Wishing You a Merry Holiday Season

Warm Wishes for a Happy Holiday

The Wheelwright's Experience

Jim Gibb

At the December 15 CCASM meeting Dr. Jim Gibb's talk related to a site that CCASM is currently working on--a site that has lots of artifacts that could be associated with a wheelwright shop or a carriage shop.  Jim showed slides of various tools and objects that would be found in a wheelwright shop and in its forge.  The second part of the talk was about a late nineteenth century wagon workshop in western New York.  Jim talked about how the excavations indicated various outside areas where horses were shod and where there were forges.  

There were additional discussions relating to what we had found and what needed to be done including how the iron artifacts could be conserved.  A really productive exchange of information.

Carriage Workshop

Dr. James Gibb directs the Environmental Archaeology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.  He is a founding member of  the Charles County Archaeological Society.

Members and visitors talking with Jim before meeting

Attendance: 8

 

2022 Public Archeology Lab Days (Jul-Dec)

CCASM has been working with Charles County at the ongoing Public Archaeology Lab for a number of years.  The lab is for processing artifacts recovered from various archaeology initiatives in Charles County -  including processing artifacts recovered from savage archaeology in the County as well as those recovered in the 1970's around the Port Tobacco Courthouse.  Esther Read is the archaeologist in charge.
 

December 12 was the last day for Monday Lab this year.  Ned and Peggy worked outside Burch House in the 40° weather where they continued to dry brush rusty iron artifacts from the first of many buckets of iron artifacts.  Inside where it was a little warmer Denise, Elsie, and Carol along with Esther continued processing artifacts recovered from the PT Barn site. The remaining artifacts from the STPs were sorted and bagged, and work was started on washing the surface collected artifacts. 

We chose this aluminum label as the artifact of the day.  On the 1910 census a Frances B Matthews was listed as a merchant in La Plata.  In 1920 he was listed as an implement(?) and automobile dealer living between La Plata and White Plains.

 

On December 5 we were back at Burch House working on artifacts recovered from the Port Tobacco Barn site.  Malinda, Claudia, and Carol washed artifacts recovered from the STPs.  Peggy and Ned (later joined by Claudia) dry brushed one bucket of rusty artifacts.  Also Esther showed us the deed chain back to the 1600's for the property.

Although dry brushing is not that much fun, the artifacts were more interesting.  We chose a bucket of artifacts as the "artifact"of the day. 

Monday November 28 was the day for decorating Burch House for the Hoidays and also for getting ready for the Charles County Holiday Tour that will be this weekend (December 3-4).  Malinda, Elsie, and Carol brought greenery from their yards.  Denise brought down decorations from the attic.  Claudia, and Mary joined the others, and we all helped decorate.  We also set up the children's activity for the Holiday Tour and rearranged the Lab.  No one wanted their pictures taken, so here are some of the decorations.

 

On November 21 while many of the volunteers were volunteering in the field at the Port Tobacco Barn site, Claudia, Malinda, Kathy, Peggy, and Carol volunteered in the lab.  Peggy worked outside removing soil from two wheel hubs found int the blacksmith area of the Port Tobacco Barn site.  The rest of us finished bagging Maxwell Hall artifacts and continued washing the Port Tobacco Barn artifacts.  We also looked at some of the more interesting rusted metal artifacts (multiple buckets of them) that we will be processing starting in December.

Although Wednesday November 9 was not the normal Lab Day, Carol opened the Lab at Burch House and sorted/bagged artifacts that had been recovered from the Port Tobacco Barn site while the rest of us were in the field.  The unwashed artifacts will be taken to UMBC to be processed (for extra credit).

On November 7 once again Linda opened the Lab at Burch House and washed artifacts that had been recovered from the Port Tobacco Barn site while the rest of us were in the field.  There were a lot of muddy brick fragments washed.  She did stop by to see what we were doing and joined us for lunch since we weren't that far away.

On October 3 the field work planned for Maxwell Hall was cancelled due to the weather (thanks to Hurricane Ian).  Elsie, Linda, Denise, and Carol did show up at lab and ended up discussing various topics-- some archaeology related, some not. 

October 31 while the rest of us were in the field Linda opened the Lab at Burch House and washed artifacts that had been recovered from the back of Maxwell Hall on October 18.  She did stop by to see what we were doing and joined us for lunch since we weren't that far away.

On October 3 the field work planned for Maxwell Hall was cancelled due to the weather (thanks to Hurricane Ian).  Elsie, Linda, Denise, and Carol did show up at lab and ended up discussing various topics-- some archaeology related, some not. 

September 26 Denise and Carol continued cataloging while Mary and Claudia spent the whole time sorting and bagging glass fragments that belonged to the same lot.  Esther worked with Linda and Elsie as they filled out their first site form for a site we had identified in the Maxwell Hall Equestrian Park.  Sorry, we didn't identify an artifact of the day. 

September 19 Denise, Linda, and Carol continued cataloging (or getting artifacts ready to be catalogued).   We chose this late nineteenth century scalloped rim sherd as the artifact of the day. 
Claudia, Elsie, Mary, and Peggy worked on bagging artifacts in the drying screens in Burch House and moving the artifacts to secure locations.  Charles County Tourism has approved an event this coming Saturday, and it is unclear whether or not people will be in Burch House and the Courthouse.

