Fall 2024 Conference -- our 60th Anniversary

NEARA Through Time: 60 Years of Research

View the program at NEARA 2024 Fall Conference Program.

November 1 to 3 in Manchester, NH

The Fall 2024 NEARA Conference will be at The Falls Event Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the first weekend of November, the 1st to the 3rd, with accommodations are at the adjoining Hampton Inn.

Conference Registration

Sign up for the Friday and Saturday conference and the Saturday night banquet at: Conference Registration.

You can choose to:

1. attend the Friday and Satuday presentations at The Falls Event Center and the keynote presentation at The Puritan Backroom,
2. attend the banquet dinner at The Puritan Backroom,
3. or do both.

People who choose only option (1) will be able to see the keynote presentation by arriving at The Puritan Backroom after 7:45 PM. People who are interested in seeing only Bruce Bradley's presentation may choose option (2) and arrive after 5:45 PM.

Please note that signing up for the conference after October 28th, either online or in person, will cost more than early signups. Save money by registering now!

Accommodations

Make a reservation at the Manchester Hampton Inn at 21 Front St. for one of the limited number of rooms reserved for NEARA until October 8. The groups code is CHHNEA, which should already be entered for you from this link. If calling the hotel directly, (603) 669-5400, ask for the “NEARA 2024” rate and room block.

Program

The program will provide updates on NEARA's areas of focus over six decades, including land use in New England, the peopling of the Americas, ongoing research on Viking settlements in North America, and updates on indigenous archaeology and research efforts in the Northeast.

• NEARA Member Terry Deveau will present his research into William Goodwin, Malcolm Pearson, and the early owners of Mystery Hill.
• NEARA Member Donna Thompson will discuss the American Antiquarian Movement and NEARA's historical and philosophical roots going back to the 1600's.
• New Hampshire Chapter Coordinator Devon Toland will talk about working with local historical societies to discover records that you cannot find online.
• Martyn Whittock, historian and author known for his work on Viking history and mythology, including “American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America,” will separate fact from fiction and explore the research of the Viking settlement of North America.
• Rich Holschuh, an indigenous cultural and historic researcher and a citizen of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, will talk about the Kchi Pontegok Petroglyph Project that aims to compile and catalogue an inventory of known archaeological and historic sites in the Connecticut River Valley, including important geographic features and sacred indigenous places.
• NEARA Research Committee Chair Phil Getty will review NEARA's history of research, sharing his interviews with longtime NEARA members. Phil will also talk about upcoming techniques and equipment, discuss how to support your own research efforts, and invite your ideas for future research.
• The Keynote Speaker will be Bruce Bradley, renowned researcher, archaeologist, and co-author of Across Atlantic Ice. He will share the latest evidence of human occupation in North and South America dating back 30,000 to 20,000 years.

Field Trips

Friday afternoon field trips include:

• The NEARA Library, with Walter van Roggen (11 AM -- 1 PM)
• Northwood Meadows State Park & Bear Brook State Park, with Devon Toland (11 AM -- 4 PM)
• The New Hampshire State Archaeology Lab, with State Archaeologist Mark Doperalski (1 PM -- 3 PM)
• America's Stonehenge, with a special talk by Dennis Stone (1 PM -- 4 PM)

Sunday's field trips all meet at 9:45 AM at the hotel parking lot.

• Joe English Reservation, with Walter van Roggen
• Northwood Meadows State Park & Bear Brook State Park, with Devon Toland
• Southern New Hampshire Chamber Tour, with Donna Thompson

Copyright © 2024 New England Antiquities Research Association. All rights reserved. Some materials are copyright their respective authors. Note that the views expressed here are the opinions of the respective authors and are not the official opinion of NEARA.