discuss the Hook of Death, post-mortem imagery, wreaths of human hair, and primitive surgical tools endured by our predecessors. See the museum at night; we won’t tell you it’s haunted - you’ll have to decide for yourself! Strange coincidences, footsteps, and ghostly voices...it was probably just the wind. Recoil at tales of the dangers of life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Come to think of it, you probably shouldn’t attend. It’s safer that way. Just don’t blame us if you can’t sleep afterward - we warned you! This is not a program for children, so keep the kiddies away...recommended age 14+.