. . . Letters from Lost Towns Summer 2002 Future Events July 13 9:00 - 2:00, London Town Public Dig Day The public is invited to help screen soil, take tours, and attend work- shops and video screenings. July 15 1:30-2:30, Riva Road Salvaging Benjamin DuVal’s Pottery Manufactory John Kille will describe his work at this early 19th century site in Richmond, Virginia. August 5 1:30-2:30, Riva Road What Do You Do With a Broken Pot?: A Look at Ceramic Re-Use at Swan Cove Dave Gadsby will discuss Swan Cove colonists’ creative uses for discarded household artifacts. August 10 9:00 - 2:00, London Town Public Dig Day The public is invited to help screen soil, take tours, and attend work- shops and video screenings. September 9 1:30-2:30, Riva Road Folklore in Colonial America Erin Piechowiak will discuss some of the colonists’ rituals and beliefs as reflected in the archaeological record. September 14 9:00-2:00, London Town Public Dig Day The public is invited to help screen soil, take tours, and attend work- shops and video screenings. A Further Installment in the Saga of Homewood’s Lot If there is a lesson to be learned by working with the Lost Towns Project, it may be that, as Burns mused at the end of the 18th century, planning is futile. No matter how meticulously crafted, no matter how foolproof you suspect your plans of being, inevitably some totally unforeseen contingency will rear its head, for good or ill, when you least expect it. Such is the case of Homewood’s Lot, which faithful readers will remember from the Spring 1999 edition of Letters from Lost Towns. After months of struggle to protect Homewood’s from the horrors of subdivision, Lost Towns staffers breathed a sigh of relief to learn that the site was sold to a sympathetic party who wished to see the invaluable resource protected Dave Gadsby forever. The fate of Homewood’s seemed sealed in the best possible way. So, it was with a certain spirit of innocence that we devised a plan for this year’s field season. The scheme involved continuing excavations at Swan Cove in search of the tobacco-pipe kiln and on data recovery at the L.T. Willson property in South County. Not mentioned in these early planning sessions was Homewood’s. Sarah Andrews just put the finishing touches on the catalog of artifacts from the 1999 excavations. It seemed that the hard work at Homewood’s was complete. Indeed, it was not until early April that the words “Homewood’s Lot” were again voiced in the Monday morning staff meeting. Homewood’s had been sold and its fate once again cast into doubt. Within a week of receiving the news, we gathered an intrepid team of diggers and screeners and were excavating full force at the site on Whitehall Creek. Volunteers from the 1999 excavations at Homewood’s probably remember it as a wonderland of fascinating features and exciting artifacts situated in an idyllic setting on a pretty hillside above a lazy creek. They may remember that it was difficult to get through a bucket load of soil without exclaiming “Wow – look at this!” They may also recall that it was rare to dig Fragment of a German Bellarmine stoneware jug depicting a face The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy! Section of a brick-lined drain revealed during Homewood’s Lot excavations
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Letters from Lost Towns Summer 2002
Future Events
July 139:00 - 2:00, London TownPublic Dig Day
The public is invited to help screensoil, take tours, and attend work-shops and video screenings.
July 151:30-2:30, Riva RoadSalvaging Benjamin DuVal’sPottery Manufactory
John Kille will describe his work atthis early 19th century site inRichmond, Virginia.
August 51:30-2:30, Riva RoadWhat Do You Do With a BrokenPot?: A Look at Ceramic Re-Useat Swan Cove
Dave Gadsby will discuss SwanCove colonists’ creative uses fordiscarded household artifacts.
August 109:00 - 2:00, London TownPublic Dig Day
The public is invited to help screensoil, take tours, and attend work-shops and video screenings.
September 91:30-2:30, Riva RoadFolklore in Colonial America
Erin Piechowiak will discuss some ofthe colonists’ rituals and beliefs asreflected in the archaeological record.
September 149:00-2:00, London TownPublic Dig Day
The public is invited to help screensoil, take tours, and attend work-shops and video screenings.
