2026 MHT/ASM Workshop

The Maryland Historical Trust and 
The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc

 35th Annual Workshop in Archeology
Saturday September 26  (9:00am-3:30pm)


Maryland Historical Trust, 100 Community Place, Crownsville, MD  map

$7 for general admission, $5 for ASM members and students  

Click for program and more details about talks

September 2026 CCASM Meeting

September 17, 2026 (7 PM) 

Exploring Landscapes of Conflict in Maryland

This presentation will discuss the subdiscipline of conflict archaeology, how archaeologists locate and analyze landscapes of conflict, and current work being undertaken by the Maryland Historical Trust.

Steph Soder
Research Archaeologist, MHT

This will be a hybrid meeting with the speaker presenting via Zoom.  A Zoom link will be sent to all CCASM members in case they can not attend in person.  Non-members will need to email ccasm2010@gmail.com by September 16 to request the link.

September in-person meeting Location: 
La Plata Police Department Community Room, 101 La Grange Ave, La Plata, MD (map)
Parking is on the north side of the building (but not behind where the police cars are), on the street, and in the lot across the street.


Inclement weather policy: If the evening activities of the Charles County Public Schools are canceled due to inclement weather, CCASM meetings and/or activities will also be canceled or else be conducted via Zoom if a link has already been set up.
Call the 24-hour information line [301-934-7410 or 301-932-6656] to hear if there are any closure announcements. If there aren't any closure announcements, then CCASM activities will proceed as planned. 

 

 

2026 Public Archaeology Days (Jul-Dec)

CCASM has been working with Charles County at the ongoing Public Archaeology Lab since 2015.  The lab is for processing artifacts recovered from various archaeology initiatives in Charles County -  including artifacts from investigations of sites on County properties, artifacts recovered from savage archaeology in the County, as well as artifacts recovered around the 1970's before the Port Tobacco Courthouse was reconstructed.  Esther Read is the archaeologist in charge.

Location: Courthouse (2nd floor; use South Wing door) and Burch House (both inside and outside) in Historic Port Tobacco Village  map 

  Next dates: 
  Note: (We try to post the latest schedule as soon as we get it - may not get until Monday morning. 
            Being in the field depends on the weather - if it's not raining and not too hot or too cold.)
          
     Monday, Sept 28  (10:30am - 3pm)  Malcolm Elementary, AM only and possible field work
     Monday, Oct    5  (10:30am - 3pm)  Barnhart, AM only and possible field work
     Monday, Oct  12  (10am - 3pm)  TBD
     Monday, Oct  19  (10am - 3pm)  TBD
     Monday, Oct  26 (10am - 3pm)  TBD

On the morning of September 14 we helped out with the school visit by second graders from William Diggs Elementary School to the Port Tobacco Historic area.  Linda gave an introduction to archaeology. Then there were archaeology-related activities for the children.  Denise, Claudia, Melinda, Elsie, Linda, Nicky, Rich, and Esther worked with the children.

Archeology - what is it?

Activity - Washing artifacts

After lunch Esther, Rich, Denise, Linda, Nicky, and Mary Vargo (visiting from Pennsylvania) worked in the field at the Swann Site.
Thanks to Elsie for the info and to Rich for the photos. 

Fabric scrap

August 31 Claudia, Denise, Linda, and Evie worked inside Burch House where it was cool and finished processing all the Rich Hill screens. Everything has now been washed, sorted, and bagged.  We chose this piece of fabric as the artifact of the day.  We don't often find fabric.
Rick, Nick, and Lance, a new volunteer who is attending CSM majoring in history, worked outside in the field at the Swann Site where it was hot.
Thanks to Linda for the info and the photos. 

On August 24 Linda, Denise, Elsie, Rich, Caleb, and Nick spent time outside on the picnic tables sorting artifacts. No digging today but Esther has plans for digging next Monday. And sorry no artifact of the day.
Thanks to Linda for the info

August 17 while Esther was on vacation, Linda. Evie, Rich and his wife (sorry don't remember name), Claudia, Denise, and Malinda continued to process artifacts recently recovered form the Rich Hill ghost cabin area.  It looks like they enjoyed being there.

