Burch House on Charles County House and Garden Pilgrimage

Saturday April 27 was the date for the 2019 Charles County House and Garden Pilgrimage, and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

This year Port Tobacco and nearby locations were highlighted, and Burch House was one of the houses on the tour.  The exterior of the house was freshly painted. The house was decorated with floral designs provided by the members of the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco under the guidance of Joyce Edelen.

CCASM hosted Burch House during the Pilgrimage.  We were able to tell visitors about the history of the house as well as about the archaeology done prior to the last addition while they enjoyed looking at the house and its floral arrangements.

Thanks to CCASM members Linda and Denise as well as to Esther Read for interacting with the 105 visitors that came to Burch House on Saturday.

Joyce with flowers

    More photos to come.

2019 ASM Spring Symposium

Saturday April 27 the Archeological Society of Maryland held its Annual Spring Symposium at the Maryland Historical Trust in Crownsville, MD.  

The talks at the Symposium included

• Creamware, Crack, and a Wall of Spite: Salvage Excavations at the Sellers Mansion, Baltimore
  Adam Fracchia 
    
• Using Low-Visibility Underwater Archeology in an Effort to Account for our Missing
  Carolin McManus
         
  
• A Brief History of Prehistoric Archeology in the Middle Atlantic Region
  Dennis Curry*
       
• The Richard E. Stearns Memorial Lecture
  Making a Future for the Past
  Bernard Means*
      
• ASM Student Spotlight
  Ceramics, Lithics, Oysters and Beads: Investigating Political Complexity in the Rappahannock Indigenous Borderland
  Matt Borden
       
• The Middle Atlantic Culture Area Concept
  Heather A. Wholey*   
      
• The Iris McGillivray Memorial Lecture
  Cultural Complexity in the Middle Atlantic: A Case for The Abbott Farm National Historic Landmark
  Gregory D. Lattanzi, PhD*

* Speaker was one of contributors to the book Middle Atlantic Prehistory: Foundations and Practice by Heather A. Wholey and Carole L. Nash (2018)

CCASM members attending included Carol, Belinda, and Sara.

 
CCASM is a chapter of ASM.  

http://marylandarcheology.org/symp/springsymposium2019.html 

 

2019 April is Archeology Month

The Magic and Mystery of Maryland Archeology

Download 2019 Maryland Archeology Month Booklet


Click for 2019 Maryland Archeology Month Activities

Events in Charles County plus other selected Events
(All events are free unless otherwise noted.)
Mondays, April 1, 8 15, and 30  (11 am - 3:30 pm) - Charles County
Public Archeology Lab 
Volunteer at the on-going Public Archaeology Lab and process artifacts recovered from various archaeology initiatives in Charles County.
Location: Historic Port Tobacco Village, MD 20677
Sponsor: Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc and Charles County Government 
Contact: Esther Doyle Read email: ReadE@charlescountymd.gov

Thursday, April 4  (7 pm) - Calvert County
Artifacts of Magic and Religion: Interpreting the material culture of faith and the supernatural in Maryland
Speaker: Sara Rivers Cofield - When there is evidence of religious faith and superstition in the archaeological record, it is a valuable opportunity to explore and interpret the beliefs of the people we study. Artifacts like saint medals and cross pendants were made as religious symbols, but sometimes ordinary objects like coins or horseshoes were used as lucky talismans or protective charms that offered similar comfort. Both kinds of artifacts will be considered in this talk to explore not just where people lived and what they owned or ate, but also how they perceived the world around them.
Location: MAC Lab, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, 10515 Mackall Road, Saint Leonard, MD 20685
Sponsor: Friends of JPPM
Contact:   phone:     email: jef.pat@maryland.gov

Saturday, April 6 (10 am - 2 pm) - Calvert County
Flint Knapping Workshop
Ever wonder how Native Americans made stone tools? During this workshop you will learn the techniques to turn stone into tools. The workshop will include how to select material, the science behind knapping and the chance to create your own stone arrowheads. This workshop is perfect for ages 13 and up. 
Cost $15/ Friends of JPPM $12
Location: Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, 10515 Mackall Rd., St. Leonard, MD 20685 
Sponsor: Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
Contact: Desi Smith    phone: 410-586-8501   email: desiree.smith@maryland.gov

Thursday, April 11 (7 pm) - Charles County
Interpreting West Ashcom (Cremona Estate): Drones, Artifacts, and Archives
Come hear Lisa Gijanto from St. Mary’s College of Maryland relate how traditional GIS mapping was paired with experimental drone data to help interpret the seventeenth century homestead of West Ashcom, a site that has been subjected to centuries of continuous plowing and planting.
Location: La Plata Police Department,101 La Grange Ave, La Plata, MD
Contact: Carol Cowherd  ccasm2010@gmail.com
Sponsor: Charles County Archaeology Society of Maryland

Thursday, April 18  (7 pm) - St Mary's County
Archaeological Investigations in St. Mary's City-An Update
A series of presentations will discus Recent Explorations in St. Mary's City: The Archaeology for Sidewalks (Ruth Mitchell), A Search for the Fort at St. Mary’s City: Results of a Geophysical Survey at Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland (Travis Parno), Property Gone to the Enemy: St. Mary’s City in the War of 1812 (Silas Hurry), and Finding the Long Vanished Homes of the Enslaved Workers on the John Mackall Plantation (Henry Miller)
Location: Visitors Center Historic St. Mary’s City,18751 Hogaboom Lane, St. Mary’s City 20686
Sponsor: St. Mary's County Archaeological Society
Phone: 1-800-SMC-1634 or 240-895-4990 HSMC    email:  Info@HSMCDigsHistory.org