A FurtherInstallment in theSaga ofHomewood’s Lot
If there is a lesson to be learned by workingwith the Lost Towns Project, it may be that,as Burns mused at the end of the 18thcentury, planning is futile. No matter howmeticulously crafted, no matter howfoolproof you suspect your plans of being,inevitably some totally unforeseencontingency will rear its head, for good orill, when you least expect it. Such is the caseof Homewood’s Lot, which faithful readerswill remember from the Spring 1999 editionof Letters from Lost Towns. After monthsof struggle to protect Homewood’s from thehorrors of subdivision, Lost Towns staffersbreathed a sigh of relief to learn that the sitewas sold to a sympathetic party who wishedto see the invaluable resource protected
Dave Gadsby
forever. The fate of Homewood’s seemedsealed in the best possible way.
So, it was with a certain spirit of innocencethat we devised a plan for this year’s fieldseason. The scheme involved continuingexcavations at Swan Cove in search of thetobacco-pipe kiln and on data recovery atthe L.T. Willson property in South County.Not mentioned in these early planningsessions was Homewood’s. Sarah Andrewsjust put the finishing touches on the catalogof artifacts from the 1999 excavations. Itseemed that the hard work at Homewood’swas complete. Indeed, it was not until earlyApril that the words “Homewood’s Lot”were again voiced in the Monday morningstaff meeting. Homewood’s had been soldand its fate once again cast into doubt.Within a week of receiving the news, wegathered an intrepid team of diggers andscreeners and were excavating full force atthe site on Whitehall Creek.
Volunteers from the 1999 excavations atHomewood’s probably remember it as awonderland of fascinating features andexciting artifacts situated in an idyllicsetting on a pretty hillside above a lazycreek. They may remember that it wasdifficult to get through a bucket load of soilwithout exclaiming “Wow – look at this!”They may also recall that it was rare to digFragment of a German Bellarmine
stoneware jug depicting a face
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ menGang aft agley,An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,For promis’d joy!
Section of a brick-lined drain revealed duringHomewood’s Lot excavations
2
New Faces at theLost Towns Project
Maybe you have seen them! We have twonew faces at the Lost Towns Project: ErinPiechowiak and Jordan Swank. Erin is alocal girl from Pasadena. She attendedChesapeake High School where she playedlacrosse and field hockey. She attendedSalisbury State University, where she did anarchaeology internship at Furnace Town inSnow Hill on the Eastern Shore. Erin re-ceived her anthropology degree in 2000.Following graduation, she worked for a yearin Germany at the University of Tuebingen.Her duties included fieldwork on Stone Age
sites in caves and gluing together mammothbones in their lab. Erin took over Paul’soyster shell project and helps Lisa with vol-unteers and education programs. She is anavid outdoors person and enjoys hiking andcamping.
Jordan is also from Maryland. He attendedWalt Whitman High School in Bethesda.For college, he attended St. Mary’s Collegeof Maryland and majored in anthropology.He completed a field school while at St.Mary’s and then worked for Historic St.Mary’s City for a year before coming to theLost Towns Project. You will see Jordanboth in the field and the lab. He currentlyanalyzes the materials recovered from thepostholes excavated at London Town. This“gentle jock” loves the outdoors and is greatwith kids. For many summers, Jordanworked as a camping and hiking guide inthe Shenandoah Mountains at the ShiolhQuaker Camp.
Mechelle Kerns-Nocerito
an excavation unit without finding aposthole or artifact- filled pit. As excavatorsbegan to travail at Homewood’s, theyanticipated more of the same.
At least Homewood’s has lived up to (if notsurpassed), expectations in that way. Sincethe beginning of the most recentarchaeological explorations there, LostTowns crew uncovered numerous featuresdating from the 1650’s to the 1780’sincluding: a vast 18-th century cellar withbrick walls; a ponderous, artifact-filled wellwith a brick-lined drain leading from it; anda mid-17th century pit filled with bones andearly tobacco pipes that matches another pitexcavated two years ago. At least fourstructures are represented at the site. As ofthis writing, the orgy of discovery has beenso intense and the flow of artifacts soincessant that there has been little time toevaluate the precise meaning ofHomewood’s Lot. Every site has at leastone message for excavators –it is now up tothe volunteers and staff of the Lost TownsProject to decrypt the meaning ofHomewood’s Lot. New discoveries arehappening at there every day- be a part ofthis fascinating process of discovery!