Breaking for lunch

Any ideas what this is

Shell Button

 

They choose this shell button as the artifact of the day.  
 

But the big question is what was this other object.  Could it be fossilized coral?  Anyone have any suggestions? 

Thanks to Linda for the info and the photos.

 

Olive Green Wine Bottle

Monday August 10 Claudia, Malinda, Evie, Rich and Linda joined Esther at Burch House to continue processing artifacts recently recovered form the Rich Hill ghost cabin area.  We chose this olive green wine bottle neck and finish as the artifact of the day.
Thanks to Linda for the info and photo.

Cat's Eye

On August 3 Linda, Claudia, Malinda, Caleb and his Grandma  joined Esther at Burch House to process artifacts recently recovered from the Rich Hill area where the ghost cabin will be built.  Linda took photos of several possible artifacts of the day but I chose one - these fragments from a dipped earthenware vessel with a multi-chambered slip decoration called Cat's Eye - as the artifact of the day.
Thanks to Linda for the info and the photos.

July 13 Claudia, Denise, Caleb, Linda, Kathy, and Malinda stayed cool inside at Burch House processing artifacts retrieved this past Saturday from the Rich Hill Ghost Structure Site while Elsie, Rich, and Esther worked outside at the site.  These two ceramic artifacts were selected in the lab as the "artifact' of the day.

Thanks to Linda for the info and the photos.

Rich Hill Ghost Structure
ceramics

July 6 was a really hot day.  So everyone was inside.  Claudia, Denise, Evie, Linda, and Caleb washed or bagged artifacts at Burch House.    A tray of ceramics that were collected from a unit/level at the Rich Hill Ghost Structure was chosen as the "artifact" of the day.  Really an impressive amount of ceramics.
In the morning Esther and Elsie worked at the Courthouse creating pull slips and doing other paper work associated with Rich Hill artifacts that will be used in a CCASM display July 11 for Rich Hill's 250th Event.  Esther had brought a display cube so the artifacts could be displayed securely.
In the afternoon everyone was at Burch House.  Tim and Ben the dog had joined us for the day.  Tim showed Linda and Elsie how to run a slide show on Linda's computer using the Rich Hill archaeology pictures that Elsie had collected and placed on a flash drive. This would be used at the July 11 event.  

Thanks to Elsie for info and to Linda for photo.

2026 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Apr-Jun)--2026 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)
2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Oct-Dec) -- 2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Sep) 
  -- 2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Apr-Jun) -- 2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)  
2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Oct-Dec) --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Sep) 
  --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Apr-Jun)  --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)
2023 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2023 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2022 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2022 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Feb-Jun)
2021 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Mar-Dec)
2020 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Sep-Dec) --2020 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)
2019 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jul-Dec)   --2019 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2018 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2018 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2017 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2017 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2016 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2016 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2015 Public Archaeology Lab Days

 

Returning to Rich Hill - 2026

In 2021 a mid-nineteenth century Corn House was to be moved to Rich Hill, a historic property owned by Charles County, and we had to find an area away from the house where there were no artifacts.  Rich Hill-2021  We found that area and the Corn House was moved.  However, while looking for an area with no artifacts, we also found an area with artifacts - mostly nineteenth century.  This appears to be the location of a cabin. 

In 2025 Esther Read along with CCASM members and other volunteers returned to that site at Rich Hill to learn more about who might have occupied this cabin that was far from the main house but close to an old road.  Rich Hill-2025  If none of the artifacts found date after 1865, the cabin could have been a slave cabin.  If a number of artifacts found date after 1865 the cabin could have been used by formerly enslaved people but may also have previously been a slave cabin.  

In 2026 the Historical Society of Charles County received a check from the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage for the building of the Ghost Structure at the Rich Hill Cabin Site.  The Ghost Structure at Rich Hill is dedicated to interpreting and preserving the historic landscape, and to honoring the lives and enduring legacy of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and labored on this property.

