Archaeology in Annapolis
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Item Test Excavations at Gott's Court, Annapolis, Maryland(1992) Leone, Mark P.; Little, Barbara J.; Warner, Mark S.In the summer of 1989 Archaeology in Annapolis undertook three weeks of archaeological testing in a parking lot in the Historic District of Annapolis located to the immediate west of Church Circle. The property was scheduled to be destroyed by the construction of a below-ground parking garage. Historical research on the area had indicated that property to have been occupied since the mid 18th-century. The primary purpose of test excavations was to determine the integrity of the archaeological remains below the modern asphalt surface. Results of the excavations indicated that significant archaeological deposits remained from Gott's Court, the early 20th century occupation of the property by working-class African Americans. There was also strong evidence to suggest substantial deposits from earlier occupations of the area. Unfortunately, constraints upon the archaeologists' access to the property did not allow for a more thorough study of that aspect of the site's occupation.Item Phase I-II Archaeological Investigations on the Courthouse Site (18AP63): An Historic African-American Neighborhood in Annapolis, Maryland(1993) Warner, Mark S.; Mullins, Paul R.; Leone, Mark P.; Little, Barbara J.During the Summer and Fall of 1990, Archaeology in Annapolis conducted archaeological excavations at the Courthouse Site (18AP63), a multi-component historic site in Annapolis, Maryland. The testing area, which is now a parking lot, is a roughly triangular block bounded by Franklin, Cathedral, and South Streets in Annapolis' Historic District. A limited number of units restricted to three areas of the lot were permitted for this phase of the investigation. Excavations analyzed the archaeological integrity of the site and evaluated the age and diversity of archaeological deposits in the test areas. It is expected that the phase of excavations analyzed here will precede Phase III investigations in the areas of the lot which contain rich deposits. The excavation area's use during the colonial period is unknown, but undisturbed strata containing a light deposit of eighteenth-century artifacts were identified in the southeast corner of the testing area. The lot gradually became an African-American neighborhood after about 1850, and a large and diverse assemblage of nineteenth- and twentieth-century artifacts was recovered throughout the test area. Testing in the southwest corner of the block revealed filled basements and grading disturbance dating to the circa 1960s dismantling of the neighborhood. In some units, this disturbance mixed eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artifacts with modern refuse. A partially disturbed barrel privy dating to the late-nineteenth century was identified in this area of the site in the back of the home which was numbered 38 Doctor Street in 1903 (renumbered 68 Franklin Street circa 1910). The feature contained a small assemblage of 13 glass vessels, including an unusually high number of glass table vessels (ten). A unit placed in the back yard of 80 Franklin Street identified a circa 1921 dog burial. Testing revealed several areas worthy of rigorous excavation and indicated that artifacts have been discarded into the lot since about the mid-eighteenth century. The identification of several features associated with the African- American occupation of the block indicates that the site contains significant intact African-American deposits. These will provide a particularly important archaeological opportunity to examine the African-American material world between about 1850 and 1950. This report provides analyses of the site's stratigraphy and artifact assemblages and suggests promising strategies for subsequent archaeology of the site.Item Archaeological Investigation of the State Circle Public Well, 18AP61, #40 and #42 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland(1990) Stabler, Jennifer A.; Little, Barbara J.The State Circle well, discovered during the larger State Circle archaeological investigatons, is believed to be a late 18th-century public well. The moist environment of a well preserves ceramic, glass, metal, and organic material. It was hoped that intact 18th and 19th centuiy domestic deposits were preserved in the well shaft. Because of time constraints, a three-inch diameter core was extracted from the well shaft, which extended thirty-five feet below surface. The results of the coring process enabled archaeologists to make a final decision not to excavate the well shaft. Historical documentation showed that the well was covered and had a pump and was still in use around 1900. The well had been filled in early in the 20th century with soil