2018 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July-Dec )

CCASM is continuing to work with Charles County at the Monday Public Archaeology Lab Days on various Charles County collections and exhibit initiatives.  The lab is located in Historic Port Tobacco.  Esther Read is the archaeologist in charge.

Here is what we did during the second half of 2018.

December 17 was a day for straightening up the archaeology area on the second floor of the Courthouse.  The previous week boxes of supplies were transferred from the Burch House Lab.  So Mary, Linda, Denise, Carol, Evelyn, and Evelyn's mother-in-law spent the day unboxing, throwing out, and organizing what was there so that we would have space to work when we returned in January and also so we would be able to find things.  But we didn't see anything we would like to be the artifact of the day.

On December 10 Elsie, Denise, Mary, Linda, Julie, Carol, and Esther completed sorting and bagging all the artifacts that were in the drying screens and then transferred everything to the Courthouse.  The lab in Burch House has been closed for the winter, and the lab has now been moved to the Courthouse.  We chose these base fragments from a manganese mottled tankard as the artifact of the day.

Monday December 3 was spent trying to finish processing any groups of artifacts that we had already started washing.  The Courthouse is really not set up for washing artifacts.  So Carol, Linda, Elsie, Mary, Denise, and Evelyn sorted and bagged and washed while Esther packed things up.  We picked this thick piece of worked amber glass(?).  On one side are flake removals as if it were being made into a projectile point, but the other side has not been worked.  It was around one-half inch thick. 

 

November 26 was a day for decorating and for partying.  Carol and Elsie brought holly, magnolia leaves, and evergreens.  Mary, Linda, Denise, and Evelyn helped decorate the Christmas trees with decorations Elsie had provided as well as those we had made in the past.  And everyone including Julie and Esther pitched in where needed to add other decorations.  We were decorating Burch House to get it ready for the upcoming Charles County Holiday Trail this weekend.
For lunch we had a pizza party to thank the volunteers for all the work we had done.  Esther provided the, pizza, and the rest of us provided various appetizers (except for Mary who provided some delicious cookies).  Cathy Thompson was able to join us for the party. 

On November 19 all of us (Mary, Linda, Elsie, Julie, Denise, Evelyn, and Carol) either sorted and bagged or washed artifacts from the early Port Tobacco excavations.  We chose this artifact - a creamware fragment with an embossed "B" and an embossed rim design of egg and ?  - from a PT Courthouse unit as the artifact of the day.  It's probably part of an alphabet plate.
After Esther joined us we all went to the Courthouse to remove and bag the artifacts in the upstairs large display case so the case could be moved downstairs.

Once again at the November 12 lab we split up.  Mary, Linda, Elsie, and Julie stayed in Burch House where they either sorted and bagged or washed artifacts from the early Port Tobacco excavations.  Denise, Evelyn, Carol, and Esther went to the second floor of the Courthouse and continued cataloging.  Those at Burch House selected this interesting ceramic fragment as the artifact of the day.

On November 5 Denise, Elsie, Mary, Evelyn and Julie sorted and bagged and washed artifacts from the early Port Tobacco archaeology.  For the artifact of the day we choose this single spiral wine glass stem.  It is much less complex than the multi spiral air twist wine glass stem we choose for the artifact of the day in August 15, 2016.

Mid-afternoon Esther, Elsie and Evelyn traveled to the Simpkin Coatback (CH-657) site in Dentsville.  Over the weekend Oxford Tree Ring Lab staff had conducted dendrochronology testing of the building.  During the testing Esther peered through a hole in the floor and discovered what she thinks is the original hearth.  So with the intent of removing some of the floor boards to better examine this feature Esther, Elsie and Evelyn  returned to the site and pried up a few floor boards.  We found the original thick floor boards underneath which ran at an angle to the top floor.  We will have to return another day with saws instead of crow bars.
(Thanks to Elsie for the info plus Elsie and Esther for the photos.)

