A Visit ot the The Southern Maryland Resource Center

Thursday, June 27, four CCASM members visited the Archives at the Southern Maryland Resource Center (SMRC) at the College of Southern Maryland in LaPlata to learn more about the excavations that took place in Port Tobacco prior to the Courthouse being re-constructed.  We had been told that all notes, etc. taken during the excavation had been given to John Wearmouth, and his papers were at SMRC.  It took us all afternoon to look through four boxes that looked most promising.  We were not the first to look at these papers.  But you often learn more when you do the research yourself rather than relying on the notes of others.  And you never know if you will find something, others have overlooked.  Also it was the first time several of us had visited the archives.

We found a number of reports and photos pertaining to the excavations in the area of the Courthouse.  There was a grid indicating how the 10' squares were identified.  When the artifacts were labelled, a PTn number was used rather that the longer square identification.  The draft report mentions a site log as well as the catalog cards that associated the PT number with the location on the grid.  These were missing. There were no reports associated with the excavations around the St Charles Hotel, but there was an analysis of pipe stems found there as well as their general location, e.g. trench north of hotel .  Also there was no mention or reference to the excavations around the Ferguson Store (the area associated with the BF1 artifacts).

We did not have time to look at another box (or boxes) that had not been entered into the database.  So another trip will be needed.  And several of us identified documents related to other research we were doing that warranted another trip to the archives.   

It was an interesting, worthwhile visit, and those at the SMRC were quite helpful.