The Millersville Area Historical Society (MAHS) invites the public to a presentation, "The Archaeology of Northern Slavery," when it meets at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Millersville's Municipal Center, 100 Municipal Drive. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and lock at 9:15 a.m.

The speaker will be James A. Delle, dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Millersville University (MU) and an expert on the historical archaeology of slavery in North America and the Caribbean. Through a review of work conducted on key African American sites contextualizing several case studies, including sites located in Lancaster County, Delle's presentation, enhanced with slides, will offer a perspective on the relationship between slavery and freedom in the United States as seen from archaeological sites north of the Mason-Dixon Line. A question-and-answer session will close the program.

Delle has directed archaeology projects in Jamaica, Dominica, Hawaii, New York, and Pennsylvania, including excavations at the Thaddeus Stevens/Lydia Hamilton Smith and Swan Hotel sites and ahead of construction of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, now the Ware Center. He authored three books and edited five essay collections on the archaeology of slavery. The western Massachusetts native was a fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and taught at several institutions before moving into academic administration and arriving at MU in 2001. At MU he also serves as associate provost for academic administration and, regionally, he fills the position of vice president of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County.

Although admission is free, donations will be accepted. For more details, contact Phil Gerber at 717-872-8837 before noon or at pge8507@aol.com.