Mary, Linda, Evelyn, Julie, and Carol spent part of the October 29 Lab bagging and sorting as well as washing artifacts from the earlier Port Tobacco excavations, and we selected this silver plated fork and spoon as the artifact of the day.  It's almost possible to make out "ROGERS & SON  A_" on the back of the spoon handle.  But time was also spent bringing more artifacts down from the Courthouse attic as well as moving two computers and a scanner to the upstairs Lab in the Courthouse.   Esther brought the computers down from the closed Fells Point archaeology lab, and they will be used to allow multiple people to catalog the collections at the same time.  While walking back to Burch House from the Courthouse we took a detour to see the newly installed sign on the Jail House Lot.  

Denise, Mary, Evelyn, Julie, Linda, and Elsie sorted and bagged the last of artifacts recovered from Simpson-Coatback on October 22.  Then they washed more artifacts from the early Port Tobacco digs.  Esther cataloged the Simpson-Coatback artifacts as fast as we got them bagged.  After lunch we went to check on the new sign for the jail but found it had not yet been erected.  We choose a table glass sherd from the early Port Tobacco dig as our artifact of the day but had a difficult time getting a picture that showed its embossing.   This photo shows the fragment being held by the base in front of a light bulb.    (Thanks to Elsie for the write-up and the photo.)

October 15 Linda, Mary, Denise, Elsie, Evelyn, and Carol continued processing (washing and bagging the dried artifacts) while Esther catalogued.  In the afternoon Denise, Evelyn, and Julie returned to the Courthouse to organize the Port Tobacco artifact bags.  The artifact for the day are these three pieces of worked bone that mend.  Saw marks can be seen on both sides of the object that was recovered from a Dentville STP on the south of the house.

October 8 we were only in the lab during the morning so we could return to work at the Dentville site after lunch.  Denise, Elsie, Evelyn, and Carol bagged the Dentville artifacts we had washed last week while Linda continued with washing additional artifacts using the only remaining drying screen. Sorry, nothing jumped out at us.  So no artifact for the day.

The weather was so nice that we decided to work outside on October 1.  Elsie, Linda, Denise, and Carol washed artifacts that had been recovered from the emergency excavations at Dentsville, MD, this past week.  Esther started cataloguing the artifacts (and their locations) to give her a better idea how to best use the remaining time in the field.   We choose this copper coin that was recovered from an STP associated with a metal detector hit as the artifact of the day.  It turns out to be an 1984 Roosevelt dime.  Dimes started being minted with about 92% copper in 1965.  This is what they look like when buried in the ground.

On September 24 the Lab was cut short, but we still chose an artifact for the day - this porcelain rim with a raised leaf design.  At the Lab Denise and Evelyn were once again in the Courthouse organizing the Port Tobacco artifact bags.  In Burch House Mary and Carol were sorting and re-bagging while Linda and Elsie were washing artifacts.  After lunch the rain seemed to have let up some, so we car pooled to Dentville and started some emergency fieldwork. (see Dentville Excavations)

Once again on September 17 the Lab activities were in two locations. Denise and Evelyn were in the Courthouse attic organizing the Port Tobacco artifact bags that we had processed this summer.  While in Burch House, Mary, Linda, Elsie, and Carol were sorting and re-bagging artifacts.  And Esther continued documenting what was going on.  There were several examples of White Salt-glazed Stoneware plate rims.  We chose these two rims to be the artifact of the day.  On the left is the basket design, and on the right is the star-diaper design.      

A lot of different activities were going on at the September 10 Lab.  Everyone did some sorting and re-bagging.  Then Mary and Linda washed artifacts.  Denise and Evelyn worked on organizing the Port Tobacco artifact bags that we had processed this summer.  Carol tried her hand at mending some bottles.  And Esther did paper work.  One of the trays contained an assortment of metal objects including hinges, locks, and various fasteners.  Since we couldn't decide on just one object, all became the "artifact" for the day. 

