Now that the dog days of August are over we are back out in the field - weather permitting. Over the next few weeks we’ll be working on closing up the units we opened this summer at the Swann House Site and then moving out to Maxwell Hall State Park, where we have a grant from the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area to do survey work. We’ll be back at Swann House in the Spring. While we’re finishing up our units at the Swann House, I thought I’d share some photographs of the work we’ve done over the spring and summer.
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Clearing the area over the foundation Left to Right, Mimi, Carol, Denise, Elsie, Ned, and Mary 3 April 2023 |
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Ned cutting tree limbs, the Swann House foundation is on the left side of the photo 3 April 2023 |
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Break Time! Left to Right Doug, Ned, Linda, and Elsie 12 April 2023 |
Once the brush was cleared we began the excavation units.
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The photo was taken the last day of clearing and was the day we found the snake. Left to right: Elsie, Denise, Carol, Pat, Doug and exiting on the right (or stage left) - Ned 12 April 2023 |
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The first unit went inside the foundation area and quickly uncovered chimney fall. We removed about 200 lbs of brick from this unit, all of it from one chimney. When the chimney was razed it was pushed inside the cellar. 17 April 2023 |
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Our First Public Archaeology Day was May 6th We had several visitors and Steve (in the red cap) became, to his surprise, a tour guide. Several of my students from UMBC came to work with us. Meghan is on the right. |
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With help from the students, members of CCASM and the volunteer crew, Steve reached the brick floor of the hearth in the kitchen under all the chimney fall 6 May 2023 |
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We opened two units south of the house foundations in late May and by June had uncovered two narrow trenches and a post hole. The latter is the dark stain in the lower right hand corner of the photo. It contained mortar and a few flakes of quartz. The function of the narrow trenches? Hmmm, good question, plow scars? fence lines? Plow scars in the rest of the field run north/south, these run east/west. We plan to expand these units in the spring. 6-19-2023 |
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We also opened up two units out in the field on the south side of the house. At least we didn't have to clear brush here. Elsie and Ned, hard at work troweling. 19 June 2023 |
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Our second public archaeology week was June 24th and 25th. We continued to work in the house and field units. Left to right: Elsie, Tamara, and Carol screening soil in order to look for artifacts. |
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It can be hard work, but we had fun! Linda and Denise in one of the field units. 24 June 2023 |
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Clean-up time at the end of the day. Carol and Linda covering over the units next to the foundation Elsie, Tamara, and Kim finishing up the screening. 24 June 2023. |
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July brought warmer temperatures, but we continued to work as the heat permited. By late July when we held our 3rd Public Archaeology Weekend, we had expanded the house units and discovered that the basement had been filled with trash before the chimney collapsed into the cellar. 23 July 2023 |
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We also placed a unit in the chimney pent - a type of closet - and discovered that there was no access into this one from the basement. This pent was also filled with brick and mortar rubble. I'm still trying to determine whether it's debris from construction, repair, or demolition. 23 July 2023 |
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Because of the heat, we didn't get much done in August. Most of the month was spent in the lab cleaning the artifacts we've recovered this summer. We finally got back in the field on Monday September 11th and found a feature in the base of one of the field units. It looks like there's a plow scar cutting into it (the long linear dark line) then there's the feature - a dark squarish patch. Not sure what it is, but we'll work on it during our 4th Public Archaeology Weekend this coming weekend September 16th and 17th |
And then there were the summer storms...
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It seems that every Monday from the beginning of July through September began the same way, a unit filled with water and... |
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Me in my Wellies filling buckets of water while the crew hauled them out in the field and dumped them. 9/11/2023 |
In addition to the field work, we also had some young visitors who learned about artifacts and reconstructing vessels. We look forward to hosting more students this fall.
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Ned and Kathy work with students on a vessel reconstruction excercise |
Recovering artifacts during the excavation led to lots of lab work in July and August. While some of us were out in the field, another group was in the lab trying to keep up with the washing.
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A view of the counter area in the lab. The bags on the left are cleaned, those on the right are fresh out of the field and are waiting to be cleaned. Cleaning is the first step in our process when artifacts come in from the field. 11 September 2023. |
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Doug, one of our volunteers, built the drying rack for us. The cleaned artifacts are placed in the trays which have fine screen in the base. They stay there for several days and air dry. This allows water to be released from ceramics and other porous items. When they're dried they will be sorted by material and artifact type (a piece of a dish, a nail, etc.). Doug also built some of the screens that we use in the field to sift the soil through while we look for artifacts. 11 September 2023 |
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Ceramics in one of the drying trays. 11 September 2023 |
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Tray of cleaned artifacts which is sorted into material and functional types. Once this is completed the artifacts are placed in archival plastic bags and stored until they are cataloged and analyzed. 11 September 2023 |
Once we’ve cleaned all the artifacts we’ll start with the formal cataloging and analysis, something that will keep us busy all winter. Below are examples of some of things we’ve found. I’ve also discussed some of the artifacts in other blogs about Swann House over the summer.
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Fragments of tin-glazed earthenware associated with 18th-century occupants of the site. Recovered in the field units. |
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2nd to 3rd quarter 19th-century ceramics associated with the Swann Family's occupation of the site Recovered in the field units. |
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Late 19th-century bottle lip and neck Swann Family occupation Recovered in the field units. |
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Chipping debris from stone tool production Long before the village of Port Tobacco existed the Potapoco Indians lived there. Recovered in the field units. |
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20th-century Zinc Canning Jar Lid with Milk Glass insert House Foundation Units Sallie Swann or Bush family occupation |
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Pre-Prohibition Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Bottle Fragments House Foundation Units. Sallie Swann or Bush Family occupation |
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Mid-19th century tobacco pipe stem The pipe stem is embossed with part of the word: "Glasgow" Swann Family Occupation |
None of this was possible without the dedicated volunteer archaeology crew: From CCASM - Carol, Claudia, Denise, Doug, Elsie, Kathy, Linda, Mary, Mimi, Ned, Pat, Peggy, and Steve. And also Doria and the Citizens Academy volunteers Kim and Tamara, Charlie of Charles County Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, Charles County Residents Evie, James, and Tiara,UMBC students Alana and Meghan, the volunteers who joined us during our public weekends, and finally my husband Tim.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact me using the email form on the home page.
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