24 April 2008

Archaeology Live!

Archaeology in Annapolis is having a busy week with their current project at Fleet Street and Cornhill Street just off of State Circle. AIA is conducting archaeological digs of the area prior to utility undergrounding work. The project participants began the project without any expectations of what they were going to find and were they surprised when they uncovered a log road from the late 17th or early 18th centuries.

Seeking Liberty's very own Jessica Mundt is working on this project and will be providing updates and information on the project's findings in the coming days, but for now please read the following articles from the Baltimore Sun and the Capital.

Baltimore Sun (4/24/2008)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.logs24apr24,0,6204331.story

Capital (4/24/2008)
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/04_24-43/TOP

Archaeology in Annapolis is expected to continue digging on Fleet and Cornhill Streets for another four weeks. If you have a chance, please stop by and watch archaeology in action. You never know what you might see!

Congratulations on a fantastic find AIA!

22 April 2008

The Death's Head


The Death's Head Stamp is the primary image of the Seeking Liberty exhibition but up until this point, we have not actually discussed what it is and why it was included. This small piece of printer's type, on loan from the Historic Annapolis Foundation, was discovered at the Green Print Shop in the mid 1980's. This stamp played a major role in Maryland Gazette's protest against the Stamp Act of 1765.

Jonas and Anne Catherine Green moved to Annapolis, MD from Philadelphia in 1738 to become the official Maryland State Printer. In this role, Green was responsible for printing several different types of documents including contracts, bills, and legal documents. By 1745, the Green Print Shop began to produce the Maryland Gazette, a weekly newspaper which provided news of the day from Maryland and beyond.

On March 22, 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act requiring the American colonists to pay taxes on printed papers including newspapers, documents, contracts, and playing cards. The money raised by the Stamp Act was intended to help finance the defense of the colonists along the frontier areas near the Appalachian Mountains. The passage of this act enraged colonists because it was passed by the British Parliament without input from the colonies.

News of the Stamp Act reached Annapolitans via the Maryland Gazette on April 18, 1765. Jonas Green published several articles, flyers, and other printed matter protesting the new act. When he published the announcement that Annapolitan merchant Zachariah Hood was appointed as stamp distributor for Maryland, several Annapolis residents began to take action including the burning of an effigy of Hood in late August 1765.

The colonists fought the Stamp Act in a variety of ways up to and including refusing to pay the tax. The Green Print Shop protested the Stamp Act by publishing the Death's Head stamp on the front page of the October 10, 1765 edition of the Maryland Gazette. When this edition of the newspaper was published, Mr. Green declared in the masthead that the Gazette was "expiring." This issue, number 1066, was the final numbered edition of the Maryland Gazette printed before the Stamp Act went into effect on November 1, 1765.

While the Death's Head issue was the final numbered edition published prior to November 1, it was not the final edition published. Green published three subsequent unnumbered issues of the newspaper, with the final issue appearing on October 31, 1765.

On December 10, 1765 an edition of the Maryland Gazette appeared stating "Apparition of the late Maryland Gazette, which is not dead, but only sleepeth." Seven weeks later, on January 30, 1766, an edition of the newspaper appeared under the headline "Maryland Gazette, Reviving." The January 30 edition marked reinstatement of numbered editions of the paper, with this edition appearing as number 1067. On February 20, 1766 a third publication appeared declaring "Maryland Gazette, Revived." The Maryland Gazette reinstated weekly publication on March 6, 1766.

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1765.

To learn more about Maryland's involvement in protesting the Stamp Act, follow the link below to the Maryland Online Encyclopedia and read an article by Jean Russo from the Maryland State Archives.

http://www.mdoe.org/stampact.html

20 April 2008

Charm's meaning


Recently there’s been some interest in the meaning of the hand charms found at the Governor Calvert House and the Maynard-Burgess House. Charms similar to the one pictured here were also found in the former living areas of African American laborers at Thomas Jefferson’s plantation, Poplar Forest in Virginia, and Andrew Jackson’s plantation, the Hermitage in Tennessee.

These charms were most likely sewn on to clothing as decoration or functioned as jewelry charms for a necklace or bracelet. There have been different interpretations for the meaning of these charms. Some feel that the charms are symbolic of the wounds of Christ and therefore have meaning within Christianity. Others believe that the charms have meaning within an Islamic context and are representative of the Hand of Fatima which symbolizes benevolence and good fortune. It is also possible these charms could be symbolic of the Mediteranean figa symbol which is represented as a fist with the thumb between the index and middle fingers. Figas are a symbol of fertility and were used for protection from the dangers of the “evil eye.”

