Letters from Lost Towns Winter 2008 News & Future Events Now Announcing 2008 Public Dig Days! May 10, July 12, and Septem- ber 6, 2008 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., London Town Lost Towns archaeologists invite the public to help screen soil and find artifacts, take tours, and attend workshops. Call London Town at 410 - 222-1919 to reserve your spot. Monday Lecture Series The Monday Lecture Series is on a winter hiatus. Join us for a Ceramics Identification Workshop! March 15, 2008 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Lost Towns Lab at London Town Come learn about prehistoric and historic ceramics: the basic diagnostic types, how to identify them, and what they can tell us about the past. Call the lab at 410-222-1318 to reserve your spot. The Lost Towns Project Thanks our Partners and Supporters Another Burle Plan at Cheney’s Hills? ~ Al Luckenbach The Lost Towns crew returned to Cheney’s Hills late last fall for two important reasons. The first had to do with not falling prey to the abundant deer hunters in the vicinity of the Chew House; the second was to answer the nagging question about the principal Cheney/Chaney structure – had we found it all? The short answer was no, we had not. Searching for posthole stains with 5’ by 5’ test squares is notoriously difficult. Doing so in a heavily wooded environment is exponentially more so. So with the recent discov- ery of one, perhaps two, more large structural posts on the southern fa- cade, the length of Richard Cheney’s home now stands at least 62’ (and perhaps 70’) with a width of roughly an English “perch” (16.5’). Obviously, we are no longer willing to assert that the building is done growing, but there is an interesting observation about these new dimen- sions. They met the 62’ by 18’ of Robert Burle’s home in Providence, (long considered to be an anomalously long and narrow structure), and then perhaps exceed it. Were there more of these long, narrow structures being built at the earli- est stages of European occupation in the county? Maybe. For example, “Building B”, which was built in the early 1660s at the Homewood’s Lot, seems to be of similar size and shape, although a specific footprint has not been delineated. Several buildings with similar dimensions have been found Continued on page 2
Transcript
Letters from Lost TownsWinter 2008
News & Future Events
Now Announcing 2008Public Dig Days!May 10, July 12, and Septem-ber 6, 20089 a.m. - 2 p.m., LondonTownLost Towns archaeologistsinvite the public to help screensoil and find artifacts, taketours, and attend workshops.Call London Town at 410 -222-1919 to reserve your spot.
Monday Lecture SeriesThe Monday Lecture Series is ona winter hiatus.
Join us for a CeramicsIdentification Workshop!March 15, 200810 a.m. - 2 p.m., Lost TownsLab at London TownCome learn about prehistoricand historic ceramics: the basicdiagnostic types, how toidentify them, and what theycan tell us about the past.Call the lab at 410-222-1318 toreserve your spot.
The Lost Towns Project Thanks our Partners and Supporters
Another Burle Plan at Cheney’s Hills?~ Al Luckenbach
The Lost Towns crew returned to Cheney’s Hills late last fall for twoimportant reasons. The first had to do with not falling prey to the abundantdeer hunters in the vicinity of the Chew House; the second was to answerthe nagging question about the principal Cheney/Chaney structure – had wefound it all? The short answer was no, we had not. Searching for posthole stainswith 5’ by 5’ test squares is notoriously difficult. Doing so in a heavilywooded environment is exponentially more so. So with the recent discov-ery of one, perhaps two, more large structural posts on the southern fa-cade, the length of Richard Cheney’s home now stands at least 62’ (andperhaps 70’) with a width of roughly an English “perch” (16.5’). Obviously, we are no longer willing to assert that the building is donegrowing, but there is an interesting observation about these new dimen-sions. They met the 62’ by 18’ of Robert Burle’s home in Providence,(long considered to be an anomalously long and narrow structure), and thenperhaps exceed it. Were there more of these long, narrow structures being built at the earli-est stages of European occupation in the county? Maybe. For example,“Building B”, which was built in the early 1660s at the Homewood’s Lot,seems to be of similar size and shape, although a specific footprint has notbeen delineated. Several buildings with similar dimensions have been found
Continued on page 2
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Thank You to the Following New ACT/Lost Towns Members!Special ContributorMarvin AndersonWard BrockettBetty DeKeyserCaptain Byron LeeBradley McKitrickCamilla McRory and Bob BuglassPaul and Lisa MintzGordon SmithMrs. Carmichael Tilghman
Caroline Wugofski
FamilyThe Beer FamilyMaria Berken and FamilyMichael and Jo Ann GidosThe Grow FamilyJulie McColloughThe McElfish Family
Herbert MorelandSusan and Peter SavageJeffrey and Christine Savich
IndividualNancy BrianiJeannette ChristmanBetty DotyElizabeth C. GayAlex Lavish
Continued from page 1 2007 ACT Awards~ Lauren Schiszik
