Milestones--2009

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. We’ve celebrated with two galas (thank you Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, and the team of Governor Martin O’Malley, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and the Legislative Black Caucus), three exhibits, and a documentary. But 2009 holds special significance for the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) as well. The MCAAHC originated in 1969 as the Maryland Commission on Negro History and Culture, by a state bill introduced into the state legislature by Senator Verda Freeman Welcome, America's first African American female state senator. The Commission plans to celebrate this milestone at its next public meeting on December 15, 2009 at M&T Bank stadium. The public is invited to attend this event, which will last from 1:30-4pm.

And finally, 2009 marks the 135^th anniversary of the main building itself. The site began as Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church. It served as a house of worship for nearly a century. When the congregation relocated to Bay Ridge Avenue, the purchaser planned to demolition the building. Want to know more? Then come on by!

Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Public Viewing and Quilting Session

Come join the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation for two public quilting sessions surrounding the Black Watermen of the Chesapeake quilt. Dates, times, and locations may be found to the right of this posting. The quilt documents the lives of people living and working on the Chesapeake Bay. The sessions this weekend are a follow up to two very popular sessions held last weekend in Annapolis. A total of 180 people came out last weekend to participate and we anticipate even larger crowds this weekend.

To learn more about the Black Watermen of the Chesapeake quilt or Dr. Gaither and her other works, please visit http://www.joangaither.com/.

The Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library Celebrates Its 2nd Anniversary

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, the staff of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, along with business and community leaders, and members of the Annapolis community came together to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. The program began with a prayer by Rev. Hunt, the founder and pastor of the Grace of God Outreach Ministries in Baltimore, Maryland. Following the invocation, the audience, led by Denise Strothers, a recording artist, sang Lift Every Voice and Sing, the African American National Anthem. The staff of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library dedicated a poem, My First Memory (of Librarians), written by Nikki Giovanni, to the library's namesake, Sylvia Gaither Garrison. Then, the business and community leaders dramatically read the writings of such literary giants as Frederick Douglass, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Robert Hayden, Dudley Randall, Margaret Walker, Benjamin Banneker, and others. Betty Coleman, president of Friends of the Banneker-Douglass Museum and a board member of the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, ended the event with a stirring reading of a poem entitled Harriet Tubman, written by Margaret Walker.

African Art

AFRICAN ART COLLECTION, Late 19th and 20th Century

Collection includes tools, ceremonial objects, textiles, weapons, personal items, and cooking implements. Artifacts were acquired by purchase and donation from African Art dealers. Objects are representative of the major cultural groups among enslaved Africans in the Chesapeake region. Ceremonial objects include masks worn during initiation rites from Guro, Senufo, and Buale peoples of the Ivory Coast. There are Granary doors from Dogon, and Yakuba or Dan rice spoons. Textiles include kente cloth, mud cloth, and indigo dyed cloth. Decorated tools and personal items include an Ashanti or Buale cosmetic pouch, weaving pulleys, combs, and utility stools.

Wood Ceremonial Doll with leather and beading
1991.01.0003

Holiday Partying at the BDM

Planning a party this holiday season? Why not consider holding your event at the Banneker-Douglass Museum? The BDM can hold 300 people for a standing reception and 150 for theater-style seating. And, of course, the grand historic atmosphere comes free of charge. If you are interested, please contact Jeffrey Greene, Chief of Operations: (410) 216-6180

Public quilting sessions

Beginning next week, Dr. Joan Gaither, the creator of the Journey to the White House quilt that was on display at BDM from January through September of this year, will take her latest quilt on the road inviting anyone interested to add stitches and messages to the quilt.

The quilt, entitled Black Watermen of the Chesapeake, documents African American life on the Chesapeake Bay through images and text. It highlights the men and women who dedicate themselves to the Chesapeake Bay whether it be through working as watermen, living in communities that support activities attached to the Bay, environmental issues, and much much more. While titled Black Watermen of the Chesapeake, the quilt is not only for and/or about the black watermen. It is for anyone and everyone who has had an experience on the Chesapeake Bay.