August 27 Elsie, Linda, Mary, Denise, Carol, and Esther worked on several activities - mainly brushing rust from nails, but also a little sorting and bagging as well as straightening up the lab, and retrieving more artifacts from the Courthouse attic.  We chose an unusual blackened white clay pipe bowl fragment from the 1970's excavations as the artifact of the day.  The foot on the pipe was different from the Bristol white clay pipes often found in the Mid-Atlantic.  The foot is constricted near the pipe bowl.  Also there was a stamp on the bottom that we could not make it out.
We also set out displays for the upcoming Saturday tour highlighting the life of Washington Burch.  
 

Linda, Mary, Elsie, Evelyn, and Carol finished sorting and bagging the Stagg Hall STP artifacts on August 20 while Esther continued to catalog what we had recovered.  We also washed some finds that the owner of Chimney House had found in his yard.  Then we went back to brushing rust from nails and washing Port Tobacco artifacts that had been stored in the attic.  The "artifacts for the day" are a variety of glass container bases that were found together in a metal tray.  They are from the 1970's Port Tobacco excavations, but they have no provenience.  Each base has it's own story, but we noticed that the bottom right base has the letters PARLIN CO.

On August 13 Linda, Mary, Elsie, Evelyn, and Carol bagged and sorted the Stagg Hall STP artifacts that had been washed last week.  Then we finished washing the artifacts recovered from the other seven STPs while Esther started cataloging the artifacts in preparation for writing the report.  Elsie found the artifact of the day - the head and body of a very small porcelain doll that someone had lost or discarded behind Stagg Hall.

On August 6 Joe, Denise, Linda, and Carol needed to sort and bag the partially processed Port Tobacco attic artifacts so we could start washing the artifacts recovered from the STPs we had dug Saturday behind Stagg Hall.  We were able to wash the artifacts recovered from seven of the fourteen STPs while Esther worked on interpreting the field notes.  We initially chose an intricate copper alloy buckle for the artifact of the day.  Since that STP also included a twentieth century spark plug fragment, we decided to add the spark plug and other artifacts (blue and gray stoneware fragment and porcelain cup base) recovered from the same STP to our "artifact of the day".

On July 30 Elsie and Carol started off by washing artifacts.  Linda and Evelyn spent the whole lab sorting a screen of unprovenienced glass and ceramics with  Elsie and Carol pitching in at the end to help finish the screen.  Esther had paperwork that needed doing.  Joe and Denise stopped by for lunch. 
Three pieces of machine made bottle glass were picked for the "artifact of the day".  Two are embossed with words or partial words.  One has the partial words "ROUS","SKIN", and "AIR".  One has the letters "PURE R".  And the final one is a base with a valve mark caused when it was ejected out of a mold.

The lab is running out of bags and boxes for processing and storing the SRPT artifacts.  Esther indicated that since 2015 we have processed only about one-third of the artifacts in the SRPT attic.

On a very wet July 23 Denise and Joe started out sorting and bagging nails (great fun!).  Mary and Elsie did the same for a screen of ceramics while Linda washed.  Later in the day we all washed.  Esther did paperwork all day.  The artifact of the day is part of an upper jaw (maxilla) probably from a cow, with a couple of teeth still somewhat attached.  The artifact is from the 1970s excavation but the exact location (provenience) is unknown.   Interestingly after we chose this artifact we discovered that almost exactly a year ago (July 24, 2017) the artifact of the day was also jaw fragments. Some people think bones are not as interesting as ceramics, buttons and glass but I guess we can feature them on an annual basis.  (Thanks to Elsie for the write-up and photo.)

Linda, Mary, Evelyn, Elsie, Carol, and Esther continued working on Port Tobacco artifacts at the July 9 Lab.  The artifact for the day was from Port Tobacco Area B Feature 1 "below the ash lens".  It is the base of a pearlware bowl.  We thought there was a "maker's mark" on the bottom, but "GRACEFIE" appears to refer to Gracefield, Ireland, the location seen on the inside of the bowl.

