On the weekend of July 22-23 there was another Public Archaeology event at the Swann Site. Since it was in the high 80’s, we started around 10 and stopped early. On Sunday June 25 CCASM members Elsie, Carol, Ned, and Steve, along with experienced volunteers Tim and Claudia, and Kathy, an actual archaeologist, continued to work on the site. Steve and Cathy concentrated on the units inside the foundation. Elsie and Ned with a little help from Esther worked on the new unit. Carol finished excavating the feature in the unit about 12’ south of the building. Tim and Claudia were kept busy screening soil.
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Inside Foundation
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Sunday Volunteers
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Where there's a will
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On Saturday July 22 CCASM members Linda, Elsie, Denise, Ned, Steve, and Doug along with experienced volunteer Tim worked with five new volunteers – Greg, Kim, Susanna, Alix, and Leah. A new 3’x3’ unit was opened up in the field next to Unit 4. Steve continued to work inside the foundation in the chimney pent. There was plenty of soil that needed screening to keep all the volunteers busy. Esther who was on crutches supervised.
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New Unit
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Saturday Volunteers
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Thanks to Ned and Esther for the additional photo.
The weekend of June 24-25 was the occasion for Public Archaeology event at the Swann Site. On Sunday June 25 we started a little later in the day. Before lunch Elsie and Denise continued to excavate Unit 5 while Carol finished documenting Feature 1 (Unit 3) and stared excavating Feature 2 (Unit 4). Near lunch and in the afternoon there were a number of visitors. So Esther and the three of us talked about the site, James Swann, and archaeology, and the visitors shared information with us -- what public archeology is all about. Here are photos of some of those that dropped by. (Sorry no artifact of the day.)
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These visitors spent a lot of time on site
(shown with Denise and Elsie)
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Esther talking with visitors
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Possible Point Base and
Historic Transfer Printed
Ceramic
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On Saturday June 24's Public Archaeology day rain was predicted. It was overcast in the morning, but the sun came out. Seven people came out to help Esther - CCASM members Linda, Elsie, Denise, and Carol plus Tiara who has volunteered with us before and two people who learned about the site through the the Charles County Citizens Academy - Tamara and Kim. Dorothea Smith also dropped by in the morning to visit the site. We continued digging Unit 5. We still aren't sure what's happening there. Carol and Tiara also excavated and documented Feature 1 that appears to be a post hole.
Once again we chose a Native American and a historic ceramics - both from Unit 5 - as the artifact of the day. On the left is what appears to the the base of a quartzite projectile point (Native American). It is shiny because we washed off the dirt to see it better. On the right is a piece of transfer printed ceramics (historic).
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Learning to identify what to keep and
what is just a rock
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Excavating a Feature
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Thanks to Esther for the additional photo.
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Point Tip and
Historic Transfer Printed Rim
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On Monday June 19, Juneteenth, we opened a new Unit--Unit 5. A few volunteers concentrated on digging, more concentrated on screening, and others floated back and forth. In addition to Esther nine people were there -- CCASM members Ned, Linda, Elsie, Mary, Denise, Kathy, and Carol as well as volunteers Claudia and Malina. It was fairly hot so we had a shade for the diggers. The screeners were in the trees and there was often a breeze.
We were finding both Native American and historic artifacts and decided to choose these two very small artifacts from different cultures as the artifact of the day. On the left is a piece of worked jasper that appears to be the snapped off tip of a projectile point (Native American). On the right is a transfer printed plate rim (historic). Both were found in the plow zone of Unit 5.
For those screening, we had a surprise. Doug, a CCASM member that likes to invent and build things, had made a screen where the sifting tray was on wheels. It was really nice to use. Although we have borrowed screens in the past where the trays were on wheels, now we might not need to. Also Doug's screen can fold up.
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Digging Unit 5 under shade
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Screening with new screen
and older one
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Folding up new screen
for storage
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Worked Quartzite
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Monday June 12's air quality was better than previous days but still only moderate. In the morning Esther started early to continue the excavation of Unit 4 at the Swann Site, and Ned helped. Mary, Linda, and Carol screened while Denise and Claudia worked in the lab. After lunch Mary and Linda joined Denise and Claudia in the lab while Ned and Esther returned to the site. Ned cleared undergrowth in the small clump of trees. (He returned on Tuesday to finish the clearing.) Esther cleaned up the unit and did paperwork.
We chose this worked quartzite tool (scraper?) recovered from Unit 4 as the artifact of the day. It is a reminder that Native Americans were on this site before there was a Port Tobacco.
Thanks to Denise for the additional info.
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Streaky Glass
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Monday June 5 was another great day for being outside, and we were quite busy. Esther brought out her transit. Elsie and Malinda worked with her to lay out a large grid south of the Swann House. Steve, James, and Emily, a new volunteer, used metal detectors to check out several areas. The grid will be used to record The number of metal detector hits in each square as well as what was found in each square will be recorded. This will allow us to determine location that need additional investigation (i.e. units).
Carol, Linda, Peggy, and Mary put in a new 3'x3' unit (Unit 4) north of the existing one. Ned got to shovel the plowzone while Linda, Peggy, Mary, and Carol screened. At the end of the day we found this small fragment of colorful streaky(?) glass that may be from the late nineteenth century. It was the most unusual thing we had found. So we chose it as our artifact of the day.
