Investigating the James Swann Site -2024

CCASM and other Monday volunteers are working with Esther Read to continue the investigation of the James Swann Site that is now owned by Charles County.  James Swann was a "free man of color" (believed to be Native American) that acquired land in Port Tobacco in 1840's and operated a tavern and oyster house in the village for almost twenty-five years. 

Check Public Archaeology Lab Days post for weekday schedule and Public Archeology days;

For the Public Archeology weekend of October 26 and 27 the weather could not have been better. On Saturday volunteers worked on the last openned unit while Esther troweled a plow scar in a previous unit.  Steve shoveled out the plow zone of the unit, removing most of the soil on Saturday and completing it on Sunday.  So on Saturday Claudia, Linda, Elsie, Mary, and Carol were kept busy screening.  We found lots of small artifacts. Remember this was a plow zone.  For the artifact of the day we chose a small black button and a black faceted object that would have been inset into a button or a piece of jewelry.

The Soil Removers

The Screeners

Two Interesting
Artifacts

On Sunday two new volunteers - Alex and Shawn - joined Denise, Elsie, Carol, Steve and Esther for the day.  Carol worked with them as they learned how to trowel and actually troweled part of a plow scar in the unit Esther had been working on Saturday. Alex was excited to uncover what she thought might be a whole brick but turned out to be just a large fragment of a brick.  Steve finished shoveling the plow zone of the other unit. Esther troweled the unit down and was able to take the final picture and to close out the unit.  That means Denise and Elsie were kept busy screening.  Overall we recovered three bags of artifacts from this unit.  The unit with the plow scars is still open and still perplexing.

First-time Trovelers

Not first-time Screeners

Thanks to Esther for additional photo.

Monday September 16 Denise, Carol, and Esther returned to the site to continue toweling the plow scars in three units.  We are seeing several post mold outlines as well as what might be individual post holes.  Lots of possible scenarios.  We will just need to keep investigating.

The weekend of September 14 and 15 was a great time to be in the field.  On Saturday morning Carol and Esther were joined be Tiara, Ann, Kim, and Ella.  Tiara has volunteered before and helped Ann, Kim, and Ella open up a new unit.  Carol troweled while Esther drew unit profiles and talked to several visitors to the site.
On Sunday it was another nice day.  Tim joined Denise and Carol to trowel plow scars in hope the scars were obscuring other more interesting features.  Esther continued documenting - a never ending task.

Opening a new unit
(with three first timers)

Troweling plow scars
(and documenting)

Finally a day that was not too hot.  Monday September 9 Elsie, Carol, Malinda, and Jadyn were in the field at the Swann Site while Denise worked in the lab at Burch House.  Elsie, Carol, and Jadyn troweled while Malinda screened.  It was Jadyn's first time troweling.  The purpose of troweling is to help us see soil color changes in the floor of the unit, and this unit had a lot going on that we haven't figured out yet. Esther continued drawing profiles for previous units.  Documentation seems to be a never ending task.

Troweling

The lone screener

Although Monday July 8 was really hot, Esther with CCASM members Denise and Mary as well as two newer volunteers Kyle and Jadyn were in the field to get Unit eleven, Level 1 to a stopping point until the weather becomes less hot and we can work on the site again. They were able to finish cleaning up the level and straightening the sides by lunch time.  In the afternoon they decided to work in the air-conditioned lab.  Esther will still need to come out to do the drawings, probably in the mornings when it is not as hot.

Monday July 1 turned out to be a really nice day - much cooler than it had been in weeks.  So, of course, everyone decided to be in the field at the Swann Site.  Claudia, Linda, and Carol screened.  Initially Denise helped with the shoveling, and Ned helped wherever he was needed.  In the afternoon everyone ended up screening since there were so many buckets of soil needing to be screened. 

We found a number of small interesting ceramics but chose this dirty gray stoneware sherd as the artifact of the day.  Some of the glaze appears to be slightly brown.  We will need to wash it to see if it is glaze or just dirt.  (Update: after washing could definitely identify it as a piece of English brown stoneware.)

Stoneware Sherd

Looking for artifacts in the shade on a nice day

 

 

Monday June 24 was another hot and Esther decided to limit the number of people in the field.  CASSM members Ned and Mary along with new volunteers Kyle and Rosanna continued to work on the unit.  They started around 10 and stopped around 12:30 in order to take advantage of the cooler(?) temperatures in the morning.  Esther thinks one more day is needed to close the unit for the summer.

The temperature was predicted to be in the nineties on Monday June 17, so most of the volunteers decided to work in the lab.  Ned and Esther were joined by two younger volunteers, Kyle and Noah, who shoveled soil from the latest test unit in the morning.  Kyle’s sister took photos before helping Ned with sifting in the morning.  The soil had such hard dry lumps that it required frequent spraying with water so that hard lumps could be broken to go through the screen.  After lunch Kyle, Noah, Esther, and Ned all did screening.

Thanks to Ned for the information.

Even though we had just spent two days in the field, on Monday June 3 Linda, Mary, and Claudia volunteered with Esther at the site.  They were joined by two new volunteers--Rosanna and Kyle Swann.  Esther opened a new unit where the bottle seal had been found.  She thinks the seal may belong to Daniel St Thomas Jenifer.
At lunch time Ned dropped by.  He and Mary drove Claudia and the two Swann family volunteers to see Dr King's site at Chapel Point, and everyone got a tour of the site.
 

