Henry Miller
Dr. Miller is a Historical Archaeologist who grew up in Arkansas and attended the University of Arkansas where he received a B. A. degree in Anthropology. He subsequently received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State University with a specialization in historic sites archaeology. Miller‘s dissertation focused on the human diet in the colonial Chesapeake, as revealed by animal bones. His first contact with St. Mary’s City came in 1972 when he was hired as an archaeological excavator. Subsequently, he was employed full time by HSMC in 1977, first as Laboratory Director (1977-1987) and since 1987 the Director of Research. Currently, he holds the position of Maryland Heritage Scholar and in 2011-2012 was Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Oxford University. In 1997, he served as President of the international Society for Historical Archaeology, and chaired the SHA Ethics and Standards Committee and its Curation Standards Committee which developed the first professional standards for the care of historic archaeological collections. Research interests are wide ranging and include foodways and colonial architecture, ceramics, tobacco pipes and oyster shells, changing landscapes over time, and the intellectual influences that shaped Maryland’s settlers. Much of Miller’s career has been devoted to exploring 17th-century sites and the effective conversion of those discoveries into public exhibits, both in galleries and as full reconstructions.
In January 2020, Dr. Miller was awarded the J.C. Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology in recognition of a lifetime of contributions to the field.