On a very hot July 2 Linda, Mary, Denise, Elsie, Carol, and Esther worked inside washing artifacts and brushing rather than washing iron artifacts.    The "artifact" for the day are these fragments of decorated American-made stoneware vessels.  These include rims from eight different vessels.
Joe came by and accompanied Esther on a field trip that had to be cut short. 

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

2018 Fieldwork at Stagg Hall

On a pretty but very humid Saturday August 4 CCASM members and other volunteers joined Charles County archaeologist Esther Reed along with fellow archaeologist and CCASM member Jim Gibb to investigate what was behind Stagg Hall.  A 20-foot grid was laid out, and we dug fourteen shovel test pits (STPs) at the grid intersections.  As expected we found artifacts ranging from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries.  But in one area we also found these two Native American artifacts - a quartzite utilized flake and the tip of a rhyolite projectile point.  Somewhere in or near Port Tobacco was the Portobac Indian village of the Portobac Chiefdom.

Utilized Flake

Projectile Point Tip

And here are some Photos of us digging and screening.  (The house in the background is Chimney House that is adjacent to Stagg Hall.)

Denise, Linda, Joe, Esther

Esther, Maggie

Elsie, Julie

(Andre),  Jim, Elsie, Julie

CCASM members participating were Denise, Joe, Elsie, Julie, Jim, and Carol (not pictured).  Other volunteers included Maggie, Linda, and Pat (no picture).  And Esther was the principal investigator.

2017 Public Archaeology Lab Days (July - Dec )

CCASM is continuing to work with Charles County at the Monday Public Archaeology Lab Days on various Charles County collections and exhibit initiatives.  The lab is located in Historic Port Tobacco.  Esther Read is the archaeologist in charge.

Here is what we did during the second half of 2017.

On December 18, our last lab day for the year, Elsie, Evelyn, Julie, Carol, Tim, and Esther mostly cataloged artifacts from the 1970's BF1 site.  We used the latest version of Esther's catalog system to enter information about the artifacts into a spreadsheet.  We choose this green Depression Glass lid for the artifact of the day.   Looks somewhat festive.  

December 11 Denise, Julie, and Carol spent most of the day trying to reorganize the bags of artifacts that had been brought down from the Port Tobacco Courthouse attic.  At least half of the artifacts are still in the attic.  Also Esther shared her latest update on the location of BF1, believed to be the location of a large colonial store, and the possible location of the units excavated to yield the
 artifacts we are processing.   Sorry- no artifact of the day.

Once the cold air starts coming through the lab floor boards at Burch House, it is time to move to a warmer location - the second floor of the Courthouse.  So December 4 Denise, Evelyn, Julie, Carol, and Esther packed up the supplies and moved the lab.  Then we started sorting through some of the artifacts that we had been processing before our move.
That gave us the artifact for the day - an long unbroken stem from an eighteenth century white clay tobacco pipe that had been retrieved from BF1.  This location is believed to be the site of a colonial store.  We forgot to check the interior bore size.

November 27 everyone brought food for lunch to go with the pizza Esther had bought to celebrate our 900 hours of volunteering for Charles County. 
Rather than having lab Denise, Elsie, Evelyn, Julie, and Carol decorated and cleaned up Burch House for the upcoming Holiday Trail.  Elsie and Carol provided greenery.  Elsie loaned us lights for both trees as well as hand crocheted ornaments to be used on one tree.  The other tree was decorated with paper ornaments CCASM members had made last year.

November 20 Denise, Elsie, Evelyn, and Carol finished bagging all the artifacts recovered from the print shop in front of Stagg Hall.  That is all except for a bag of mortar that still needs to be washed.  The artifact of the day is a small piece of Rockingham glazed ceramics that was produced from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century.

