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" (possibly a 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;
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.
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| Screeners shaded by the tent |
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| 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.
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| Lots to screen. Luckily there lots of people here to screen |
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| 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.
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| Checking out post hole/mold |
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| How did one partial unit generate so much soil? |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Trying to pry buckets apart (Took a really long time) |
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| Screening on a windy day |
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| 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.
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| Ned starting partial unit |
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| Screening |
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| 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.
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| Cleaning bottom of unit |
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| Post mold excavated |
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| Screening newly excavated dirt into another completed unit |
Thanks to Ned for the photos.
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Investing the James Swann Site -2023
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