The 2007 Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation Awards were heldon November 1st at Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater.This annual event is held to recognize significant contributions to architecturaland historical preservation in the county. Over 80 people attended thisyear’s ceremony. David Turner was the recipient of the Volunteer Award in recognition ofhis outstanding services assisting both the excavations of the Lost TownsProject, as well as his contributions to the reconstruction efforts at HistoricLondon Town and Gardens. His dedication and skill in both archaeologyand woodworking are greatly appreciated. The London Town Foundation received the 31st Annual Orlando RidoutPrize, which recognizes outstanding efforts in the preservation of architecturalheritage of Anne Arundel County, for the reconstruction of the Lord Mayor’sTenement at London Town. This reconstruction of a circa 1700 structureis based on archaeological excavations by the Lost Towns Project and thereconstruction itself was carried out by restoration carpenter Russ Steeleand the many woodworking volunteers at London Town.
at Virginia localities such asJamestown and Jordan’s Journey,but these are generally earlier thanour mid 17th -century sites. The “why” behind these long,narrow buildings seems to lie inboth style and function. The sim-plest explanation for such a foot-print is that it allows light into ev-ery room from two sides, whichis not achievable in a structurewide enough to be two roomsdeep. One other interesting pointabout the Cheney/Chaney homeis the evidence of repair. The ini-tial lobby entrance/central chim-ney plan of 1658 (28’ by 16.5’)shows repairs on almost everypost, while the building’s exten-sions to the north and south showno such evidence. Thus, it ap-pears that the building did beginat the size originally hypothesized,but over the lifespan of the build-ing additions more than doubledthe size of the original house. Thehouse grew to its now impressivelength before its abandonmentsometime in the late 1680s. As always, more excavationsare clearly required – and volun-teers will be needed this spring.
Orlando Ridout presents the Ridout Prize for the reconstruction of LordMayor’s Tenement to a number of the people who made it possible.
If you haven’t already, please consider becoming a sustaining member, or give the gift of membershipto a friend or loved one. See the attached form for details.
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When warmer weather signals theapproach of spring, the Project willagain resume full-scale excavationsat the home site of the Samuel Chewfamily in Fairhaven. Incredibly,since March of 2007, Lost TownsProject archaeologists and volun-teers have excavated close to 30deep 5’ by 5’ units at this histori-cally important site overlookingHerring Bay. As reported in the Fall 2007 edi-tion of Letters from Lost Towns, ex-cavations revealed that the Chewbrick mansion measures an enor-mous 66’ by 66’ or 4,356 squarefeet. In the process of defining itsfoundation, the project also foundtwo unusual brick-lined conduitsemanating from corners of the build-ing. This advanced undergrounddrainage system once connected toroof gutters and is further evidenceof the forethought and effort thatwent into the construction of thissubstantial mansion. The recovery of thousands of pe-riod artifacts, including domestic andarchitectural debris, has kept ourstaff and volunteers busy and happyat the Lost Towns Project archaeol-ogy laboratory at Historic London
Update on the Samuel Chew Family Site~John E. Kille
A glass wine bottle seal belonging toSamuel Chew.
Town and Gardens. Some of themore exciting artifacts recently re-covered include two olive-green glasswine bottle seals marked “S. Chew”
and another seal that may be associ-ated with Caleb Chew, the son ofSamuel Chew II. Another exciting discovery is a1772 newspaper article from theMaryland Gazette that State Archi-vist Ed Papenfuse found in the col-lections of the Maryland State Ar-chives in Annapolis. This fascinat-ing newspaper article provides a first-hand account of a devastating fire atthe “large and elegant” Chew home,even describing furniture being car-
ried out of the house. The Project was pleased to havea number of visitors to the site. Dr.Julie King of St. Mary’s College of
Maryland and her husband, mas-ter mason Raymond Canetti in-spected the site, as did Cary andBarbara Carson and Willie Grahamof Colonial Williamsburg, and stafffrom the Maryland Historical Trustand Jefferson Patterson Park andMuseum. This February, Al Luckenbachwill present a paper on the ChewSite at the Middle Atlantic Archae-ology Conference in Ocean City,MD. He will discuss the Project’sfindings, including the building’s ar-chitectural significance and context
within the Chesapeake. A brief summary of the Chewexcavations is posted on the mainmenu of the Lost Towns Projectwebsite, www.losttowns.com. Ouraward-winning volunteer LoisNutwell presented these findings tothe Deale Area Historical Society inearly December. Updates will beforthcoming as our work continues.Please consider joining us in the fieldand lab as we make these excitingdiscoveries.
