Archaeology in Annapolis

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/10991

Archaeology in Annapolis was a city-wide excavation of Maryland’s capital city whose purpose was to recover and teach with the below ground remains of materials from the 1680’s to today. Archaeology in Annapolis is a part of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Maryland, College Park and has been, and in some cases remains, partners with Historic Annapolis Foundation, the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, and the City of Annapolis. The project was begun in 1981 and continues to work in the City and to excavate on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The project works to provide understanding of the many peoples who have made up the City in the past and present. Under the direction of Mark P. Leone, the organization has conducted over forty excavations in the historic area of Maryland’s capitol city as well as in Queen Anne and Talbot Counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, including Wye House Plantation. This collection includes archaeological site reports, technical reports, and dissertations produced by the project between 1985 and the present. Where possible, separate files for artifact catalogs have been provided.

A physical component of the collection is housed in the National Trust room of Hornbake Library on the University of Maryland campus. It contains copies of site reports, field notes, drawings, slides, contact sheets, photographs, historic research, oral history transcripts, artifact cataloging sheets, analytical notes, dissertations, scholarly and public papers, presentations, journal articles, administrative planning notes, correspondence, visitor evaluations, press releases, brochures, exhibition planning notes and grant proposals.



The Sites in this Collection Include:





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Now showing 1 - 10 of 99
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    Phase III Archaeological Excavations at 99 Main Street, 18AP21
    (2005-02) Cuddy, Thomas W.
    Under contract to Historic Annapolis Foundation, Inc., URS Corporation conducted Phase II and III archaeological investigations of the 99 Main Street site (18AP21) in Annapolis, Maryland. The central building that stands on the site was constructed in 1791. The site is on Maryland's western shore coastal plain, on the Chesapeake Bay. Excavations were designed to mitigate adverse impacts to archaeological remains by the construction of the Annapolis History Center project. A total of nine excavation units were excavated, and 42 features identified. Significant features included the remains of architectural foundations from early 18th century buildings that existed prior to the present structure. A collection of 6, 934 artifacts were recovered. Many of the artifacts and features date to the early 18th century, while a second concentration dates from the late 18th century. Historical documentation indicates the earliest remains are part of a bakery and dwelling compound known to be in operation by 1745. The lot was owned through much of the 18th century by Charles Carroll, and rented to various tenants. The bakery caught fire in January 1790, while under the operation of Richard Fleming, and burned down the entire city block. Archaeological evidence of the fire was abundant. Historical documentaion of the circumstances of Fleming's life, and records of similar fires in craft workshops in other cities at that time, suggest site 18AP21 was the scene of a class struggle between craftsmen and merchants for control of the emerging domestic economy in a new nation at the turn of the 19th century. Areas of the site to be impacted by construction activities have been investigated and documented, through this work or through previous investigations. No further work is recommended at site 18AP21 at this time.
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    A Geophysical Survey at the Carroll House
    (1987-04-03) Worden, Paul A.
    This survey detected a possible well or other type of refilled pit on the south side of the house. Several likely paths, now buried, were delineated. See Figure 1. Many areas of fill soil were mapped. There appears to be a buried earth layer, possibly a garden bed or pavement, extending east-west across the site; this interface can be partly traced beneath a recently-constructed cemetery terrace. Concentrations of debris underground were also located. While some could be lenses of trash, others could help define lost structures. This geophysical survey did not detect anything of the tavern which might have formerly been at the east side of this site.
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    Preliminary Report: St. Mary's Site
    (1988) Kryder-Reid, Elizabeth
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    Archaeology of the Red Overseer's House
    (2006) Kraus, Lisa
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    Archaeological Excavations at the Hammond-Harwood House Annapolis, Maryland
    (1985-05-31) Dent, Richard J.