--------

On the weekend of July 25 and 26 the units at Rich Hill were finally done! Excavation is complete; paperwork is complete; photos and drawings are complete. This weekend's crew included Claudia, Linda, Denise, Jim Gibb, Tim Doyle, and an old dig buddy Gareth Lewis. Thanks to all that helped.
Thanks to Esther for this update 

Working on another unit

On Monday July 20 Denise, Malinda, Rich, Caleb, Caleb's grandma Carol, and Philip joined Esther at Rich Hill.  We finished excavating Unit 21. All that's left to do with that unit is the final trowel down, photos, and profiles, oh and that pesky paperwork. Now we turn to Units 18 and 19, which we partially excavated when the soil was like concrete.
Thanks to Esther for this update and the photo.

On Monday July 13 Rich and Elsie joined Esther at Rich Hill and helped her finish Unit 20 of the Ghost Structure Site.  After Rich and and Elsie left, Esther worked on the feature at the base of the unit. The feature was a long trench with a post at one end of it - so it was actually two features. We thought we might have a post on Saturday because there was a lot of brick concentrated on the top of a small section of the trench. The trench itself was very shallow. Esther's thinking at this point is it was either a post and a drip line from a structure, or we could be looking at a garden fence known as a post and pale fence. These were common in the 18th and 19th century. A ditch was dug between the posts, then rails were spread horizontally between the posts, and the palings were attached vertically to the rails so that the ends went into the trench. It was primarily a way to keep animals out of the garden - or within the fenced in area. These features have been drawn, excavated, photographed, profiled, and Esther got soil samples for flotation - there was a lot of charcoal in the trench. Nothing is left in Unit 20 and now we turn to Units 19 and 21, which we partially excavated when the soil was like concrete.
Thanks to Esther for this update. 

Piscataway
point

Saturday June 20 Esther and Rich finished digging unit 20 down to subsoil.  The soil is hard - as it is everywhere in the county due to the lack of rain - but we're down almost a foot at the base of the Plow Zone in unit 20.  We have to put a small 2x2 ft unit into the corner to finish out the subsoil level.  We're still working on units 21 and 22. Unit 18 is almost down to the subsoil. Esther is still trying to figure out exactly where Unit 19 should go - it will be over the door post location.
Claudia and Elsie along with Aaliyah and Trevan from Advanced Agricultural  General Contracting screened.  There were lots of ceramics, a couple of nails - including rosehead ones, glass, fire cracked rock and a Piscataway projectile point (Late Archaic/Early Woodland).  The point was chosen as the artifact of the day.

Advanced Architectural General Contracting, the contractor for the ghost cabin, provided mid-morning snacks and lunch.  Rich Hill docents Mike and Jane visited us at lunch, and we had another set of visitors  in the afternoon.
Thanks to Elsie and Esther for the info and to Esther for the photo. 

April 27 Esther was at Rich Hill to dig small units for the Ghost House footers.  The dig went well.  We opened two units but did not finish. We'll be going back, not sure of the dates yet. We have through the end of July to get this done. Thanks to Ned for mowing around the units.  Melinda and Claudia helped with the set up and ran the screens. We have three new volunteers who came out to help.  
Thanks to Esther for the info.
(Note: Rich Hill still has poison ivy, and the roots may show up in the screens.  Claudia and Melinda were the only ones willing to possibly get poison ivy, and they did.)

Living History at Rich Hill

Rich Hill

Saturday July 11 was a 250th Celebration at Historic Rich Hill in Bel Alton, MD.  CCASM and various local historic sites and organizations had tables at the event.  But there was a lot more - demonstration by the First Maryland Regiment of the Continental Line, performances by the Port Tobacco Players, and of course, tours of Rich Hill.

Elsie, Denise, Ned, and Linda were at the CCASM table that included a "slide show" of us working in the field over the years at Rich Hill and a nice display of artifacts that had been recovered during those investigations.

CCASM Table

Rich Hill Artifacts

Esther Read, Charles County Archaeologist, was at the site of the Rich Hill Ghost Structure.  Tim, Ned, Malinda, and Kathy helped as Esther continued to excavate a unit where a footer for the structure will be.  Visitors were able to stop by to see and hear what was happening.

Investigating
Ghost Structure Site 

   

  

Doing What Volunteers
Do - Screening

  

Visitors at Site

Thanks to Ned and Elsie for the info and to Ned, Linda, Elsie, and Mike for the photos.