Scope and Contents note

The collection includes photographs of excavations and artifacts relating to Stearns' archeological work in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. There are also some sketches of artifacts and excavation sites, as well as notes on pictured artifacts. One photo album relates to Stearns' work in Florida, while the other contains photographs of various sites in Maryland, including Conowingo.

The collection relates to work in Sussex County in Delaware; the District of Columbia; Bay, Collier, Flagler, Franklin, St. Johnʹs, St. Lucie, and Volusia counties in Florida, Glynn County in Georgia; Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Queen Anneʹs, and St. Maryʹs counties in Maryland; Horry County in South Carolina; and Loudon and Page counties in Virginia.

Biographical/Historical note

Richard E. Stearns (1902-1969) was a commercial photographer and amateur archeologist of Maryland's prehistory. He was known for his photographic documentation, particularly of sites and specimens, most notably at Conowingo, a large village site on the Susquehanna River. In the 1930s, he became a curator for the Department of Archeology of the Natural History Society of Maryland, a position he held for over thirty years. In the 1940s, Stearns published Nicholas Yinger's investigations of the Hughes site, as well as his own investigations of sites in Maryland.

Local Call Number(s)

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Location of Other Archival Materials

The National Museum of Natural History's Department of Anthropology holds artifacts donated by Stearns, in accessions 163264, 176236, 182055, 183968, 186144, 188274, 200211, 202602, 247561, and 308221.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Additional photos by Stearns can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in MS 4524.

Custodial History note

The photographs in this collection accompanied Stearns' donations of artifacts to United States National Museum, specifically accessions 160003, 187165, 188274, 191329, 247561, and 308221. The photographs were transferred from the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1973.

Other Finding Aids note

Inventory available in repository.