DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. — A newly studied spearhead housed at the Dorchester County Historical Society is helping rewrite part of Maryland's prehistoric past.
The artifact contains traces linked to mammoth blood, making it the first known evidence that humans hunted mammoths on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Museum staff say the discovery could lead to a deeper understanding of the region's earliest inhabitants.
"There's a greater presence and a confirmation that blood being linked to a specific region is going to open up many new avenues of research, exploration and expansion on our understanding of that time period," said Jose Marcos Salaverria, Executive Director of the Dorchester County Historical Society.
The discovery also highlights the important role local museums and historical societies play in preserving artifacts that continue to reveal new information long after they are discovered.
Museum staff say preserving these items is about more than protecting history it's about inspiring curiosity and connecting people with the past.
"It keeps the history alive because one of the biggest things I get, being where we are, is that they don't know we're here," said Zachary Foster, Paper Collections Manager at the Dorchester County Historical Society. "We use the artifacts as like an advertisement. We tell the story of the artifact to get people interested in the history."
By sharing artifacts like the spearhead with the public, the Dorchester County Historical Society hopes more people will explore the rich history that has shaped Maryland for thousands of years.
To get a closer look at the artifact, visit the Dorchester County Historical Society in Cambridge, Md.