Considering these charms were found in an African American context we may be more likely to interpret them as relating to the Hand of Fatima symbolism within Islam but it’s difficult determine how exactly these charms were used and understood. It is possible African Americans understood these charms to have meaning that drew from all three of the given interpretations.

The above information was taken from Chris Fennell’s book Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diasporas and Ethnogenesis in the New World, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2007. To read more about the possible meaning of the hand charms see an excerpt from this book in the African Diaspora Newsletter http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/news1207/news1207-2.html.

15 April 2008

Race and Consumerism

I thought that the entry Small bottle, large lesson that Genevieve posted a few weeks ago was really interesting. I especially liked how she tied in a reference to the Cosby Show. While this is a fictional account it reminded me that issues reflected in the archaeological past are still relevant today. In particular I was reminded of a newspaper article I read last year. The article is entitled First Grocery Store In Almost Ten Years Opens In Ward 8, and tells about how this predominantly African American section of Washington D.C. has gone without a full-service grocery store since 1998.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.nbc4.com/news/14798498/detail.html

Having easy access to a grocery store is something most of us take for granted. In a poor area like Ward 8, not having access to a grocery store severely limits the options for places where residents can purchase food. Perhaps residents would not be able to make the trip to another grocery store because they do not have access to a car, because they cannot afford public transportation or because of the difficultly of transporting groceries on a bus or the Metro. Residents are therefore forced to shop elsewhere for food, most likely at local places such as corner stores or fast food restaurants. These alternatives certainly would not provide the same healthful options as a grocery store and likely are more expensive per meal. This unequal access to goods has both financial and health repercussions for this poor, minority group. Through this article we see how issues of class and race in relation to consumerism are still relevant today.

For more information on the demographics of Washington D.C. see the following: http://www.neighborhoodinfodc.org/wards/wards.html.

02 April 2008

April is Maryland Archeology Month!


Maryland Archeology month is hosted by The Archeological Society of Maryland. This year's poster features "Stories of Liberty: Archeology in Annapolis." Visit The Archeological Society of Maryland website (http://www.marylandarcheology.org/) for more information on ways you can celebrate Maryland's archaeological past.


The website also provides links to a number of programs that offer the opportunity for people of all skill levels to get involved in Maryland archaeology. There is also a calendar of events scheduled throughout the month of April and a number of interesting pieces on specific artifacts found in Maryland.
Enjoy the site and we hope to see you at some of the events!


Small bottle, large lesson


This small blue bottle tells quite a story about how African Americans in Annapolis fought racism in the market place.

The bottle was uncovered at the Maynard-Burgess House. This house was constructed in 1848 by John Maynard, a free black man living in Annapolis. Maynard and his descendents lived in the house until 1921 when it was purchased by Willis Burgess, a former boarder in the residence. This house was occupied until the 1980's.

When archaeology digs were conducted at the Maynard-Burgess House, several bottles from national brands were uncovered including this small Bromo Seltzer bottle. Many African American households purchased nationally produced goods in the market as a means of fighting price variances. When purchasing locally produced goods at the local market, African American customers would often encounter fluxuating prices based on their skin color as opposed to white customers who would frequently receive lower prices on goods as well as better quality items. Goods produced nationally were subject to fixed prices which were frequently marked on the packaging, prohibiting merchants from increasing the price for individual customers.

In addition to finding high numbers of bottles from national brands at the Maynard-Burgess House, archaeologists uncovered a large proportion of animal bones, providing a glimpse into the diet of the occupants of the house. These bones came from domesticated animals including cows, sheep, and pigs which were commercially butchered as well as a considerable number of fish bones. The presence of large numbers of fish bones has led archaeologists to believe that the residents of the Maynard-Burgess House were most likely fishing privately to supplement their diet and circumvent the marketplace.

These actions provide food for thought when considering the marketplace today. It brings to mind an old episode of The Cosby Show where three of the show's characters went into a neighborhood supermarket that had poor quality goods and high prices as compared to the goods and prices at another branch of the same supermarket chain in a more affluent neighborhood. As a means of protest, these characters partnered with area residents to picket the store as well as organize a penny protest where people paid for their groceries in coins and small denominations, slowing the store's checkers and causing other customers to leave the store. The protests were able to affect change on the show.

While this was a tv episode, it certainly reflects real life issues today. Have you noticed fluxuating availability and quality of produce and meat depending on where you shop? What issues have you encountered when shopping related to variations in price and quality? What have you done when confronted with this situation?