November 13 we processed artifacts from the print shop in front of Stagg Hall.  Evelyn, Elsie, and Julie washed artifacts.  Julie also sorted and bagged artifacts.  On the left is a photo showing a representative screen of the artifacts that were mostly architectural and ceramics.  But the artifact of the day was a small metal fastener with gripper teeth.  It is impressed with the word Hickory and an image possibly of a boy playing with a dog.  Hickory did make overalls, and this was probably for the shoulder strap adjustment. 
 Evelyn and Elsie briefly assisted Esther to pump the water out of the print shop units as she prepared for the units being professionally photographed later this week.  (Thanks to Elsie for providing the information and the photos.)

November 6 Denise and Elsie sorted and bagged artifacts from recent excavations at Stagg Hall while Julie and Evelyn washed artifacts also from Stagg Hall.  Esther continued on finalizing the revised categories we will use this winter to catalog the artifacts from the early archaeological excavations at Port Tobacco.  And Cathy stopped by to visit while we took advantage of the last of the warm weather to eat lunch outside.  The artifact for the day is a small piece of engine turned dipped pearlware with green glazed herringbone rouletting.  It probably dates from from first part of the nineteenth century.  (Thanks to Elsie for providing the information and the photo.)

October 30 Denise, Elsie, and Julie washed artifacts including a lot of oysters while Carol sorted and bagged artifacts recovered from Stagg Hall.  In all the mortar, bricks, nails, and miscellaneous artifacts, we found this artifact for the day -- a small piece of green transfer printed earthenware that probably dates from the early to middle nineteenth century. 

October 23 we returned to the lab.  Evelyn, Denise, and Carol sorted and bagged artifacts recovered from Port Tobacco while Julie washed more artifacts.  Evelyn took time out to wash oyster shells recovered from Rich Hill(nice boots).  Esther moved buckets around as she organized the lab and got ready for this Saturday's work at Carroll Family Cemetery.

October 16 Denise and Carol screened dirt and drew wall profiles while Esther excavated several features that were associated with the print shop in front of Stagg Hall.  On the right is the corner with most of the builder's trench on the north side excavated.  North is to the right in the photo.  Artifacts of note included larger pieces of window glass and small fragments of leather.  Earlier in the day Julie and Tina stopped by on their way to continue clearing the Jail Site Lot.  Thanks to Esther for the photos.

October 9 was a rainy Monday.  Jeanne Marie washed artifacts while Evelyn, Julie, and Carol sorted and bagged artifacts that we had previously washed.  It was somewhat of a lazy day, and none of the artifacts jumped out at us.  So no artifact of the day.

October 2 Denise, Elsie, Jeanne Marie, Carol, and Esther returned to the excavations in front of Stagg Hall.  The units need to be back filled by October 18, but we keep finding new features.  Here Jeanne Marie is troweling a possible post mold.  Elsie and Denise were working inside the building on a large concentration of mortar.  There they found some cut bones, larger pieces of window glass, a printer type, and our artifact of the day - the base of an eighteenth century case bottle.

September 25 Denise, Evelyn, Carol, and Esther returned to the excavations in front of Staff Hall to continue excavating the area to the north of the print shop corner.  Another feature was found adjoining the building foundation to the north.  Something to investigate the next time we are in the field.  But our artifact for the day is this copper alloy artifact that is probably part of an eighteenth century buckle.  Some of the dirt was rinsed off, but it still needs to be washed.

On a rainy September 18 Evelyn, Denise and Carol sorted and bagged artifacts while Esther updated field notes and event photos.  Denise and Carol worked on artifacts from recent excavations in front of Stagg Hall.  Evelyn got to bag the interesting artifacts from BF1 including the drinking vessels featured on August 14.

Before the units in front of Stagg Hall can be back filled, profiles of the walls need to be drawn.  So on September 11 we worked on documentation rather than on washing artifacts.  Here Denise And Evelyn are creating their first profile drawing.  Elsie, Carol, and Esther also worked on profiling.  We should be able to finish up next week.