brought in from elsewhere.Item Archaeological Testing at 10 Francis Street, Annapolis, Maryland, 18AP55(1990) Galke, Laura; Jones, Lynn; Little, Barbara J.In August 1990, archaeological investigations were permitted at 10 Francis Street (18AP55). The house on this property dates to the early eighteenth century and the property has had little disturbance since that time. Excavation here has provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about this period of Annapolis' history. Two units were excavated and are described fully within this report. One unit, placed next to the house foundation, revealed an eighteenth-century brick sidewalk beneath the current mid-nineteenth-century brick sidewalk, but it did not contain any builder's trench for the structure. A second unit, randomly place in the back yard, revealed intact stratigraphy dating back to the early eighteenth century. These findings demonstrate the integrity of this site and its potential for future investigation. Any alterations to this property should proceed only after further controlled excavations have taken place.Item Archaeological Testing at the John Brice II (Jennings-Brice) House, 18AP53, 195 Prince George Street, Annapolis, Maryland(1990) Ernstein, Julie H.; Little, Barbara J.In the fall of 1989, emergency excavation was undertaken in conjunction with restoration work at the John Brice II (Jennings-Brice) House, 18AP53. The exact date of construction for this brick home is problematic, and it was hoped that archaeological investigation could provide conclusive evidence to firmly establish the structure's date of construction. Excavation of one 5 X 5 ft. unit revealed the presence of 10 separate soil layers and four features of note, described in detail below. Unfortunately, no builders trench or similar feature by which we might date the house's construction was recovered. Future plans and possibilities for excavation at the property are outlined with the hopes of performing subsequent work at this rich site. We anticipate a focus on the arrangement and changes in use of the houselot, amassing evidence to support the presence of a vernacular garden on the property during the 18th century, as well as researching refuse disposal patterns, and clues to changing lifeways through the 18th century.Item A Summary of Archaeological Excavations from 1983-1986 at the Green Family Print Shop, 18AP29, Annapolis, Maryland(1995) Cox, C. Jane; Buckler, John J.; Little, Barbara J.; Lev-Tov, Justin; Leone, Mark P.18AP29, the Green Family Printshop, also known as the Jonas Green site, was excavated from 1983 to 1986 by Archaeology in Annapolis and Historic Annapolis Foundation. The site is not only the home of a significant figure in colonial Maryland but is also the location of one of the first colonial printing operations in Maryland. This site represents an important pre-industrial business in Annapolis. While this domestic site is complicated and rich, one of the most fascinating aspect of 18AP29 is the discovery of a large quantity of printers' type. Extensive analysis of the printers' type and documentary research on one of the print shop's products, the colonial newspaper, the Maryland Gazette, provides insights into the print culture which was developing during the 18th and 19th centuries. This report summarizes the stratigraphic analysis, minimum vessel counts, and faunal analysis. It provides some description of the printers' type.Item Archaeological Excavation of State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland(1990) Read, Esther Doyle; Russo, Jean; Logan, George; Burk, Brett; Leone, Mark P.; Little, Barbara J.Archaeological excavations were conducted at State Circle in Annapolis during the fall and winter of 1989-1990 by "Archaeology in Annapolis", a cooperative program between the University of Maryland, College Park and the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Excavation was conducted as part of the undergrounding of public utility wires within State Circle, Francis Street, and School Street. The work was undertaken to satisfy the conditions of compliance as set forth in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 83b, sections 5-617 and 5-18. Twenty excavation area were selected for excavation within the project area. Areas were selected based on data gathered during historical background research. Areas were also selected in an attempt to gather information concerning the Baroque town plan designed in 1695 by Royal Governor Francis Nicholson. Three sites previously identified in the project area (18AP22, 18AP28, and 18AP50) were tested. Nine additional sites were discovered during excavation (18AP54, 18AP55, 18AP56, 18AP57, 18AP58, 18AP59, 18AP60, 18AP61, and 18AP62). At least one hand dug 3 ft by 5 ft unit per site was excavated. In all, a total of 23 units were excavated.