Southern Maryland Sites and CRM Q&A

For the first time in over two years CCASM was able to hold its meeting in the Community Room of the La Plata Police Station.  

Pat Walters

On Thursday September 15 Patrick Walters talked about three projects in Southern Maryland completed by the CRM firm Applied Archaeology and History Associates, Inc. (AAHA).   One project was a follow-up project at Calverton (the site of ASM Field Sessions in 2017 and 2108) that indicated much of the site that was there in the 1600's would be eroded away by around 2030.   Another project was at Simpkin-Coatback site where CCASM members had previously volunteered.  He indicated what had and had not been found.  The third was a project related to a SMECO substation.

The talk was interesting, but the best part of the meeting was the question and answer period at the end.  We learned more about Cultural Resource Management (CRM), and also had lively discussions about the three projects and other things.   A lot on information sharing.

Patrick Walters is the Director of Cultural Resources for Applied Archaeology and History Associates, Inc.
 

Nice to be together again

Attendance: 10 members

Calvert County Archaeology Update

At the February 10 CCASM Zoom meeting we had two speakers that talked about archaeology in Calvert County.  

Kirsti Uunila

 

Chris Sperling

First Kirsti Uunila shared stories from a variety of archaeology projects undertaken while she was Calvert County's Historic Preservation Planner.  This included archaeology at  the Calverton Site, a multicomponent site that served as the first County Seat for Calvert County until 1724.  Most of this archaeology was undertaken during the 2017 and 2018 ASM Field Sessions.  She also talked about consulting a voodoo priestess(?) about a broken hoe found under a door post of the slave cabin.  And Kirsti related two times that she worked with the family and community for the reburial of bones that had been removed under unusual circumstances.

 Next Christopher Sperling described Calvert County archaeological projects for which he had submitted grants or else could use volunteers.  One grant is for a seventeenth century site that is eroding into the Chesapeake Bay.  Another ongoing effort is to document abandoned tobacco barns and other buildings in order to add them to the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MHIP). 

Kirsti Uunila is an independent consultant who retired in 2020 after twenty-seven years as the Calvert County Historic Preservation Planner and de facto Archaeologist. 
Chris Sperling is the current Historic Preservation Planner for Calvert County and also an adjunct instructor at Stevenson University. 

We would like to thank James Gibb for hosting the Zoom meeting. 

 A snapshot of some of those at the meetings - 

 Attendance: 13 people

2018 ASM FIeld Session - Calverton

May 25 through June 3 the Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc (ASM) along with Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) returned to the Calverton Site in Calvert County Maryland for the 2018 Field Session.  Kirsti Uunilla, the Calvert County Archeologist, was the principal investigator.

The Calverton Site (18CV22) is a multi-component site first occupied by indigenous people in the Woodland Period and later served as the first County Seat for Calvert County until 1724.  Calverton (also known as Battle Town and Calvert Towne) is one of the oldest official ports and towns designated by Lord Baltimore in the Province. 

Looking West from the Eastern Units

Units were reopened in two locations that had been investigated last year.  And the majority of the time excavating was spent in those two areas.  Any artifacts retrieved were washed and bagged at the field lab.  Also a large number of soil flotation samples were collected, and part of them were floated at the site.

Here are photos of three of the artifacts retrieved.

Bone flute(?)

Shoe Fastener

James I shilling

We will have to wait for the report to learn more about the site.

Other activities going on during the Field Session

• Spencer O. Geasey Memorial Lecture
  "Underwater Archeology and the Maryland Maritime Archeology Program"
• Lunchtime talks
• Maritime Archeology 1 and 2, Troy Nowack
• Sub-floor Pits, Patricia Samford
• 17th Century Ceramics, Silas Hurry
• Primitive Technology (Bones),Roy Brown
• Maritime Archeology Demonstrations
  

  

  Monitoring Sidescan Sonar Display

At least two CCASM members attended for multiple days.

CCASM is a chapter of ASM.

2017 ASM Field Session - Calverton

May 26 through June 5 the Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc (ASM) along with Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) held the 2017 Field Session at the Calverton Site in Calvert County Maryland.  Kirsti Uunilla, the Calvert County Archeologist, was the principal investigator.

The Calverton Site (18CV22) is a multi-component site first occupied by indigenous people in the Woodland Period and later served as the first County Seat for Calvert County until 1724.  Calverton (also known as Battle Town and Calvert Towne) is one of the oldest official ports and towns designated by Lord Baltimore in the Province.  Located on Battle Creek near its junction with the Patuxent River, this site has received scant archeological attention and is under severe threat of coastal erosion.

Screening with view of Creek

Looking inland early in the session

Units were opened in four locations.  In addition to all the shell recovered, historic artifacts included several types of seventeenth century ceramics, hand wrought nails that had been in a fire, gun flints, and brick fragments.  Native American artifacts included at least one point and chert flakes.  Below are two of the more interesting finds (at least to me).  This gorget fragment is one of the Native American artifacts and could be Adena.  This Smoker's Companion that had been in a fire would have been used in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.  We will have to wait for the report to learn more about the site.

Gorget and Smoker's Companion

At least two CCASM members attended for multiple days.

CCASM is a chapter of ASM.