Saturday, April 20  (11 am - 4 pm) - Calvert County
Discovering Archaeology Day (and Egg Hunt)
Bring the entire family for a day of interactive learning and fun, including archaeological site and lab tours, exhibits, games and cool crafts.  Experience, discover, learn, and have fun exploring the “what, where, and how’s” of archaeology! 
Location: Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, 10515 Mackall Road, Saint Leonard, MD 20685
Sponsor: Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
Contact: Sherwana Knox  phone: 410-586-8501  email: sherwana.knox@maryland.gov

Tuesday, April 23  (2pm) - Charles County
Adapting Maritime Archaeology to Climate Change
Come hear Susan Langley, Maryland's Underwater Archaeologist discuss some of the ways that the Maryland Maritime Archaeology Program is considering to address climate change affecting the State's heritage resources. 
Earth Day Celebration: Eating Local and Sustainable: How What We Eat Can Save or Break the Planet (12-4pm)
Location: BI 113, College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus
Sponsor: College of Southern Maryland, La Plata
Contact: David Walker  phone:    email: dwalker5@csmd.edu

Saturday, April 27 (9 am - 3:30 pm) - Ann Arundel County
Archaeology Society of Maryland (ASM) Spring Symposium
The agenda has been set (includes four speakers on Middle Atlantic prehistory), but has not been published yet.  Will update site when information is available
Cost $7 for general admission, $5 for ASM members and students
Location: 100 Community Place, Crownsville, MD 21032
Sponsor: Archaeology Society of Maryland

Saturday and Sunday, April 27-8 (10am – 12pm) - St Mary's County
Ceremony Sunday April 28 (2pm)
The Black Diamond Disaster: Forgotten Tragedy on the Potomac
Head to St. Clement’s Island Museum for a weekend of activities commemorating a forgotten tragedy of the Civil War, the Black Diamond Disaster. On April 23, 1865, 87 lives were lost when the Black Diamond was hit by a steamer in the Potomac River near St. Clement’s Island during the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. 
Location: St. Clement’s Island Museum and St. Clement’s Island State Park
Sponsor: St. Mary’s County Museum Division
Contact: Karen Stone Contact phone: 301-769-2222 email: karen.stone@stmarysmd.com


 

Interpreting West Ashcom (Cremona Estate): Drones, Artifacts, and Archives

Liza Gijanto

At the April 11 CCASM meeting Liza Gijanto related the efforts of archeologists and students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland to find the former West Ashcom homestead at the Cremona Estate on the Patuxent River.  The site was compromised by years of plowing that breaks bricks and other artifacts into small pieces.  First, Liza took us through seventeenth century records of the Ashcom family to indicate what might have been on the site.

Surface collection, GPR, magnetometry, and drone scans were used to determine where to investigate.  Also a drone was used to document the progress of the excavations.  And drone photos along with  hand-held cameras were used to create a 3-D image of the excavation - brick foundation, cellar with dirt steps, and all -  that could be rotated.

One of the more interesting artifacts found was one of only two known glass bottle seals in Maryland made for a woman - Martha Ashcom Dansey.

Dr. Liza Gijanto is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at St. Mary's College of Maryland.   Liza runs the archaeology track of the Gambia Field Studies Program and overseas the Cremona Fellows Program.

Attendance: 8

Benjamin Stoddert Students at Burch House

On Wednesday April 10 the Port Tobacco Chapter of the DAR sponsored a school trip for eighth graders at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf to both the Thomas Stone National Historic Site and the Historic Port Tobacco Village.  Over a hundred students and teachers came.

CCASM members hosted Burch House, one of the stations in the Port Tobacco Village.  At our station students learned about an eighteenth century two-room house, Washington Burch (an African American who was one of the last owners of the house), and archaeology, of course.  On the way back to the Courthouse, they were taken on a detour to see the Jail House Lot and to learn about James Swann as well as about the archaeology done at the two sites.  It was difficult to fit this all into less than thirty minutes since there was so much to tell.  But it is always interesting to work with young people.

Do archaeologists study dinosaurs?

What is archaeology?

Finding objects in the dirt

Visiting Jail House Lot

Looking at Village that was

At other stations in the village the students learned about merchants and gardens and got to participate in mock court trials.

Thanks to Mary, Linda, Elsie, and Carol for interacting with the students as well as for creating the scripts and activities. 

April declared Charles County Archaeology Month (2019)

On Tuesday April 9 the Charles County Commissioners proclaimed the month of April as Archaeology Month in Charles County (to coincide with Maryland Archaeology Month).  The proclamation sites the rich history and heritage of Charles County, exemplified by historic buildings, cultural landmarks, natural features, and local rituals.  It also recognizes that the county is enhanced by historic preservation associations, groups, and professionals who donate countless hours and dollars to preserve that history.

The proclamation was received by CCASM members Carol, Denise, and Linda and by Historic Preservation Committee members Francis Gray and Denise Cheseldine.  In return CCASM gave each of the Commissioners a Maryland Archaeology Month poster and booklet.