Continued from page 2
ACT Chairman Will Mumfordgreets the attendees of the
ceremony.
The Special Contribution toArchaeology Award was presented toBetsy Kirkpatrick-Howat for herinstrumental role in the preservationand scholarly study of the Javaplantation, which has been inhabitedby Native Americans for thousandsof years and has been inhabited byEuropean settlers since 1652. Ms.Kirkpatrick-Howat has supportedhistorical and archaeological researchconducted at the centuries-old farmsite over the last several years.The 27th Annual Marjorie Murray
Bridgman Award, given annually inmemory of one of the founders ofthe Anne Arundel County Trust forPreservation, was awarded to DonnaHole, former Chief of HistoricPreservation for the City ofAnnapolis. This award was given inrecognition of her many importantcontributions towards furtheringhistoric preservation in our capitalcity. Congratulations to the recipients,and thanks to everyone who madethis event a success!
Mystery Artifact~ Erin Cullen
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Throughout history childrenhave had toys to keep them en-tertained and amused. During the17th and 18th centuries, the term“toy” meant notonly a playthingbut also a trifle,a small article oflittle intrinsicvalue (Hume:1969). Thesesmall articlesgave great joy tochildren duringcolonial timesand what ashame it musthave been whenchildren lost theirtoys. This is most likely what hap-pened at the Java plantation dur-ing the 17th century. Now, achild’s loss is the Lost TownsProject’s new mystery artifact. While excavating just outside ofthe footprint of the 17th-century
The Cultural Resources Division of Anne Arundel County’s Department of Planning and Zoning undertookefforts to refresh and update our listing of Historic Properties this past fall. This is the official inventory of
buildings, sites, and landscapes that we protect under Article17 of the County Code. The properties listed are historic,and are significant to Anne Arundel County’s past. Ourcurrent database has nearly 1,000 properties listed, yet ithas been many years since the quality of that list has beenreviewed and evaluated. This survey project allows us to review the level of docu-mentation that we have on a number of buildings, observethe building or site’s current condition and status, and up-date our files. Sadly, many of the properties listed on ourinventory no longer survive. If we determine that they areno longer standing, they become archaeology sites. Anne Arundel County Site Survey forms provide the back-bone of our preservation efforts, and this review and sur-vey of listed properties will ensure that we use the most
up-to-date information when wemake development decisions here inthe Cultural Resources Division. Two interns worked with a selectlist of properties that are on our pro-tected list of buildings. Gabriela Har-ris, a master’s student in HistoricPreservation at Univeristy of Mary-land, College Park and Sally Gor-don, a student in Goucher’s HistoricPreservation Program (who com-pleted an archaeology internship withus this past summer), reviewed sitesurvey forms for accuracy and cur-rency. Their internships involved sitevisits to record, evaluate, and pho-tograph the buildings, as well asdocumentary research to verify wholived or worked there, and when.They also developed a detailed nar-rative description of each structure.Using this data, they completed re-vised site survey forms, summarizedtheir research, and documented whythese buildings are important to AnneArundel County’s history. Would you like to learn more aboutour Historic Structures Inventory?Or would you like to record anddocument a building? If so, giveDarian Schwab a call at 410-222-7440.
Interns Gabi Harris (l) and Sally Gordon (r),preserving our past!
Historic Structures Survey~ Jane Cox
structure, the Lost Towns crew dis-covered a beautifully cast lead toythat resembles a boy. For some-thing so small, there is an amazing
level of detail.Looking closely atthis toy you cansee the carefullycast hair, eyes,mouth and nose.The boy mighthave been paintedat one time but anytrace of paint hasworn off. Thelower arms andfeet are also miss-ing, which leads usto believe that he
might have once been attached toa stand of some sort. If anyoneout there has even seen a toy likethis or might know any more in-formation about it, please let usknow. We would love to hearfrom you.
