A Woman Owned Business
Archaeological evidence was used to reconstruct this late 18th century home near Annapolis, Maryland. Designed by Direct Dimensions.
We are dedicated to using archaeology, historical research, and community input to produce deliverables that exceed expectations and accomplish your project goals.
North Star Heritage was founded to provide an affordable, professional, and community based approach to cultural resource management. With decades of experience balancing infrastructure projects and historic preservation, we know how to move projects along quickly and efficiently while minimizing risks to our clients. Our background is heavily grounded in successful archaeology stewardship projects and we specialize in well researched and engaging public outreach products. From archaeological surveys to the creation of interpretive panels that bring history to life, we are dedicated to supporting modern development and preservation while honoring the heritage of our ancestors.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky
Dr. Schablitsky is an archaeologist, cultural resources leader, and award-winning professional with more than 25 years of experience uncovering stories from the past and connecting them with living communities. She specializes in archaeology, historic preservation laws, and community engagement. As past-president of the International Society for Historical Archaeology and former state transportation leader, Julie has served on numerous commissions and advisory boards. She is passionate about making history accessible, meaningful, and relevant—and believes that the best projects are those that bring people together.
Near Annapolis, Maryland, a former tobacco plantation dating to the 1730s holds centuries of untold history. In Belvoir: An Archaeology of Maryland Slavery, Julie M. Schablitsky leads readers on an archaeological narrative to unearth the lives and stories still buried there. Through detailed excavation of the stone quarter and analysis of everyday artifacts—buttons, tobacco pipes, food remains, ceramics—she reconstructs the daily life, acts of resistance, and the cultural endurance of a community forced to navigate brutality.
Yet what makes Belvoir especially vital is its ethical compass. Schablitsky centers the voices of descendants, allowing their questions, memories, and presence to shape the narrative. The result is a groundbreaking archaeological case study and a blueprint for restorative justice at sites of enslavement. Scholars, archaeologists, and general readers alike will find Belvoir a deeply human, profoundly necessary book, one that confronts the past with clarity, care, and the hope of reconciliation.
All author proceeds go to the Archaeologies of Restorative Justice Series at the Society for Historical Archaeology.