Phase I/II Report for the Banneker-Douglass Museum Expansion: The Courthouse Site, 86-90 Franklin Street, Annapolis, Maryland, 2000.

Abstract

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.