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Exciting New Finds at Java~ Stephanie T. Sperling
After two years of admiring our idyllic surroundings above ground at theJava Site, overlooking the lush green floodplain and the Rhode River, thispast fall all eyes were focused on what we were finding below the groundsurface. Only about 100 feetfrom the mansion ruins,we uncovered a brickhearth just a few inchesbelow the ground sur-face, measuring 12’ wideby 5’ long. It was quitea surprise! After moredigging, we found twopost holes that flank thehearth, making the mea-surement of the gableend of the building about16’ wide. This was a typical measurement for a structure built in the 17th
century. We also recovered a 1671 dated window lead, suggesting that atlong last we discovered the location of the first historic occupation in the17th century by Thomas Sparrow! Window leads are a rare and wonderfultool for dating the building. Glaziers were required by law to put the yearof the window’s manufacture, as well as the maker’s initials somewhere onthe lead caming that held the diamond-shaped panes together as a window.It is rare to find a small piece of lead came with the date on it, although theLost Towns Project has been lucky enough to find many of these at differ-ent sites over the years.
Could this be the remains of the“timber house” Thomas Sparrowreferred to in his 1675 will? Inthis document, he told his heirsto complete the “building now be-gun upon my now dwelling plan-tation,” but he also references atimber house existing on the landto be occupied by his sister, Eliza-beth. While the hearth and postholes we found this past autumnmay or may not be the remainsof this dwelling, what seems cer-tain is that we are closing in onthe original Sparrow family occu-pation of the land. Only more dig-ging will help unravel the secretsof this mysterious building. Wehope to be back out there in the
spring, and we’re always looking for volunteers to join us in admiring theview above and below the ground!
Jane finishes up an excavation unitjust outside of the massive hearth.
Staff and volunteers screen soil from the hearth.
Intern Update!~ Lauren Schiszik
Our Internship Program wasestablished in memory of ourdedicated volunteer RobBoisseau, by his family andfriends. This programcompensates college interns whoare chosen to participate in ourprogram. Other internships havebeen established in honor ofOrlando Ridout IV and the lateDick Reed. This winter, we arehosting five outstanding interns.Our line-up includes a couple ofold-timers, as well as some freshfaces. Two interns from this pastsummer have returned to conductconservation internships. StevenTourville and Maria Valverde,both students at the UMBC, arelearning archaeologicalconservation under the tutelage ofShawn Sharpe. They areconserving glass, bone, and metalartifacts. We are pleased to havethem back with us! Two interns are conducting ourpopular field/lab internship track.Christine Kujath from TowsonUniversity, and Michelle Kesslerfrom UMBC, are great additionsto the crew. January Ruck is completing theHistoric Preservation Master’sProgram at the University ofMaryland, College Park. Alongwith learning the field and labbasics, she will be analyzing oneof our sites in her master’s thesison cultural landscapes. We can’twait to see the final product! If you know any students whoare interested in an internship inarchaeology, conservation, orhistoric preservation, please havethem contact Lauren Schiszik [email protected] or at410-222-7440.
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THE
ARCHITecture
column
Imagine living in a small house made of logs and mud with no insulation and a dirt floor. All thereis to warm the space is a fireplace with a chimney also made of wood and mud. The light insidecomes from one or two small windows that lack glass and are covered by shutters. The only othersource of light is through the opened door. There is one room downstairs for all family activitiesand only unheated attic space accessed by a ladder for sleeping. This is what most slaves inMaryland called home. While this may not surprise many readers, what may be surprising is that this was also the livingaccommodations of many white and black tenant farming families from the 17th to the 19th centuryas well. This similarityposes a problem whentrying to determine ifhouses that meet this de-scription may be formerslave quarters or tenanthouses built either beforeand after the Civil War.Many post-Civil War ten-ant houses were built inthe same manner as an-tebellum housing. Addi-tionally, it was not un-common for emancipatedslaves to remain on thesame land that they hadfarmed as slaves. Theybecame tenant farmersfor their former masters,and lived in the samehouses that they lived inwhen they were slaves. It is only in the last few decades that historians have begun to look at the architecture of slavery.While we know much about the ways that the plantation owners lived, little is known about howtheir slaves or tenant farmers lived. Most former slave quarters are no longer standing, so it is hasbecome imperative to find the buildings that may be former slave quarters in order to study andpreserve them. Unfortunately, a further hinderance in our ability to study how most slaves lived isthe fact that only the structures that were well-built have survived to the present day. These housesprobably only survive because they were altered to allow people to live in them over the past 150years. The examples of more typical slave and tenant housing probably have not survived, becausea house which is no longer suitable for habitation or alternative use is not one that will be preserved.While these buildings may appear to be mere shacks, their significance lies far beyond their appear-ance. Hopefully in the future we can make it a priority to study those slave and tenant houses thatare still standing before they are lost forever. If you know of a structure in Anne Arundel County that may be a former slave or tenant house, oryou would like more information, please contact Jenna Solomon at 410-222-7440. For moreinformation on the architecture of slave and tenant houses in Maryland, read Hearth and Home:Preserving a People’s Culture by George W. McDaniel.