Lastly, keep an eye out for Sarah Andrews!She started as an intern last summer andworked part-time during the winter. Spend-ing most of her time in the lab, she startedworking full-time this summer. Don’t lether quietness fool you - she knows exactlywhat’s going on around her and if you aren’tcareful, her dry sense of humor will catchyou off guard!
Please welcome all of them to the LostTowns family. We think they fit right in!
Overview of cellar and brick wall
Jordan and Erin all smiles at Dig Day in April
Sarah hard at work at the Homewood’s site
Joan Klick is a dedicated andskilled lab stalwart. EveryMonday Joan can be seen sittingdemurely at her space on the rightside of the worktable. Her wordsare few and she retains a calmexterior, but beneath that tranquilsurface lies a churning maelstromof artifact-labeling power! She’squicker with a pair of scissors anda paintbrush than anyone we’veseen here at the Project. Joan, adenizen of Annapolis, somehowfinds time to regularly volunteer atthe Lost Towns Project despiteher busy volunteering schedule atthe hospital and the SPCA. She’sbeen doing so since 1999 and haslogged over 450 hours since thattime! Our undying thanks goesto Joan for her elegance, hardwork, and continued support ofthe Lost Towns Project.
-Dave Gadsby
Volunteer Spotlight:Joan Klick
Joan diligently washing in theLost Towns Lab
3
Shawn Sharpe
New Excavations inSouth County
Crew shot at the Willson Property
What’s happeningat the
Lost Town’s Lab?As the field season cranks into fullgear, we find the lab less populatedthan during the winter months.Artifacts pile up on the shelves,waiting for eager volunteers to comeand process them. As always, wevaliantly pursue our quixotic searchfor more storage space. It seems thatthere is something or other packedinto every nook and cranny in the lab.Two new additions to the lab staff -the youthful and energetic Erin andJordan can be seen working on theirrespective tasks. Jordan is tirelesslysorting and cataloging water-screened material from features atLondon Town while Erin works on theoyster shell dating project.Between vacations, Carolyn iscataloging the artifacts from theLondon Town Almshouseexcavations. When she completesthis work, she will be authoring apaper about the large number ofbuttons recovered from that site.Recent visitors to the lab haveprobably seen Shawn poring oversome small pile of ceramic sherds,and periodically exclaimingsomething excitedly about the pile.No, he’s not crazy - he’s writing apaper about his ongoing analysis ofthe huge ceramic assemblage fromBurle’s Town Land. He’s alsospending a lot of his time in the fieldhelping Jane run the Willson Propertysite, so don’t expect his Burle opusfor some months.Dave has spent more time out of thelab than in lately - he’s been leadingcrew at the Homewood’s Lot site!Look for his article on Swan Coveceramics in Maryland Archaeology inthe near future. He’s also preparinga presentation on the subject for avolunteer lecture next month.
As always, the lab needs volunteers!Call us at (410) 222-7328 if you areinterested. We will always work withyour schedule to make it possible foryou to join us.
The Lost Towns Project has becomeinvolved in yet another excavation site!During a routine archaeological survey, anindependent contractor discovered artifactsdating from the early eighteenth century ina field in South County. The propertyowner, L.J. Willson, offered to move hisproposed house and the site is now protectedby a plat note. Over the span of almost ayear, Willson’s interest in the history lyingin his backyard continued to grow and herequested the Lost Towns Project to doadditional research. Because few earlyeighteenth-century sites have beenexcavated in this area of Anne ArundelCounty, the Project decided to investigate.
The crew conducted magnetometer(basically a highly sophisticated metaldetector that is so sensitive it finds more thanmetal) and ground penetrating radar (“sees”into the ground by sending radar pulses intothe ground, timing the response similar to abat) surveys of the area in hopes ofdiscovering more information about the site.