    The purpose of this transmittal is to report on archaeological excavations conducted by Richard J. Dent of Historic Annapolis, Incorporated during April and May of 1983 in the garden of the Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland. A second phase of excavations was in May of 1984. The approximately 94x134 foot parcel of land is located immediately to the rear of the Hammond-Harwood House. It is bordered by King George Street on the east, Cumberland Court to the west, and private residences to the south. The property lies within Maryland Archaeological Research Unit Seven.
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    Preliminary Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey and Site Examination of Five Facility Construction Areas at the University of Maryland, College Park Campus
    (1986-07-27) Koski-Karell, Daniel; Ortiz, Luis
    This report describes the conduct and findings of a preliminary archeological reconnaissance and site evaluation study of the terrain to be affected by four proposed construction projects, in the north-central portion of the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Prince Georges County. The investigation consisted of background research and a field survey (which included a controlled surface collection, and excavation of systematically-placed shovel test pits and one-meter square test pits). Both prehistoric period and historic period artifacts were recovered from each of the project areas. The greatest abundance of prehistoric materials came from the proposed location of the Animal Science/Agricultural Engineering Complex (Project Area #1). The prehistoric cultural deposit at that location appears to be a Late Woodland Period seasonal camp occupied by a single-family small band. It has been named "the James Salt Site" (18 PR 303). It is recommended that a Phase 2 evaluation investigation be conducted at that archeological site to determine its potential eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The other project area investigated were for the proposed Environmental Services Facility Detonation Pit (Project Area #2), the proposed Landfill Transfer Station (Project Area #3), and the proposed Pesticide/Herbicide Storage Facility (Project Area #4). No potential significant cultural materials were found to be located in Area #2. The location of Area #3 is within the recorded boundaries of prehistoric archeological site 18 PR 48. However, the prehistoric and historic cultural materials in Area #3 are not interpreted as being of potential historical significance. The initial proposed location of Area #4 is within the recorded boundaries of prehistoric archeological site 18 PR 15. As a result of a design change, however, the proposed construction site has been shifted away from the terrain investigate in this study. The new location of Area #4 will be investigated at some time in the future. As a result of this investigation, no further cultural resources investigations are recommended in Project Areas #2, #3, and #4. However, it is recommended that a Phase 2 evaluation investigation be conducted in the portion of Project Area #1 occupied by Site 18 PR 303.
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    Phase I/II Report for the Banneker-Douglass Museum Expansion: The Courthouse Site, 86-90 Franklin Street, Annapolis, Maryland, 2000.
    (2001) Larsen, Eric L.
    During August and the first week of September 2000, Archaeology in Annapolis conducted archaeological excavations in the open lot on the north side of the Banneker-Douglass Museum on Franklin Street in Annapolis, Maryland. This Phase I/II investigatioin has been conducted at the request of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development in advance of rehabilitation and expansion of the historic Banneker-Douglass Museum. The projecet area is part of the Courthouse Site (18AP63), a multi-component historic site in the historic district of Annapolis. The testing area-which is now an open, grassy lot-is bounded on the South side of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, on the east by the new Anne Arundel County Courthouse and on the north by private law offices. Three mechanical trenches and five hand dug units were used in evaluating the archaeological integrity of the site and to evaluate the age and diversity of archaeological deposits. Background research shows that, during the 19th and early 20th century, this area held four separate dwellings. Previous archaeology found evidence of occupation at the site dating back to the 17th century. During the 19th century, the area became part of Annapolis' African-American community. No materials were found dating to the earliest periods, but a large and diverse assemblage of 19th- and 20th-century artifacts was recovered throughout the project area. Several features associated with the African-American occupation of the block. These include portions of two different household's privies, a root cellar/storage pit, a possible wood shed, midden and yard deposits, as well as other structural features. These features provide a particularly important archaeological opportunity to examine the African-American material world between about 1850 and 1930. This report provides analyses of the project area's stratigraphy and artifact assemblages and suggests strategies for subsequent archaeology of the site. The evident integrity of the site and potential for yielding important information and insights into Annapolis' African-American community, its households, material culture, and adaptations. The current site of 84-90 Franklin Street (part of 18AP63) is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D.