Salvage Excavations in Dentville

Simpkin Coatback (CH-657) is an 18th century Yeoman farmer's house in Dentsville that has a demolition permit on it. We have until mid-October to investigate around the house before the bulldozers come.  The Principal Investigator is Esther Read, Charles County Archaeologist, and archaeologist Jim Gibb along with CCASM volunteers are helping.

Remaining dates:  
      No additional fieldwork

It's not necessary to be there all day to help out.  But remember to bring water.

On the afternoon of Monday October 8 there were three "teams" digging STPs - Evelyn and Julie; Denise and Joe; Linda, Elsie, and Carol - while Esther cut down the weeds, etc. around the flagged areas where STPS were to be dug.  Not that many artifacts recovered.  The soil profiles seemed different.  We assumed this would be our last day at the site.

Sample of Artifacts from East Test Unit

Regulars Jim, Esther, Evelyn, and Elsie were joined by Central chapter members Steve and Barbara and by Kyla (a graduate student @ UM) and her friend Emerson on Sunday October 7 .  In the morning we opened up a unit on the East side of the house where a concentration on early artifacts had been found in an STP.  We also opened up another unit on the West side of the house near a standpipe with electrical wiring.  Our search for a dug well in this unit was non conclusive.  We hit subsoil or possible fill that was not typical of the subsoils found elsewhere on the site.  We dug a number of STP's that we had not been able to complete last weekend.  Esther and Evelyn laid in a couple of rows of STP's in the field to the West of the house near one of the outbuildings.  We will have to cut down the the tall grasses around these STP sites before we can excavate them.  By mid afternoon the high humidity and strong sun on the west side of the structure became very oppressive and we quit earlier than normal.   (Thanks to Elsie for the write-up and photos.)

Dynamic Gardening

Documenting Shallow STP

Rocks in STP

Sunday September 30 we spent another full day at the site and excavated around the house.  STP grids were put in around the remainder of the house's yard.  The total count to date is now fifty STPs and one test unit with five strata.  At the end of the day, we encountered what may be part of a building.  The top few inches and east half of the STP was filled with gravel intermixed with a little sand and a few artifacts.  On the west half of this STP was a stack of rocks that could not be budged.
Those at the site (a few active and previous CCASM members but mostly volunteers living outside Charles County) included Jim, Elsie, Pat, Carol, Steve, Lisa, Adam, Erin, Lydia, Carl, Stephen, Barbara, and Esther.
We will be washing artifacts Monday.

Excavating Shovel Test Pit

Another Shovel Test Pit

Completing Test Unit 1

Saturday September 29 was our first full day at the site and the first day with no rain.  Among those at the site (both active CCASM members, previous CCASM members, and others) included Elsie, Denise, Pat, Julie, Carol, Sarah, Steve, James, Linda, Camille, Lisa, Phyllis, Tim, and Esther, of course.  Fifteen people volunteered for at least part of the day.  STP grids were put in the yard on the north of the house, and we dug over fifteen shovel test pits.  Most had only a few artifacts, and some had no cultural material.  But in one STP a row of bricks was encountered, and a small test unit was dug next to the STP.  A relatively large number of artifacts were recovered from this unit.  The house and yard are on a small rise.  Metal detecting was done in the area north of the yard.  An STP was dug at each hit to recover all artifacts, not just the metal, and to record information about the location.

Test Unit 1 next to STP

Excavating Shovel Test Pits

Excavating Test Unit

 Monday September 24 there was a break in the rain.  So after lunch the Port Tobacco Monday Lab was closed.  Julie, Denise, Linda, Carol, Mary, Elsie, and Esther drove to the site and started digging STPs.  About 2:30 the rain returned, but we did finish five STPs with probably less than a hand full of artifacts recovered. 

The weather didn't cooperate on Sunday September 23.  All that could be done was to walk the land.  It was raining too hard to even lay out lines for the STPs.  Here Esther, Evelyn, Jim, and Tim are taking shelter in one of the barns.