A Geophysical Survey at the Carroll House

Abstract

The Charles Carroll House is located on the south side of historic Annapolis, where the Duke of Gloucester Street meets Spa Creek. Charles Carroll, the house builder's son, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The house is a part of the property for St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church and plans are being made for the historical renovation of the house and garden. 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.