Page 9 - Maryland Historical Trust - Archaeology Colonial MD

INTRODUCTION
Colonial archaeology stains or a series of upright metal nails, Continuing with the theme of
in Maryland dates back to at least the 1930s when the approaching 300th anniversary of the province’s found-
ing piqued the public’s interest in Mary- land’s birthplace: St. Mary’s City. Since that time, archaeology has undergone innumerable changes in theoretical focus, scientific rigor, technological advance- ment, and methodology. To attempt to chronical these changes would fill more than one volume (and make for dull reading). This book, instead, provides the viewpoints of five authors, each ap- proaching Maryland’s colonial history from a slightly different vantage point, be it topical, geographical, or theoretical bent. As the editor, I have attempted to “fill-in-the-gaps” with interesting sidebar pieces and timelines that help to place each chapter in a broader context or supply additional information for the reader. Each chapter is thoroughly doc- umented with endnotes, pointing the reader not only to the source material for much of this book’s content, but also providing definitions and recommenda- tions for further reading. And an index provides a handy reference for re-locating discussions of note.
In Chapter 1, Henry Miller focuses on the site of Maryland’s birth in March of 1634. His chapter on the archaeolo- gy of St. Mary’s City provides not only a description of the founding of the col- ony and its earliest days, but provides a detailed look at how the evolving science of historical archaeology has revealed the layout and development of the town of St. Mary’s. What once was almost en- tirely agricultural fields, is now an expan- sive living history exhibit and museum interpreting life in seventeenth century Maryland for the general public. Those interpretations are reliant, in no small part, on the contributions of archaeol-
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gists. Miller describes in great detail
y minor clues, such as soil
can reveal details about the construction of a building or layout of a site that we know from the historical record, but for which we have limited surviving written information. The artifacts associated with these buildings, likewise, provide a record of 17th-century daily life that is not avail- able in even the most detailed archival re- cords. The result is a comprehensive view of life for the early colonists at St. Mary’s City.
Chapter 2, by Julia King, turns to life on southern Maryland’s many plan- tations. As King points out, for most of those immigrating to the colony (wheth- er by their own free will or forcibly) daily life was experienced not in a town or city, but at a plantation and the new social order of Maryland was forged on these plantations. King uses comparative data from several sites in St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert counties to paint a picture of life on the plantation for both those in power, and those without it. Her chap- ter also discusses how plantation owners used architecture, material culture, and the division of space to literally shape and then reinforce social divisions...much to their own benefit.
Al Luckenbach’s chapter turns to a group of Puritan transplants from Virgin- ia. Chapter 3 discusses the archaeological traces that led to the discovery of sever- al sites associated with the 17th-century “town” of Providence by the Anne Arun- del County Cultural Resources Division and its volunteers. The discovery of those sites revealed that our modern under- standing of what constitutes a “town” is not at all in-line with seventeenth cen- tury notions. When compared to later Anne Arundel County sites such as Her- rington or London Town, one can see how changes in transportation played a role in the development of our modern concept of the town. Luckenbach also discusses the tension between Anne Arundel County’s Protestants and the Catholic proprietor, Lord Baltimore.
“the town” and its meaning, Mike Lucas’ chapter explores the internal anat- omy and spatial layout of an early tide- water community. Established in 1684 by an act of the colonial legislature, the plantation of Mount Calvert morphed into “Charles Town,” the seat of Prince George’s County government until 1721. The linear arrangement of the town along the Patuxent River was ordered for the efficient movement of people and goods from river landing, to shop and ordinary, to courthouse. From the late 1990s and through the first decade of the 21st century, the Archaeology Program at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission excavated a number of structures at Mt. Calvert that revealed what life was like in a courthouse town and how rapidly the landscape could change based on the whims of political elites in the early colony.
Finally, Scott Strickland examines Native-Colonial interactions in Chapter 5. Strickland examines archaeological evidence at native settlements on the eve of the arrival of the English, and then moves on to examine the indigenous response. Throughout, he draws heavily on the rich archival record of the peri- od. Several of the villages visited by John Smith in 1608 are examined just before and after contact, including Secowoco- moco, Moyaone and its successor villages, and the villages of the Patuxent Indians. Archaeological evidence for trade and in- teraction with Europeans is documented as is the disruption that these changes brought for Native Peoples.
As mentioned in the preface, the genesis of this volume was an attempt to impart to the people of Maryland a sense of life in the early province, and to relay how archaeology has made irreplaceable contributions to that story. These five es- says are but a sampling of the rich con- tributions that Maryland archaeologists have made towards the understanding of our past. We hope you enjoy them!
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