Denise, Elsie, Jeanne Marie, Evelyn, and Carol returned to lab on August 28.  Mainly we washed artifacts recovered from BF1.  Then we moved outside to the picnic tables  to sort and bag artifacts recovered recently from in front of Stagg Hall.  After we had selected a decorated tobacco pipe bowl fragment as the artifact of the day, we came across this nicely decorated tin-glazed earthenware bowl.  So we have two artifacts for the day.  Both came from the BF1 area, but from different locations.
  

On August 14 the lab was quite full - Denise, Joe, and Carol had returned from vacations, Elsie finally had her air conditioner installation completed, while it was just a normal volunteer day for Evelyn, Jeanne Marie, and Esther.  The remaining Stagg Hall artifacts were washed while previously washed artifacts were sorted and bagged.   One bag of artifacts from BF1 was also washed, and that bag contained our "artifact" of the day - fragments from several mid- to late-eighteenth century drinking glasses.  (Note: This image was featured as the August 17 artifact of the day on the American Artifacts Blog https://americanartifacts.blog/.../glass-stemware-port.../)
 

There wasn't supposed to be a lab August 7 because we were going to assist the Port Tobacco River Conservancy in clearing the jail house lot of invasive non-native plants and other overgrowth in preparation for the installation of interpretative signage. That activity was canceled due to heavy rain.  So Evelyn and Elsie washed artifacts from the last two days of digging in front of Stagg Hall, while Esther continued inventorying the boxes of artifacts from Port Tobacco. The artifacts of the day are a piece of lead and 3 pieces of print type – 2 letters and a spacer bar. The print type is probably lead plus another material to give it more strength.  (Thanks to Elsie for providing the information and Esther for providing the photo.)

July 24 Joe, Denise, Julie, and Andrew sorted artifacts recovered from Port Tobacco feature BF1.  Joe, Denise, and Andrew spent most of their time sorting bones that included several jaw bones that are the "artifact" of the day.  Esther indicated that the bones are from the Glassford site. (Thanks to Julie for providing the photo and the information.) Based on Elsie's additional research - the upper pieces that are upside down are from the right side of a cow mandible, and the lower images are pig - a right maxilla (upper) and a left third molar from the other maxilla."

Since the special tour of Port Tobacco was cancelled at the last minute on July 17, Jeanne Marie, Andrew, Elsie, Julie, Carol, and Esther had additional time to catch up on a number of different activities in the lab (washing, sorting, inventorying boxes, ...).  The artifact for the day comes from BF1 (1970's Port Tobacco excavations).  It's a rim from a utilitarian red earthenware vessel, but the green glaze on the interior is unusual. 

July 10 we returned to the lab.  Jeanne Marie washed the artifacts recovered from Stagg Hall last week, Carol and Andrew washed artifacts from two BF1 units, Julie sorted previously washed Port Tobacco artifacts, and Esther worked on reports.  One of the more interesting artifacts was this lead object recovered from BF1 square 6 in the 1970's.  There appears to be one large object with "50" stamped on the back and with at least two objects that might be latches melted to it.

On July 3 Denise, Joe, Andrew, Carol, and Esther once again took time off from the lab and worked on a feature in one of the units in front of Stagg Hall.   The feature was next to the building foundation and may have been part of a robbers trench (to take take bricks from this building for use in a different location).  The most interesting artifact recovered from near the bottom of the feature was this lead bar with lettering stamped on it.  We were able to make out "MERCHANTS SHOT WORK".   The rest of the lettering is obscured by mortar.  Thomson's Mercantile and Professional Directory (1851-1852) has an advertisement for Merchants Shot Works in Baltimore, and Google comes up with several references (mainly related to the military) to lead bars stamped with "Merchants Shot Works Baltimore".


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