I brought notes on how Annapolis City carries out archeological review in Planning and Zoning.  

(These written notes above  were given to the Mayor and Aldermen, many thanks to Nancy Geasey for 

drafting this material some time back!)

I am here representing the Monocacy Archeological Society, a local group that has been working 

on these issues for many years.  I had sixteen months prior attended Frederick 101 and my final 

thesis was that I felt that the City should do archeological review in the Planning and Zoning process.  

I brought together state and local officials and experts a year ago to discuss the means of accomplishing 

that, and the ways that it was handled in various areas, that I had studied the existing models and found 

that the City of Annapolis appeared to offer the most comparable model for Frederick City.  Discussed the 

many regional areas where archeology was instituted in government.  Mentioned that Annapolis only spent 

$5,000 per annum to hire a consulting archeologist, and that it was more built out than Frederick.  That 90% 

of the site tests in Annapolis required no further review and that only one site had cost a developer $10,000 

to mitigate, but that was a historic tavern site and that we might find a similar site in Frederick.

I went on to discuss the fact that many sites in the City had already been built upon, such as Clustered Spires 

and the removal of historic structures there...the clear cutting along the River at the Rosenstock site which was 

sensitive and close to the surface and probably would be damaged by the work.  That if the City grew up to the 

Biggs Ford Road that it would encroach upon that site, one of the most important in all of Maryland for it consisted 

of two overlapping Indian villages of several hundred years duration, of different time periods and cultures.  That it 

was not recovered because the owners wanted to insure that the artifacts remain in Frederick County and not go to 

the State as most of our recovered materials do.  

The reason I supposed for the withholding of the Resource Inventory was that the requirement that an archeologist

be involved in its use, and that the Maryland Historic Trust was concerned about looting of sites if the information 

was too public, that was often a problem at Civil War and Native American sites.  Washington Post article on National 

Park service showing 11,000 lootings at archeological sites on NPS land just last year alone, even with $25,000 fines 

and jail time penalties.  

The Mayor said that the Board appeared to be generally favorable to the idea, that short term, specific goals may lead 

to further recommendations in the future!