2026 Maxwell Hall Colonial Fair

Maxwell Hall

The Friends of Maxwell Hall held their annual Colonial Faire and Fall Festival on October 17 and 18 at historic Maxwell Hall in Hughesville, MD.  

CCASM had a table at the Faire on Saturday.  Saturday was a damp and cold day with the sun finally coming out near the end as we were packing up.  CCASM's table was near the house. There were not that many visitors to the Faire but  we still had some interesting conversations.  

CCASM Table

 

Thanks to Linda, Denise, Elsie, Claudia, and Evie for representing CCASM at the event.

Also thanks to Linda for the photos. 

Run of the Mill

James Gibb

At the October 15 CCASM Dr. James Gibb explored the variability of water mill designs based on their intended products and the available water sources.  He showed different designs for dams and races, wheels and turbines, as well as milling stones often using illustrations from David Macaulay's book Mill.  Jim also talked about former mill sites in Charles County as well as neighboring counties.  Mills were integral to economic development, and archaeology is the means by which the variability among mills can be documented and interpreted.  For those wanting to know about the preservation of old mills, check out spoom.org.

Remains of an old mill and its archaeological map

James G. Gibb is a Smithsonian Research Associate as well as owner of Gibb Archaeological Consulting.

Once again this was a hybrid meeting.  Thanks to Jim for allowing us to use his Zoom account, and thanks to the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco for allowing us to use the Courthouse for our meeting. 

Attendance: 13  (5 via Zoom)

 

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, Oct  19  (10:30am - 3pm)  School Group in morning and field in the afternoon
     Monday, Oct  26  (10:30am - 3pm)  TBD

Monday October 19 will be the last Monday that we will have Charles County second graders coming to Port Tobacco.

Monday October 5 we had two groups of second graders from Barnhart Elementary - one in the morning and one in the early afternoon.  Claudia, Evie, Linda, Denise, Esther, Elsie, Phil, Bill, Rich and Caleb worked with the children.  
Although we weren't in the field today, Bill brought some equipment and sharpened some very dull trowels we use in the field on our digs.

Is it glass? Does light shine through?

Piecing together Ceramics

Thanks to Elsie for the info and to Rich for the photos. 

What can a rusty piece
of metal tell us?

On Monday September 28 we had two groups of second graders from Malcolm Elementary - one in the morning and one in the early afternoon.  Once again there was an introduction to archaeology followed by two activities.  In the morning Linda, Denise, Melinda, Claudia, Esther, Rich and Elsie worked with the first group of students. After lunch Linda, Denise, Melinda and Elsie worked with the second group while Rich, Claudia, and Esther worked on the Swann Site.  Phil and Bill, who joined CCASM this spring, stopped by in the morning and also helped at the site in the afternoon.  After the second group of students left, Linda, Denise and Melinda joined the Swann dig.  

Thanks to Elsie for the info and to Rich for the photos. 
(Rich is too busy digging to remember to take photos at the site.)

 

On September 21 in the morning Claudia, Linda, Elsie, Denise, Melinda, Rich, Lance, and Esther worked with second graders from Dr. James Craik Elementary as the students were able to do two archaeology activities.

Both activities - mending and washing

Mending

After lunch Caleb and his mother joined the rest of us (all but Elsie) at the Swann Site.  Linda and Denise took some time away from the dig to select the exhibits to be used for the CCASM table at the Maxwell Hall Faire in mid October.
Thanks to Elsie for the info and to Rich for the photos. 

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

 

2026 MHT/ASM Workshop

The 35th Annual Maryland Historical Trust Workshop in Archeology was held in Crownsville, MD, on Saturday September 26, and as its name implies this year there were a number of workshops. 

The keynote speaker was Dr. Julia King who is a Professor of Anthropology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland   Dr. King talked about finding an early 17th century Jesuit Mission at Portobacco in Charles County.

Since this was a Workshop in Archaeology, the keynote address was followed by talks, some of which had hands on activities.  Since many were held concurrently, it was often a hard choice on which one to attend.

CCASM members attending included Carol, Ned, Jim, Elsie, and Esther.  (You will have to imagine our picture for this year.)

CCASM is a chapter of ASM. 

Click for program and more details about talks

Exploring Landscapes of Conflict in Maryland

Steph Soder

At the September 17 CCASM Meeting Steph Soder talked about the sub-discipline of conflict archaeology.  Conflict archaeology can include prehistoric, historic, and modern conflicts that may include the battlefield and other points of conflict as well as non-battlefield sites, like internment camps and prisoner-of-war camps, arsenals, batteries, military support facilities.  Steph described how archaeologists locate and analyze landscapes of conflict by reviewing archaeological and historical records and oral histories as well as conducting various types of geophysical surveys.  Steph concluded by describing current work being undertaken by the Maryland Historical Trust to locate camp sites of comte de Rochambeau.

Steph Soder is the Research Archaeologist at Maryland Historical Trust.

Once again this was a hybrid meeting with the speaker presenting via Zoom.  Thanks to Jim for allowing us to use his Zoom account, and thanks to Peggy for providing the hotspot.  

Attendance: 13  (7 via Zoom)