Eastern States Archeological Federation
92nd Annual Meeting, November 13-16, 2025, Lake George, New York
Location
Fort William Henry Conference Center
48 Canada Street
Lake George, NY 12845
Hotel Rates
We have a block of rooms available at the Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center. Room Rates: $160/night Th/F/S + tax.
Call the hotel direct at 1-800-234-0267.
Reservations must be made by October 14, 2025 to qualify for these rates. Mention ESAF Annual Meeting to guarantee your rate.
Visit the website at www.fortwilliamhenry.com.
Deadlines
Abstract Submissions, Registration Fees, and Membership Dues for Presenters Due:
AUGUST 30, 2025
Registration for Non-Presenters: OCTOBER 10, 2025
Conference Fees (in US Dollars)
Registration: $50
Student Registration $5
Saturday Banquet (TBA): $60 per person
Registration & Abstract Submission Forms
Google Docs link for abstract submissions
2025 Online Registration & Payment Form
2025 Mail-In Annual Meeting Registration Form (pdf)
Annual Banquet Keynote Speaker
Joseph W. Zarzynski, RPA
The French & Indian War Society at Lake George, Inc.
Troweling Through the Archaeological Fieldwork at Fort William Henry During the 1950s & 1960s
Following World War II, terrestrial and underwater archaeology in North America underwent a transformation. Antiquarian-style collection of material culture was gradually replaced by a more-scientific model of archaeology. Saratoga County, NY maritime archaeologist Joseph W. Zarzynski will present a case study of that transition as he explores the archaeological excavations in the 1950s and 1960s at Fort William Henry (1755–1757) at Lake George.
The British garrison, built during the French & Indian War (1755–1763), was destroyed in August 1757 by the French and their Indigenous allies. That event was immortalized in James Fenimore Cooper's 1826 novel, The Last of the Mohicans. In 1952, Fort William Henry Corporation was formed. The for-profit enterprise hired Stanley Gifford, a Syracuse, NY archaeologist, to direct excavations to reveal more information about the military structure and the lifeways of its soldiers. Two years later in 1954, replica Fort William Henry opened. Moreover, in the mid-1950s, museum staff deployed an 8-foot-long, glass-paneled pram to search for submerged artifacts. Decades later, archaeologist David R. Starbuck conducted summer excavations on the grounds.
Mr. Zarzynski is a founding trustee of the French & Indian War Society at Lake George, a nonprofit entity formed over two decades ago to develop programs to interpret Fort William Henry’s history. From 1987–2011, Zarzynski directed Bateaux Below, a nonprofit group that studied Lake George's “Sunken Fleet of 1758.” Our banquet speaker is the author of eight books including Ghost Fleet Awakened–Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758 (SUNY Press, 2019) and Fort William Henry's Moments in Time (High Peaks Publishing, 2023). Furthermore, for two decades, he's written a column in the Lake George Mirror newspaper on local history and archaeology.
Call for Papers
Abstracts (<150 words) are invited for papers and posters on topics related to the archaeology of eastern North America.
Proposals for organized thematic sessions are also welcome. Individual papers will be placed in general sessions. Posters will be centralized with a designated presentation session.
Primary authors must be members of ESAF for 2025. One paper per primary author. There is no limit on the number of junior co-authorships.
Student presenter scholarships are available for both podium and poster participants. Students must be currently enrolled and register for the conference by the deadline left. Registration and membership fees will be reimbursed at sign-in. Student authors may compete for The Student Paper Prize. See the ESAF website for rules and application.
Format
The Annual Meeting will be in-person, but allowing for optional remote presentation. Remote presentations must be pre-recorded. See the ESAF website for format and submission. In-person papers will be presented live.
Contact Information
Submit Thematic Session Proposals and Questions about Abstracts to
David Leslie,
Conference Chair
dleslie@terrasearchgeo.com
For General Inquiries, Please Contact
Timothy Abel,
Treasurer
tabel@twcny.rr.com
Book Room Chair
David Leslie,
Conference Chair
dleslie@terrasearchgeo.com
General Presentation Guidelines
- Presenter(s) must be individual members of ESAF.
- Registration fees and membership dues for ALL presenters are due by AUGUST 30, 2024. Membership dues and conference registration may be paid via PayPal. An individual can be the primary author on only one paper or poster, but may be a co-author on other papers or posters. Workshop participants may also present papers.
- In addition to the title and abstract (150 words or fewer), provide name, affiliation, address, phone, and email address for each presenter. Please include audio-visual requirements. Thematic session chairs should identify participants.
- The first name listed as a paper's author is considered to be the presenter.
- In some cases it may become necessary for an ESAF presentation to be presented virtually using software. In the case that an ESAF presentation must be given virtually rather than in person, the option to retract a presentation will always be offered to the author.
- The ESAF Executive Board may decide to share virtual presentations via online distribution websites such as YouTube. If they do, they must obtain permission from authors before sharing their work in this way.
- Please note that ESAF meeting presentations subscribe to section 1.1.10 of the SAA style guide regarding the prohibition of display of human remains or funerary objects and section 1.1.12 regarding respectful language when discussing human remains.
- Any presentation that includes discussion of human remains must be approved prior to the meeting by the program chair and be preceded by a statement indicating that the presentation contains discussion of human remains.
Annual Meeting Procedures
Past Meetings
2007 Burlington, VT
2006 Fitchburg, MA
2005 Williamsburg, VA
2004 Midland, Ontario
2003 Mount Laurel, NJ
2002 Mount Laurel, NJ
2001 Watertown, NY
2000 Solomons Island, MD
1999 Kings Island, OH
1998 Wilkes-Barre, PA
1997 Mount Laurel, NJ
1996 Huntington, WV
1995 Wilmington, DE
1994 Albany, NY
1993 Bangor, ME
1992 Pittsburgh, PA
1991 Williamsburg, VA
1990 Columbus, OH
1989 East Windsor, CT
1988 Toronto, Ontario
1987 Charleston, SC
1986 Wilmington, DE
1985 Buffalo, NY
1984 Annapolis, MD
1983 Salem, MA
1982 Norfolk, VA
1981 Harrisburg, PA
1980 Albany, NY
1979 Ann Arbor, MI
1978 Bellmawr, NJ
1977 Hartford, CT
1976 Richmond, VA
1975 Columbus, OH
1974 Bangor, ME
1973 Dover, DE
1972 Harrisburg, PA
1971 Gainesville, FL
1970 Natural Bridge, VA
1969 Morgantown, WV
1968 Ann Arbor, MI
1967 Washington, DC
1966 New York, NY
1965 Princeton, NJ
1964 Attleboro, MA
1963 Philadelphia, PA
1962 Athens, GA
1961 Williamsburg, VA
1960 Toronto, Ontario
1959 Albany, NY
1958 Wilmington, DE
1957 Baltimore, MD
1956 Trenton, NJ
1955 New Haven, CT
1954 Pittsburgh, PA
1953 Rochester, NY
1952 Washington, DC
1951 Chapel Hill, NC
1950 New York, NY
1949 Richmond, VA
1948 Trenton, NJ
1947 Wilmington, DE
1946 Rochester, NY
1945 Attleboro, MA
1944 [meeting not held]
1943 [meeting not held]
1942 [meeting not held]
1941 Philadelphia, PA
(list compiled by Charles A. Bello and Carolyn Dillian)