Dr. Gaither is inviting the public to come and share their Chesapeake Bay experiences on this quilt as a way to help document the many stories of life on the Chesapeake. People may participate by adding stitches and messages to the quilt, sharing stories on video or writing them down, helping identify people important to African American life on the Chesapeake Bay, or bringing photographs of their experiences of the Chesapeake Bay for possible inclusion on the quilt.

If you would like to participate in this project, check out the dates of the public quilting sessions to the right of this posting. For more information, contact the Banneker-Douglass Museum Education Department at 410.216.6180 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

For more information on Dr. Gaither's work, please visit http://obamacommunityquilt.blogspot.com/.

For more information on the African American life on the Chesapeake, please visit http://blackschesapeake.org/

Joan Gaither Public Quilting Sessions

In 2008, Dr. Joan Gaither created the quilt Journey to the White House (J2WH), chronicling President Obama's life story and rise to the White House. The fifth installment of her My American Series, J2WH garnered much attention when she opened up the quilt to members of the public to come and add their own messages and images to the border of the quilt.

Dr. Gaither is now working on the latest quilt in the American Series entitled "Black Watermen of the Chesapeake." The quilt documents the lives of the many African American men and women living and working on the Chesapeake. As part of this quilt, Dr. Gaither is once again inviting the public to come out and add their own stories to the quilt. People are invited to come add a message to the quilt, bring family photos which may be scanned and added to the quilt, and tell their story or that of their family in oral history interviews that will be conducted on site.

Quilting and sewing experience are not required. Registration is not required. This program is free to the public. For more information, contact us at 410.216.6186 or at BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

The public quilting sessions will take place four times at various locations in November. The dates, times, and locations are listed below.

November 12, 2009
10:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Bates Legacy Center
1101 Smithville St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

November 14, 2009
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

November 20, 2009
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Meredith's Seafood and Carry Out
3227 Main Street.
Grasonville, MD 21638

November 21, 2009
Captain Salem Avery Museum
1418 East West Shady Side Rd.
Shady Side, MD 20764

HIDDEN TREASURES UNCOVERED

25th Anniversary Exhibit Artifact Highlight
Artist: JOYCE SCOTT, 1948 -

Joyce J. Scott, one of the most significant artists living and working in Baltimore today, was born in Baltimore and still lives in the Baltimore neighborhood where she was raised. A sculptor, jeweler, printmaker, installation artist, performance artist, and educator, Joyce J. Scott draws from influences as wide-ranging as her media: from African and Native American experiences to comic books, television, popular American culture sources and the contemporary culture as it exists on the streets of her urban Baltimore neighborhood. For more than three decades, this multi-talented artist and provocateur has created objects of exceptional skill and beauty while offering her own distinctive commentary on social issues such as stereotyping, violence, and other forms of social injustice. Joyce Scott specializes in weaving, quilting, beadwork and glass. Scott received a B.F.A. degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a M.F.A. in crafts from Institute Allende in Mexico, with further study at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. -Maryland ArtSource

The Making of an Artist

From Dr. Joni Jones:

Last night, Genevieve Kaplan and I attended the 1st Annual Performing and Visual Arts Gala at the Wiley H. Bates Middle School & MD Hall Integrated Arts Campus. This evening of students and the arts marked the re-opening of the site as an arts magnet school. Their performing and visual arts magnet program with focus on three areas: dance, visual arts and music. In addition to the arts-integrated core classes, there will be artists-in-residence to work with the students.

After the opening remarks, remarks by dignitaries (who were primarily introduced by the BMS students—a job well done, I might add), and ribbon cutting, the large crowd was treated to performances, art installations, and talks throughout the integrated campus. Genevieve and I focused on the African drumming, the string ensemble, and then the works by Paint Annapolis. The Commission and the BDM will definitely work to partner with this campus, so stay tuned.

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture Annual Meeting

Interested in learning more about Maryland's African American history and culture? Want to be a part of the effort to better preserve and share that history and culture? Then come to the Maryland Commision on African American History and Culture's Annual Meeting to find out how you can get involved!

Thursday, October 15, 2009
10:00 a.m.
Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center
1101 Smithville St.
Annapolis, MD 21401
Free
Registration not required.

