2025 Public Archeology Lab Days (Oct - Dec)

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.

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

  Note:  Public Archeology Days at Swann Oyster House (10:30am-3pm)
                      SW of Historic Port Tobacco Courthouse
                    Saturday Nov 22 and Sunday Nov 23               
   If you are part of a large group, you need to let us know when you are coming and how many.  

Next dates: 
Note: (We try to post the latest schedule as soon as we get it - may not get until Monday morning. 
            Being in the field depends on the weather - if it's not raining and not too hot.)
   
  Monday,    Nov 17   (11am - 3pm) Port Tobacco (either at Swann Site or Lab or both)
  Saturday     Nov 22   (10am - 3pm) Port Tobacco  cancelled due to weather
  Sunday       Nov 23   (10am - 3pm) Port Tobacco 
  Monday,    Nov 24   (11am - 3pm) in field at Swann Site; also lab

  Monday,    Dec 15   (11am) Annual Holiday Feast (Port Tobacco Courthouse)

Monday November 17 was a windy somewhat cold day.  So everyone was in the lab.  At the Burch House Lab Claudia, Evie, Kathy, and Malinda finished sorting and bagging the Elsmere artifacts.  While in the Courthouse Lab Denise, Elsie, and later Carol worked on continuing to catalog the ca 1970s Port Tobacco artifacts from BF1 BF.

Potomac Creek

 

Monday November 3 turned out to be a lab day since Esther was sick.  Denise and Elsie covered the units at the Swann Site.  The units had been left uncovered in hopes the rain would soften the really hard soil.
Then Linda, Claudia, Malinda, Denise, Elsie, and Carol washed the remaining artifacts from Elsmere.  Among all the different types of historic artifacts we found this Potomac Creek sherd (actually two sherds that mend).  So the Potomac Creek sherd became the Artifact of the Day.  It looks a little shiny because it is still wet.

 

The field was too wet Monday October 13 for us to be in the field at Rich Hill.  So Elsie, Denise, Claudia, Carol, and Linda worked in the lab at Burch House washing artifacts mostly from Elsmere but also from the Swann Site.  We also moved boxes of artifacts from Maxwell Hall to the second floor of the Courthouse.  It turned out to be a short day.  (It was Linda's birthday.)

Monday October 6 two buses from Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) came to Port Tobacco with second graders.  They got the chance to visit the One-Room Schoolhouse, tour Stagg Hall, and be introduced to archaeology.   Today Monday Denise, Linda, Elsie, Claudia, Carol, and Malinda along with Esther worked with the students.  It was a great group of students.  
This spring we provided the Stagg Hall docents with an introduction to archaeology script and archeology activity boxes for the students.  Although the students were coming almost every day for a number of weeks, we only helped on Mondays.  However that prevented us from being in the field.  This fall we need to be in the field and the docents know what to do.  So we have only been able to help on two Mondays.  

2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Sep) -- 2025 Public Archaeology Days (Apr-Jun) -- 2025 Public Archaeology Lab Days (Jan-Mar)  
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

 

November CCASM Meeting

November 20, 2025 (7 PM) 

Collection Artifacts

The Thomas Mayr Collection
50 years of Collecting in Central and Southern Maryland

The Thomas Mayr Collection is a large artifact collection representing decades of work by avocational archaeologists Thomas Mayr and Henry Sturdy.  Thomas Mayr was a lifelong resident of Davidsonville and began collecting archaeological materials in 1926. 

Recently, archaeologists with Anne Arundel County and the Lost Towns Project have been working with the artifacts and the collectors' vast collection of notes and maps to determine where exactly each artifact came from.  So far, the team has identified around 100 registered archaeological sites represented in the collection, and another 100 sites that may be unrecorded.  Drew Webster will discuss the team's progress on the collection so far, including sites in Charles County.    
 

Drew Webster
Archaeologist with Anne Arundel County and the Lost Towns Project

 

A Zoom link will be sent to CCASM members who can not attend in person.  Non-members will need to email ccasm2010@gmail.com by November 18 to request the link.

Location: La Plata Police Department Community Room, 101 La Grange Ave, La Plata, MD (map)
Parking is on the north side of the building (but not behind where the police cars are), on the street, and in the lot across the street.


Inclement weather policy: If the evening activities of the Charles County Public Schools are canceled due to inclement weather, CCASM meetings and/or activities will also be canceled or else be conducted via Zoom if a link has already been set up.
Call the 24-hour information line [301-934-7410 or 301-932-6656] to hear if there are any closure announcements. If there aren't any closure announcements, then CCASM activities will proceed as planned. 

Returning to Rich Hill - 2025

In 2021 a mid-nineteenth century Corn House was to be moved to Rich Hill, a historic property owned by Charles County, and we had to find an area away from the house where there were no artifacts.  Rich Hill-2021  We found that area and the Corn House was moved.  However, while looking for an area with no artifacts, we also found an area with artifacts - mostly nineteenth century.  This appears to be the location of a cabin. 

In 2025 Esther Read along with CCASM members and other volunteers returned to that site at Rich Hill to learn more about who might have occupied this cabin that was far from the main house but close to an old road.  If none of the artifacts found date after 1865, the cabin could have been a slave cabin.  If a number of artifacts found date after 1865 the cabin could have been used by former enslaved people but may also have previously been a slave cabin.  The Historical Society of Charles County has created a booklet "Say Their Names" with the names of all the known enslaved people associated with Rich Hill.

--------

Monday was a beautiful day even though it was somewhat chilly.  So, of course, we were outside at Rich Hill.   Esther continued to trowel the unit down while Elsie, Denise, Claudia, and Ned screened the soil looking for artifacts.  We did find more fragments of bricks and ceramics.
Rich Hill was open, and several of us went inside where Ned pointed out plans/progress for the various rooms.  Also Mike Mazzeo and Mary Pat Berry talked with Esther about the location for the proposed "ghost" slave cabin. 

Thanks to Ned for the photos.

Monday October 27 Esther continued digging the unit another couple of inches.  The soil was like concrete.  Elsie, Denise, Claudia, and Malinda screened and found ceramics, nails, and other artifacts similar to those previously found.  Ned brought some tools to help with the hard soil.  Then Ned and Malind walked the site.
Thanks to Elsie for the info.

Artifacts found

Monday October 20 was a beautiful day to be outdoors.  Linda, Elsie, and Carol joined Esther to open a unit in the area where the artifacts had been found in 2021.  We only removed one level and it did have artifacts - lots of whiteware including some transfer printed,  glass,  American stoneware, bricks, coal, and even a flake.  Remember we were in a plowed field and everything in the plow zone would be mixed up.

Screening and Digging at Rich Hill