Glass Bottle Seal

Two Public Archaeology Days were held the weekend of June 1 and 2.  Saturday was a slow day since so many other activities were going on that day.  Still Ned and Denise enjoyed working with Esther on the site.  On Sunday Denise, Mary, Ned, Steve, Frank, and Carol volunteered.  During the day four members of the public joined us to help screen and even do a little troweling.  While most of us worked on two of the open units, Mary assisted Steve as he metal detected around the units looking for nails (iron). While verifying what had been detected, they found a wine bottle seal fragment.  The fragment had partial initials of "T" and "I".  So of course, it was chosen as the artifact of the day.  Now we need to research to find an individual living in or near Port Tobacco with those initials

What did metal detector find?

Just looking

That looks interesting

Metal Artifact

On Monday May 20 we continued working on the unit that had been opened on Sunday.  Claudia, Elsie, Mary, Kathy, Carol, and Malinda screened with Denise helping with the screening when she was not flat shoveling.  Esther finally got a chance to do the drawings.  We chose this metal object that was recovered from the new unit as the artifact of the day.  We do not know what it is, but it is interesting.  We also recovered a vareity of other artifacts - everything from small flakes to green edged ware rims.

Lots of screeners needed

Documenting Units

Public Archaeology was planned for the weekend of May 18 and 19.  The weather was not that cooperative, and we could not be out in the field on Saturday.  However, Sunday turned out to be a nice day to do public archaeology.  Steve dug (a lot) while Denise, Elsie, Doug, and Linda screened.  Visitors included Jesse Swann (who also helped the screeners)along with his wife and his daughter.  Jesse's family have a connection to the site.
(Thanks to Elsie for the update.)

Monday April 15 (Tax Day) turned out to one of the warmest days so far this year.  We decided to quit early when we finished the current unit rather than starting a new unit.  Denise dug and helped Esther as Esther troweled and completed the unit.  Claudia, Mary, Elsie, Linda, and Carol screened.  The screeners got the tent.

Screeners shaded by the tent

Lots of sun for those in the field

We returned to the site Monday April 8 and continued excavating the new unit.  It's amazing how many buckets of soil needing to be screened that one person digging can generate.  Denise did most of the digging while Esther cleaned up and documented.  Tim joined  CCASM members Claudia, Elsie, Linda, Gary, Mary, and Carol to screen.  With all the other historic and Native American artifacts we found another projectile point (Piscataway).

We stopped around 2pm to have a solar eclipse viewing party. Linda brought snacks.

Lots to screen.  Luckily there lots of
people here to screen

Taking a break or
giving the screeners a chance to catch up?

Sunday April 7 ten people (including six CCASM members and two of Esther's former students) joined Esther at the Swann Site for a Public Archaeology Day.  It was another beautiful but somewhat balmy day.  Excavation of the first level of the partial unit with a possible post hole was completed, and another unit to the south was opened.  We recovered historic artifacts - bricks, ceramics, glassware, pipe stems, rosehead nails, gun flint, ... and Native American Ceramics - fire cracked rocks, flakes, and one complete stemmed projectile point.  CCASM members helping were Mary, Elsie, Denise, Claudia, Carol, and Jim.

Checking out post hole/mold

How did one partial unit generate
so much soil?

Earthenware Sherd

 Whenever it is sunny and not too hot we plan to be in the field at the Swann Site on Mondays.  Monday March 25 was one of those days. Esther dug part of the west half of the open unit with a post hole.  The dirt kept Elsie, Denise, Pat, Carol, and Malinda busy screening until past our usual quitting time.   There were a number of historic and indigenous artifacts recovered in the screen- ceramics, glass, nails, brick, flakes,... 
We chose one of the larger fragments that was not a brick as the artifact of the day.  It was an early lead glazed red earthenware sherd.

More hands make screening go faster

Monday March 18 was a nice but windy day to be in the field.  Esther with help from Elsie continued excavating the partial unit and found two post holes.  In the morning Claudia, Carol, and Malinda screened while Ned cleaned off the area north of foundation in preparation for a future unit there.  In the afternoon Malinda joined Mary and Linda in the lab and Elsie helped with the screening.  We were finding historic and native American artifacts.

Trying to pry buckets apart
(Took a really long time)

Screening on a windy day

Clinched Rose-head Nail

 

Monday March 4 turned out to be another nice day to be in the field.  Ned with some help from Cal, a new Charles County Planning employee, excavated a partial unit on the west side of the open units to look for another post mold.  Claudia, Elsie, Linda, Carol, and Cal screened. 
We ended up choosing this clinched Rose-head Nail as the artifact of the day.  It is on a dirty overturned plastic bucket; the only light colored background we could find.

Ned starting partial unit

Screening

More Screening

On a beautiful Monday (February 26) several of us returned to the Swann Site to work on completing a unit while others worked inside in the lab.  Elsie and Mary worked with Esther to clean up the bottom of the unit so the features in the bottom of the unit could be documented.  Ned and Peggy helped but also worked on cleaning up the site for us to return soon.

Cleaning bottom of unit

Post mold excavated

Screening newly excavated dirt
into another completed unit

Thanks to Ned for the photos. 

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Investing the James Swann Site -2023