September 12 we all worked upstairs in the Courthouse.  Denise, Peggy, and Carol continued cataloging with Peggy and Carol cataloging lots of animal bone fragments.  To help with the cataloging of one lot  (BF1 BF) with multiple large bags of artifacts Elsie and Claudia started sorting the artifacts in the bags.  And they chose this tin-glazed ointment jar rim fragment as the artifact of the day.  The jar was probably decorated with purple manganese powder.  The glaze appears to have been burned.  There was also this blackened glaze on the interior of the fragment.

August 22 Elsie, Claudia, Malinda, and Mary went to Burch House to sort, bag, and wash artifacts.  Linda and Carol stayed at the Courthouse and continued to catalog while Peggy worked on setting up another desktop setup so we could have a third cataloging station.  We did chose an artifact of the day- three pieces of Chinese porcelain with overglazed gold decoration,  The gold was over black lines that we thought might be branches on a tree or else roads or (?).  These pieces were from Port Tobacco Area B Feature 1.

August 15 Linda, Denise, Claudia, Elsie, Peggy and Carol were at the Lab and we remembered to choose an artifact for the day!  Actually Elsie and Claudia who were washing, sorting, and bagging artifacts at Burch House in the afternoon chose this somewhat corroded faucet as the artifact of the day.  We could make out "NEW YORK" and "No 3".  It had been recovered from PSA.  We haven't found any documentation indicating where that was in Port Tobacco, at least not yet.  Linda and Carol continued to catalog while Denise and Peggy got to do something special.

Actually the day started with Esther going over the sites that we had found August 1 at Maxwell Hall Equestrian Park, and then going through one site form she had created and submitted updating information for one of the sites.  She indicated where she found the information needed to fill out the form.  Since she anticipated needing our help to fill out forms, in the afternoon she worked with Denise and Peggy as they filled out their first site form. 

August 8 Kathy, Malinda, Linda, Denise, Mary, and Elsie returned to the Lab.  The previous week we had been in the field at Maxwell Hall.  Esther had planned an activity but due to health precautions was unable to come.  Malinda and Kathy washed artifacts at Burch House, but not a lot else was accomplished. Our lunch was interrupted by visitors, and Linda gave them a tour of the Port Tobacco Village, even though the Village is not open on Monday.  Overall a pretty laid back day.

The field work at Maxwell Hall planned for July 25 was postponed until August 1.  So there was almost a full house at lab on July 25.  Elsie, Claudia, Malinda, and Kathy washed and sorted artifacts while Denise, Linda, Peggy, and Carol catalogued artifacts in the Courthouse.  Once again there are no photos.  Maybe next time.

July 18 was a slow day with only Denise, Carol, and Elsie working in the Courthouse.  Denise and Carol were cataloging, and Elsie moved artifacts into new boxes and worked with Esther to assign Lot numbers to the bags with artifacts that had recently been washed.  Sorry no photos and no artifact of the day.  As I said it was a slow day.

Monday July 11 Denise, Elsie, Malinda, Kathy, Mary, Pat, Carol, and Ned returned to the Monday Lab.  Activities varied throughout the day.   First Kathy and Malinda brushed iron artifacts outside on the picnic tables at Burch House while the others went into the Courthouse attic to retrieve additional artifacts (lots of bags of animal bones) to be washed.  Then Denise and Carol catalogued while the others washed the retrieved artifacts.  
There were two highlights of the day - First, Denise brought the CCASM hats and shirts that had been ordered, and we got to see them for the first time.
And Ned brought several wooden artifacts for show and tell, and he also told us what the artifacts told about the construction of the building from which they had come.  We choose those artifacts as the Artifacts of the Day.  These architectural artifacts came from his ancestor's house built in the early nineteenth century.  The house had been converted to a barn in the late nineteenth century and has since been torn down.  There was an oak treenail and some split oak house siding as well as several chestnut pieces. Rather than trying to describe them, here are some photos.  

Support Structure

Oak Treenail

Saw marks on Chestnut

Artifacts from House/Barn

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

2022 Charles County Holiday Tour

Burch House

On December 3 and 4 CCASM hosted visitors at Burch House in historic Port Tobacco during the 2022 Charles County Holiday Tour.  Historic homes, churches, and cultural venues throughout the County participated in this free event.

At least twenty groups of people (mostly on Sunday afternoon when the weather was nicer) came by Burch House this year to hear about this eighteenth-century house and about one of its owners and residents, Washington Burch.  And no visit to Burch House is complete without learning a little about archaeology in Port Tobacco.  There was hot cider, home-baked cookies and coffee cake, chocolates, and even an activity for children.  (It's easy to forget to take pictures when you are interacting with visitors, but we did remember to take a few.)

Visitors Looking at Artifacts

Mary at the Food Table

CCASM members decorated Burch House simply for the holidays in keeping with the house.  There was a lot of greenery and two trees - one decorated with crocheted ornaments and one with paper ornaments.  Visitors also noticed that the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco had updated the kitchen that included washing and ironing objects that could have been used by the Burchs.

Paper Ornament Tree

 

Kitchen Hearth

 

Crocheted Ornament
Tree

   

Thanks to Elsie, Denise, Pat, Peggy, and Carol for being there to talk with the visitors.  And a special thanks to Mary who was in charge of the baked goods, hot cider, and everything else needed to enjoy them.