2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)

CCASM has been working with Charles County at the ongoing Public Archaeology Lab since 2015.  The lab is for processing artifacts recovered from various archaeology initiatives in Charles County -  including artifacts from investigations of sites on County properties, artifacts recovered from savage archaeology in the County, as well as artifacts recovered around the 1970's before the Port Tobacco Courthouse was reconstructed.  Esther Read is the archaeologist in charge.

Health precautions:  Following guidelines for Charles County. 

Location: Courthouse (2nd floor; use South Wing door) and Burch House (both inside and outside) in Historic Port Tobacco Village  map 

Note: (we try to post the latest schedule as soon as we get it - may not get until Monday morning)
                         Monday,   Feb 24  (11am - 3pm) Lab
                         Monday,   Mar  3  (11am - 3pm) Lab
                         Monday,   Mar 10 (11am - 3pm) Lab
                         Monday,   Mar 17 (11am - 3pm) Lab

 Dates for School Visits Spring 2025: Mon, Mar 17; Fri, Apr 4; Mon, Apr 7: Fri, Apr 11; Wed, Apr 23;

Monday February 17 two new people - Mark and Meena - volunteered in lab working with Claudia and Esther to identify and sort artifacts from the Swann Site.  Esther identified possible Borderware and Staffordshire ceramics which were made up to the beginning of the eighteenth century.  The rest of us continued to work on the 1970's Port Tobacco collection.  At last we were ready to start cataloging the BF1-BF ceramics, and Linda worked with Evie to start entering the information into the spreadsheet.  In the morning Denise and Elsie continued organizing the non-BF1 artifacts, and in the afternoon they returned to cataloging the BF1-BF glass.
Thanks to Elsie for the info.

On Monday February 10 we continued to work on the Port Tobacco artifacts recovered around 1970.  Elsie and Denise spent the data organizing the artifact bags that were not from BF1 - bags labelled PT or U or ...  Remember multiple areas were excavated by different groups over a number of years.  Linda, Claudia, Carol, and Malinda finished sorting the BF1 refined earthenware and the coarse earthenware artifacts.  At last we think we are ready to start entering all the BF1 ceramics (possibly over a thousand pieces) into the catalog.  We thought about choosing an artifact of the day, but once again it didn't happen.

Monday February 3 was another day of cataloging BF1-BF artifacts upstairs at the Port Tobacco Courthouse.  Denise and Elsie continued to catalog glass artifacts.  Claudia, Kathy, Evie, and Malinda worked with Linda to sort ceramic artifacts - mostly earthenwares. Then in the afternoon Linda introduced the others to how to enter artifacts into the catalog.  Esther brought four print outs of the revised Master Artifact Catalog.  It's amazing with so many interesting artifacts to choose from, once again we did not pick an artifact of the day.
Thanks to Elsie for the info.

On Monday January 27 the weather cooperated. and we were back in lab.   Claudia and Malinda finished bagging the remaining artifacts in the drying tray.  Then they joined Linda, Carol, Denise, and Elsie upstairs in the Courthouse to "catalog" BF1-BF artifacts from 1970s Port Tobacco.  Peggy stopped by to help and to check out video conferencing.  Denise and Elsie entered glass into the catalog (Excel spreadsheet).  But before the ceramics for BF1-BF could be entered into the catalog, they needed to be sorted, merged, and bagged so it would be easier to catalog.  Linda, Carol and Claudia worked on the ceramics- hundreds of ceramics (lots of earthenware, stoneware, and some porcelain).  We still have the refined earthenware and the coarse earthenware to finish merging before we can start putting their information into the spreadsheet.
Elsie found a nice air-twist wine glass stem that could have been the artifact of the day if we had photographed it.

Monday January 13 was our first day back in lab at Burch House after the Holidays. Carol, Claudia, Denise, Elsie, Linda, Kathy, Peggy, and Malinda were at lab - maybe just to get out of the house and away from the snow.  Ned dropped by to talk and to pick up his CCASM logo shirts.  We started out taking down the Christmas decorations and taking them to the attic for storage. 
After lunch we divided into two groups.  Claudia, Malinda, Peggy, and Kathy sorted and bagged the remaining artifacts in the drying screens.  Peggy got to introduce Kathy to bones.  There were no new artifacts to wash.  Linda, Elsie, Denise, and Carol went to the attic to straighten up and start organizing the boxes of artifacts recovered by Port Tobacco Excavations in the 2000's when Dr. Jim Gibb was the PI.  There were boxes from other investigations from that time as well as one "missing" box that had artifacts recovered in the 1960's by Braley(?)
Esther chose the artifact of the day as this Dandy Button recovered from our recent investigations at Maxwell Hall Equestrian Park.   This copper alloy button would have been used on a gentleman's coat in the late 18th and early 19th century.  There are some indications that it may have been gilded. 

"Dandy Button"

2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Oct-Dec) --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Sep) --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Apr-Jun)  --2024 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)
2023 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --2023 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-June)
2022 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec) --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