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
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, Dec 15
Holiday Break
Monday, Jan 12 (11am - 3pm) Labs (meet at Courthouse)
December 15 the Charles County Lab Holiday Party was held at Burch House. Esther provided the chili while the rest of us provided appetizers, sides, cookies, and drinks. There were the usual volunteers - Elsie, Denise, Linda, Claudia Malinda, Kathy, Carol, Ned, and Doug. We were joined by Mary, a former volunteer who now lives in PA, and Jim, our friendly archaeologist from SERC, as well as by Esther's husband Tim and their dog Ben. If you look through the door on the left, you might be able to glimpse some of the food.
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| Square O Base |
Monday December 8 was another lab day at Burch House. Elsie, Denise, Linda, and Carol washed two large bags of artifacts from Elsmere. We chose this base of a Square O glass bottle as the artifact of the day.
Square O (or Box O) was the trademark of the Owens Bottle Company from 1919 to 1929. The number on the left indicates it was made in factory 8. The number on the right indicates the year it manufactured, in this case 1921. Owens oval bottles were used for pharmaceuticals. So this artifact would have been discarded at Elsmere some time after 1920. For more information on Square O bottles - bottleinfo.historicbottles.com/pdffiles/OwensBottleCoPart2.pdf
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| Partial Button |
Monday December 1 was a lab day at Burch House. Kathy and Malinda washed artifacts we had recently recovered from the Swann Site. Elsie, Linda, and Claudia sorted and bagged the artifacts recovered at Elsmere. The artifact of the day is this small metal button from Elsmere. The front of the artifact is stamped with STERLING BAC? and has a thick shank on the back. Although this appeared to be the front of the button, it was actually the back part of of a multi-piece button.
Thanks to Elsie for info and photos.
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.
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| 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