In conjunction with some strongmagnetometer “hits,” the radar showed alarge anomaly in one corner of the field.Accordingly, spades and trowels appearedand excavation commenced. Soon, a largeconcentration of bricks was uncovered,suggesting a possible chimney fall. Whileinteresting, this paled in comparison to thediscovery of an intact brick foundation foundin an adjacent unit. Using probes, crewfollowed the line of the foundation, whichhinted at a 12 x 16- foot structure. This brickfoundation denotes a building that is moresubstantial than the earthfast structures thatwe frequently find. The artifacts recovered,such as Westerwald stoneware, polychrometin-glazed earthenware, white clay tobaccopipes, and olive bottle glass, suggest that thesite was occupied in the first half of theeighteenth century. Subsequently, shovel testpits were dug throughout the field todetermine the extent of the site. Sure enough,along with artifacts such as widow leads, akettle leg, and masses of bones, two newfeatures were uncovered that appear to dateto the same period as the brick structure. Thefirst seems to be a trash-filled midden,whereas the other remains a mystery for now.Give Erin a call if you are interested in thisrare opportunity to volunteer in the field inSouth County!
Distance shot of the site’s landscape
4
Looking forLondon TownOutside the Park:The Flood PropertyMechelle Kerns-Nocerito
The name John Flood should ring some bellsfor those who live in Annapolis. He is alocal environmentalist, also known as the“Oyster Man,” who works to preserve ourlocal waterways and the Chesapeake byreplenishing habitat for oysters. John comesfrom an old family that has lived in theLondon Town area for over 100 years.
John tells of a summer boarding houselocated on the Savage Property (two doorsdown from London Town) where his great-grandparents, Matilda A. O’Hara andThomas Fleet, courted in the 1890s. Afterthey married, the Fleets purchased LondonTown Farm (about 70 acres) abutting theAlmshouse property. When Thomas died,the property went to A. Gordon Fleet (John’sgrandfather) and the Widow Fleet. She usedto own part the property that makes up theLondon Town Park as well as acreage onthe other side of London Town Road.Matilda sold pieces of the property to hersiblings and was forced to sell other portionsduring the Great Depression.
The Fleets and the Larrimores owned mostof the London Town peninsula during thefirst half of the 20th century. In 1947, John’sgrandfather, A. Gordon Fleet, established the
ten-lot subdivision of London Town Hills.However, by the time John Flood was ofage, most of the family’s London Townproperty had been sold off. So, he began tobuy back what he could of his great-grandparent’s home. One such property,part of London Town Hills, is located onWidows Mite Road and it has never beendeveloped. John has been working with usto add to our knowledge on London Townby allowing us to study his property. Sofar, we have only performed preliminaryexcavations around John’s garden. Hecalled the Project because he wanted tomake sure he did not destroy anything withhis tiller. We excavated four 5x5-foot unitsaround the proposed garden area and foundbits and pieces of London Town - tin glazedearthenware, tobacco pipe, glass, and brick.The sandy soil was repeatedly plowed overthe years of occupation, thereby breakingthe artifacts into small pieces. No culturalfeatures (like postholes or brickfoundations) were discovered. We plan todo a more complete excavation on the siteafter harvest time in the fall.
The Flood Property could yield someimportant details about London Town.John’s property appears to have been partof lot 30 once owned by merchant SamuelPeele. Samuel was active in London Townfrom 1715-1733 and had a large warehousein the tobacco port. It would be great tofind Peele’s warehouse and some associatedartifacts! We also hope to look for old roadsand a wharf on the adjacent lots. Our thanksto Mr. Flood for allowing us to look forLondon Town outside the boundaries of thepark.
How do I get involved?
Anne Arundel County’s Lost TownsProject is a team of professionalarchaeologists and historians
assisted by volunteers and interns.Field, lab, and archival
opportunities are available.
Field days vary depending on theweather and particular project.Call Erin at (410) 222-7441 for
information.The lab is open Monday throughFriday from 9:00 through 4:00.Call the lab phone, (410) 222-7328, for information. The lab islocated at 2666 Riva Road in theHeritage Government Center.Those interested in archivalresearch opportunities should
contact Mechelle at(410) 222-7441.
Tax-deductible donations can bemade to the Anne Arundel CountyTrust for Preservation (ACT), P.O.
Box 1573, Annapolis, MD,21404. Please note “Lost TownsProject” in any correspondence.
Thank you for your interestand support!
The Lost Towns Project’s
“The Clay Tobacco-Pipe In Anne Arundel
County, Maryland(1650-1730)”
is hot off the press!Included in the volume arearticles authored by Lost
Town’s staff. They describepipes found on Anne ArundelCounty sites such as Burle,Homewoods, London Town,
and of course, theextraordinary Swan Cove.
