Dr. Julia King Receives William B Mayre Award

Julia King

At the 2024 ASM Fall Meeting Dr. Julia King received the William B. Mayre Award for her outstanding contributions to Maryland archaeology.  Awardees are not notified ahead of time, and Julia King was out of state on this day.  But the plaque is waiting for her.

Congratulations, Dr. King, and thank you for all your contributions to archaeology in Maryland and a special thanks for all you have contributed to Charles County archaeology.

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From Julia King's nomination --

Julia A. King—a native of Maryland who never forgot her Maryland roots—has spent most of her life studying the archeology of Maryland and the surrounding region. Beginning as a volunteer in the Historic St. Mary's City laboratory while an undergraduate, Julie eventually came full circle with the completion of her PhD dissertation on the Van Sweringen site at St. Mary's. 

In 1987, Julie began work at the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, where she served as director of research. During this time, she directed survey and testing at a number of major sites located within U.S. Naval facilities, including Mattapany-Sewall at PAX River and Posey at Indian Head. In 1996, Julie was appointed the first director of JPPM's newly created Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, and over the next decade she helped establish that facility as a premier research and conservation institution. 

In 2006, Julie joined the full-time faculty of St. Mary's College of Maryland, where she serves today as Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department. Here she has been able to tap the youthful energy of eager students in a variety of field projects, giving them firsthand experience in how to approach archeological problems. As a testament to this training, a number of her students have gone on to successful archeological careers. 

Using this student workforce—and with prodding and funding from a history-minded developer in Charles County, Michael Sullivan—Julie tackled two of Maryland's most elusive "needles" in the state's haystack. The first of these was the 17th century Charles County Courthouse at Moore's Lodge. Using archival and county land records, Julie's team was able to narrow the search focus, before employing her students on an extensive shovel-testing program. Dozens of STPs and a few test units later, a pattern of 17th century artifacts revealed the outlines of the site (see Maryland Archeology 43(2):15-28). Then in 2008, Julie and Mike assembled a team to search for the ca. 1680 Piscataway Indian fort in Zekiah Swamp. Miraculously, using similar techniques, three years later the fort was found! Coincidentally, this discovery of Fort Zekiah had been a long-sought after goal of none other than William B. Marye himself. 

As director of the MAC lab, Julie’s vision was that the lab should not only serve as an artifact repository, but should also create ways to make information accessible to researchers and the general public. She secured grant funds for sweeping overview studies, two of which resulted in major interactive websites—A Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture and Colonial Encounters. 

Another noteworthy contribution is her ability to forge lasting bonds with Native communities such as the Piscataways and the Rappahannocks, engaging them as partners in research of their ancestral lands. 

Throughout her career Dr. Julia King has made and continues to make outstanding contributions to Maryland archeology, through educating and training students, disseminating information for researchers, prolific publishing, frequent lecturing, and engaging native communities. She is most deserving of this award.