The Friends of Maxwell Hall received a grant titled "Maxwell Hall: Discovering and Raising New Voices". The goal was to learn more about the African/African American experience at Maxwell Hall. The first half of the project is archival and landscape research headed by Esther Read. The second half is a community outreach headed by Cathy Thompson to locate descendants of those who lived and worked at Maxwell Hall in an effort to tell a more complete story and to build relationships with the community.
Esther completed the interim archaeology report in May that also included identification of Native American sites. In September she received the permit that allows surveying. So the archaeological work on the grant continues.
CCASM members are providing volunteer hours for the
archaeological part of the grant. Volunteer hours count as an in-kind match ($29.95/hr).
Locations: Maxwell Hall Park Equestrian Area
Hughesville, MD (but near Benedict,MD) map
Next dates: Check Lab post
Monday November 6 we returned to the Equestrian Park. The farmer had just harvested soybeans in part of a field that supposedly had an early colonial building. CCASM members Ned, Peggy, Linda, Elsie, and Carol along with two repeat volunteers Doria and Melaney joined Esther to surface collect for part of the day. We only found two small bricks, but only a small part of the field had been harvested. The field was continuing to be harvested while we were there. After lunch we walked the bluff and on the shore. Esther found at least two new shell middens, and Linda recorded the locations.
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| Surface Collecting |
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| Recording shell midden location |
But the most interesting thing found were two U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Reference Marks that had fallen down onto the shore of the Patuxent.. They were labeled Fodder No. 1 and Fodder No. 2 and were dated 1943. Two reference marks are needed to determine a boat's location on the River.
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| Geodetic Survey Reference Markers. |
Thanks to Ned for the additional photo and for the photos of the markers.
Monday October 23 we were able to finish surveying this site (18CH101). CCASM members Mary, Peggy, Denise, Elsie, Ned , and Jim continued digging STPs today. There were three teams - Elsie and Denise; Peggy and Jim; and Ned and Mary (although Mary helped Esther part of the time). We did some additional STPs in the road where it bends along the Patuxent and out on the field's edge.
Thanks to Ned for the info and photo.
Monday October 16 was another beautiful but cooler day to be in the field. CCASM members Mary, Linda, Peggy, Denise, Carol, and Ned joined Esther at the site to dig nine additional STPs. After laying out the grid we divided into two teams with Ned assisting where needed, especially when the digging through the root filled soil became difficult. The STPs did start to define the edges of the shell midden with some STPs having essentially no shells and at least one having a buried layer of densely packed shells. A small amount of worked lithics were recovered.
On Monday September 19, a beautiful day to be in the field, CCASM members Elsie, Mary, Linda, Pat, Carol, and Ned joined Esther to dig shovel test pits (STPs) at the Chalk Point Site in an area above where a shell midden had been found on the shore. We dug eight STPs and found lots of shells in at least three of them as well as a small amount of worked lithics.
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| Laying out grid |
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| STP Team A |
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| STP Team B |
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| STP Team C |
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| Documenting |
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| Shells from STP |
Volunteering for "Maxwell Hall: Discovering and Raising New Voices"
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