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A little of everything
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Taking a break from screening
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Laying out Grid
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Thanks to Ned for all the photos he spent.
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Shell Button
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Monday May 15 was a great day to be outside. CCASM members Densie, Elsie, Linda, Pat, Carol, and Steve were joined by Claudia, Malinda, and James to continue excavating the site. Denise, Malinda, and later Carol excavated the "school" test unit down to subsoil and only uncovered a possible fence trench. Esther finished cleaning up the unit. Steve and James continued to remove the fill dirt near the fireplace. Esther swept off the floor in the unit near the fireplace. There was a wall extending out from the fireplace base and you can see a brick floor . Most of the screening was done by Elsie, Linda, Pat, and Claudia, but eventually everyone ended up screening. And we chose this small shell button found late in the day in the fill dirt as the artifact of the day.
 | Wall and floor in Unit that
extends outward from Fireplace
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 | Screening
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 | Possible Fence Trench
in "School" Unit
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Saturday May 6 Port Tobacco Market Day included Public Archaeology at the Swann House Site. CCASM members Mary, Elsie, and Steve along with four UMBC students assisted the public at the site while Esther Read told the story of James Swann and the site, but also talked about archaeology. We were investigating a 3'x5' unit in the "chimney fall" area that keeps getting stranger and stranger. Work continued on the unit after Market Day ended with Ned and Pat joining the other CCASM members already volunteering on the site.
Wednesday April 26 CCASM member Elsie with Ned, Steve, and James stopping by for various periods
worked with Esther to extend the 3’x3’ unit up to the fireplace foundation so
it became a 3’x5’. Very slow going. Huge
amount of brick rubble (might be a chimney fall). Some ceramics, cut nails (maybe 1 wrought nail). Got
around 100 lbs brick out of the unit and over 60 lbs from the extension.
Thanks to Elsie for the info and to Elsie and Esther the photos.
Monday April 24
CCASM members Denise, Elsie, Linda, and Mary along with Claudia worked with
Esther to open a 3’x3’ unit about 2 feet in front of the fireplace foundation. Ned stopped by briefly to help.
Thanks to Elsie for the info
Monday April 17 was a busy day. CCASM members Denise, Doug, Elsie, Linda, Mary, Ned, Pat, Peggy, Steve, and Carol were joined by Claudia to complete the clearing and flagging of the site before a planned visit by school children on Wednesday. All the remaining leaves, vines, etc. were removed and placed in the brush pile. When the site was closed in 2009, black plastic was placed over the exposed fireplace bricks, and then dirt and bricks were placed on the plastic. We removed and sifted the dirt over the plastic and removed the plastic to expose that end of the house. Although we expected the dirt to be sterile, we found various ceramic and glass fragments including fragments of Rockingham earthenware and brown stoneware. At the end of the day, Doug removed any loose dirt on the stones.
 | Clearing Site near beginning of day
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 | Cleared and flagged Site at end of day.
The exposed fireplace bricks are on the left.
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On Wednesday April 12 Esther and CCASM members Ned, Doug, Linda, Elsie, and Carol continued clearing the area around the site - removing trees, undergrowth, and vines hanging from trees. Ned used his chain saw while the rest lopped or clipped and then drug cut debris to the brush piles.
 | | Cutting |
 | Adding to brush pile
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On Wednesday April 5 Esther and CCASM members Steve and Ned worked on clearing the Swann site. Steve
found one of Jim’s datum points at a corner of the foundation using his metal
detector. Steve cleared the short ends of the foundation including Jim’s
test unit. Ned mostly used a chainsaw to cut trees and larger limbs and to cut
sharp stubs flush. Esther did lopping and clearing. It was in the low
80s. We will get additional information when Jim inspects the
site on Sunday.
 | Looking for metal clues
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 | Clearing area
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Thanks to Ned for the info and photos. (These are only two of the many photos Ned took.)
On Monday April 3, instead of being in lab, CCASM members Denise, Linda, Doug, Elsie, Ned, Mary, and Carol along with volunteer Malinda were at the Swann House site clearing off the site. Elsie and Ned had brought nippers and loppers, and Doug brought a chain saw. The rest of us piled up debris for the County to haul away.
Using documentation from Gibb's reports, Carol and Elsie identified the area containing the foundation. This area was easier to clear (mainly briars) except for the several large fallen tree branches.
 | Starting to Clear
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 | Area over Foundation
partially cleared |
 | The whole crew at end of day
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Background: On May 20, 1846 the heirs of William Graham conveyed to James Swann, ”a man of color”, one lot (probably Lot #1) and half of another lot (Lot #4), both lying in the town of Port Tobacco on what was commonly called the “Point”. The lots were already in the possession of James Swann in 1843. James Swann operated an inn and oyster house in the village for almost twenty-five years.
 | Swan House
Foundation
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In 2009 as part of a Preserve America grant Dr Jim Gibb and his crew as well as future CCASM members (CCASM had not been incorporated yet) cleared the site and identified the foundation of a building believed to be the Swann House. After documenting what was found, the site was back filled.
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