Acton Memorial Library
Acton Memorial Library

Pine Hawk F.A.Q.

Friends of Pine Hawk

Q. Where can I see some of the Pine Hawk artifacts? 

Pine Hawk display at the Acton Memorial Library
Pine Hawk display at the Acton Memorial Library

There is a wonderful exhibit on the ground floor of the library, outside of the elevator.  A number of artifacts are displayed, along with contextual information.

Most of the thousands of artifacts, however, are kept at the Public Archaeology Laboratory (PAL) in Rhode Island. PAL excavated the site and has the state contract to protect and care for these items. 

 

Q. Do you have any educational materials?

  • A small case of replicas of spear points, pottery shards, and other artifacts uncovered at the Pine Hawk site is on long-term loan to the Acton Historical Society. This case may be borrowed for school educational or museum purposes. Contact the Acton Historical Society by e-mailing jenkslibrary (at) verizon.net for loan requests.
  • A detailed scientific report by PAL intended primarily for professional archaeologists is available in the library: A Program of Archaeological Data Recovery: the Pine Hawk site (19-MD-793), Acton, Massachusetts, by Joseph N. Waller Jr. and Duncan Ritchie. 
  • The Library also has three large, portable displays (pictured below), suitable for taking to lectures and demonstrations. When not traveling, the displays are mounted near the Reference Desk at the Acton Memorial Library. They may be borrowed by any local business or organization by contacting the Library Director.

Click for a larger view:

Pine Hawk poster

Pine Hawk Poster 2

 

Q. Are there any legal issues connected with the artifacts? 

You bet. The Massachusetts Historical Commission by law owns the actual artifacts, and PAL (Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc.) has the overall contract for their maintenance. There are strict storage and safety requirements for those that are displayed locally in Acton. The Native Americans themselves also have significant legal rights and interests. These legal strictures do not apply to the use of the case of Pine Hawk replicas.

 

If you have additional questions, please email Bob Ferrara of the Friends of Pine Hawk at:   rferrara (at) mit.edu 

The Friends of Pine Hawk are grateful to the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, Woodard & Curran, and the Friends of the Acton Libraries for their support.      

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