Two structures conjectured to be slave cabins in southern Anne ArundelCounty. One was moved and connected to the other in order to create alarger house. While actually covered in wooden weatherboard, the houseswere sheathed in asphalt paper with a brick pattern in order to makethem look like they were built with better materials than they really were.
Slave Quarter or Tenant House? An Examination ofVernacular Housing in Anne Arundel County
~ Jenna Solomon
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Anne Arundel County Public Library Heritage Collection isNow Open at the Lost Towns Archaeology Lab!
~ John E. Kille
A new heritage library collectionsponsored by Anne Arundel CountyPublic Library (AACPL) isnow open to the public atthe Anne Arundel CountyArchaeology Lab at HistoricLondon Town and Gardens.This collaborative programis a truly outstandingresource for those interestedin learning more about ourshared local history. This still-expandingspecial reference collectionencompasses over 360specialized books devotedto the history and materialculture of the 17th and 18th
centuries, with an emphasison works related to our county’searliest history. These volumes areavailable for on-site public use and
scholarly research at the lab facility.The heritage library also provides
public web access to JSTOR, adigitized collection of scholarlyjournal articles.
The heritage library is available byappointment only. The Archaeology
Lab in which the collectionis housed is generally opento the public Monday-Fridayfrom 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Pleasecall the lab at 410-222-1318if you have any questionsconcerning this collection orwould like to make anappointment. You canperuse the collection on thecounty library website atwww.aacpl.org by entering“Londontown” in the onlineLibrary Catalog searchengine, which will providethe titles of all of the volumescurrently in the collection.
We hope you will use this greatresource!
Lost Towns Project Presenting at theMAAC Conference
This year, the Lost Towns Project will be well-represented atthe 38th Annual Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference, heldin Ocean City, Maryland from February 28 - March 2, 2008.We hope you will consider attending. You can check out thewebsite at www.maacmidatlanticarchaeology.org. Stephanie Sperling is the chair of a session titled “CurrentResearch: Early Colonial Archaeology of the Mid-Atlantic”. TheLost Towns Project will present in this session. Here’s a list ofthe presenters from Lost Towns and the titles of their papers:
Al Luckenbach - The “Large and Elegant Mansion House of Samuel Chew”C. Jane Cox - An Hypothesis Concerning Sub-floor “Storage” Features in the 17th and 18th Centuries: Storage or Trashpit?Stephanie Taleff Sperling - Searching for Sparrow’s Rest: Two Years of Excavations at the Java Site (18AN339)Lauren Schiszik - “Flight on the Wings of Vanity”: ColonialQuaker Material Culture of West River, Maryland
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Send this form and checks payable to “ACT/Lost Towns Membership” to:
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We are sorry to inform our readers that we can no longer provide a complimentarynewsletter. If you have enjoyed our newsletter, we hope that you will consider becominga member so you can continue to receive our newsletter, as well as other great benefits!Your tax-deductible contribution supports our public outreach and education programs,such as our Public Dig Days, our high-quality newsletter publication, and last but notleast, helps us fulfill our mission to discover, interpret, and educate citizens and studentsabout the history of Anne Arundel County. We greatly appreciate your support!
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Office of Planning and Zoning2664 Riva Road, MS 6402
Annapolis, MD 21401(410)222-7440
Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation(ACT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