Stop by the office or lab totake a look or to
get your own copy!
Excavations on the Flood Property
5
Stroll by London Town and even the mostunobservant person will notice some majorchanges. Wood shavings and locust logsare strewn about and auger-dug postholesdot the landscape. It is the beginning of whatwill be a “new” look for London Town.Volunteers and staff are erecting fence linesto separate different activity areas aroundthe site, including the Mayor’s Lot, kitchengarden, and on-going research areas. Inaddition, a tobacco prize, block and tackle,and ropewalk will be built. Over 140postholes will be dug by the time the projectis finished and volunteers are hard at workstripping the bark off the logs and readyingthem for their futures as fence posts andsupport structures. Archaeologists aremonitoring each hole before the new postsare erected. They look through the backdirtfor artifacts and check for cultural intrusions(or features) in the postholes themselves.
Another major change in the landscape ofLondon Town will be the rebuilding of LordMayor’s Tenement. Most of the areaexcavated has been filled in preparation for
construction. The Tenement will be rebuilton the original postholes discovered andexcavated by archaeologists. A newly-installed time-lapse camera will allow us toview the exciting process over time.
In addition to planning and building newstructures in London Town, analysis of thehistoric structures continues in thearchaeology lab. All postholes and moldsdiscovered along Scott Street and theMayor’s Lot have been waterscreened andbrought back to the lab for analysis.Waterscreening is a process in which the soilfrom a feature is forced through fine windowscreen mesh with a high powered hose. Thisallows the archaeologist to find even thesmallest artifacts. When the artifacts arebrought back to the lab they are put throughthree gauges of screens and then sortedunder a large magnifying glass. Once sorted,the artifacts are counted, weighed, recorded,and entered into a database. By using thediagnostic artifacts found in the waterscreensamples (such as coal used in the Almshouseafter 1860) and maps indicating the locationof excavated postholes, we will be able todistinguish which posts supported andtherefore comprised which buildings.
All are welcome to come by London Townto observe and assist with the exciting newchanges as they happen. Everyone is alsoencouraged to join us for the next Public DigDay there on Sat. July 13!
Current Events:New Activity atLondon TownJordan Swank
Early reconstruction plan of Historic London Town
Jason Moser, The Lost TownsProject’s field director, is
leaving us in the beginning ofJuly! He is off to Florida to
pursue his doctorate inUnderwater Archaeology. The
crew would like to take thisopportunity to thank thisProject old-timer for his
dedication and friendship overthe past five and a half years.
We wish you good luck on theexciting new life that’s
ahead of him!
The Lost Towns Project’ssweatshirts, polo shirts, T-
shirts and baseball capsare now available!
Decorated with the Lost Town’slogo, sweatshirts are navy, poloshirts are cornflower blue, T-
shirts are khaki, and hats are tanwith blue bills. They are avail-able for a donation of $25 ormore for the sweatshirts and
polo shirts and $15 or more forthe T-shirts and hats. Checks
should be made out to ACT, Inc.All proceeds go to the LostTown’s Internship Program.
Who makes up the Lost Towns Project?
Al Luckenbach…..Director/County ArchaeologistJane Cox…..Assistant County Archaeologist/Assistant Director, Technology
David Gadsby…..Lab DirectorJohn Kille…..Assistant Director, Operations/Grant Administration
Donna Ware.....Architectural Historian
Sarah Andrews.....Lab SpecialistCarl Gehrman.....3-D Specialist
Office of Planning and Zoning2664 Riva Road, MS 6402
Annapolis, Maryland 21401(410) 222-7441
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Letters from Lost Towns is published quarterly in February, May, August, and November by Anne Arundel County’s Lost TownsProject. Contributors consist of Lost Towns staff and volunteers. To be added or deleted from the mailing list, please contactLisa Plumley, Planning and Zoning, 2664 Riva Road, MS 6401, Annapolis, MD, 21401 or call (410) 222-7441. Anne ArundelCounty’s Lost Towns Project is supported by the Anne Arundel County government, in cooperation with the Anne ArundelCounty Trust for Preservation, Inc. and the London Town Foundation, Inc.