Field Trips

Remember when you were in school and how exciting it was when the class got to go on a field trip? One of the great things about my job is that not only do I to get to host several field trips every year, but I am also still able to go on on field trips. The only difference is that field trips are now called "professional development days." During professional development days, we visit museums in the area and learn about how and why these museums do what they do and see if we can use this information in our institution. This is pretty much like professional development days for anyone else, however given the nature of what we do, our trips are always to museums.

Last week, the entire staff of the Banneker-Douglass Museum went on a professional development day trip to two museums in Washington, DC - the Newseum and the National Museum of American History. We went to the Newseum to look at their temporary exhibit G-Men and Journalists in order to get ideas for two exhibitions we will install in 2010 on law enforcement themes. While there, we received a great tour of the museum from Patty Rhule, a Project Editor at the Newseum and one of the writers for the G-Men exhibit. She walked us through the exhibit pointing out some of the key artifacts and giving us an insider perspective on how the exhibit was put together. I would definitely encourage people to go check this exhibition out. It is on temporary display at the museum through the end of 2009.

While at the National Museum of American History, the staff saw the The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise in the National Museum of African American History and Culture Gallery on the second floor of the museum. The tour was led by exhibition co-curators Michelle Delaney, associate curator of the Photographic History Collection at the National Museum of American History and Paul Gardullo of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This exhibition was a collaborative effort between two museums to display images of black Washington, DC during the 20th century from the Skurlock Studio. After the tour, the BDM staff met with Deborra Richardson, David Haberstich, and Vanessa Broussard Simmons from the Archives Center at the museum and talked about the exhibition and how they process their collections. This exhibit will be on display at the National Museum of American History through 28 February 2010.

Quite a field trip, er, professional development day, if I do say so myself.

Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library News

Hello, everyone! My name is Lynn Waller, and I am the Archivist for the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library (SGGL) at the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM). I received my BS degree in Psychology from Howard University, and a Master’s of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland.

This summer the SGGL at the BDM provided an opportunity for two IMPART interns. Kristin Wisor and Nicole Hill served as the SGGL at the BDM’s IMPART interns for this past summer. IMPART consists of an assortment of private and public organizations that provide training opportunities for young professionals with the hope that they will seek employment within Maryland’s tourism industry. BDM is a proud partner of IMPART.

Kristin attends Salisbury University, where she majors in Education and minors in Math. This semester she plans to intern, as a student teacher, at Berlin Intermediate School and Wicomico Middle School. Once she graduates from college, she desires to teach Math to middle school students. Kristin loves the hit comedy, The Office, and hopes to watch every episode this season. Additionally, Kristin sings, writes, and records her own pop and country music.

During the summer, Kristin served as the Paper Archives Assistant. In that capacity, she created the finding aids for the BDM Archives, the BDM Photo Archives, the Wayne Clark Collection, and the Dr. Herbert M. Frisby Collection. She also assisted me with the organization of the Steven C. Newsome Collection. She helped Dr. Jones and I further organize the Maryland Repository of African American Heritage, discovering an issue of the Maryland Journal--which was published on August 20, 1773--in the process. She also aided me in processing some of the vertical files, including the research regarding the Banneker-Douglass Museum’s 25th Anniversary documentary: From Cause to Reality: The Story of the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

Nicole Hill attends the University of Maryland at Eastern Shore (UMES), where she studies Criminal Justice. As for her future plans, she is contemplating attending law school. At UMES, she plays three positions on the softball team for the Lady Hawks: catcher, third baseman, and shortstop. In her spare time, she enjoys playing softball and reading romance and teen novels.

Throughout this past summer, she served us as the Photo Archives Assistant. In that position, she organized all of the photographs within the BDM Photo Archives, by putting them in the proper binders. In addition, she also created an inventory, where she entered all of the metadata of the photographs: the name of the people within the photograph, the name of the photographer, and the size of the picture.

In addition to their duties as IMPART interns, Kristin and Nicole also volunteered to assist Genevieve Kaplan, BDM’s Education & Public Programs Manager, with the Underground Railroad Conductor, a summer program hosted by the museum. While attending the program, participants received the opportunity to learn about the lives of Marylanders of African descent. At the beginning of the program, Genevieve taught the participants some of the language and secret messages conductors and passengers used to communicate along the Underground Railroad. Then, she asked the participants to form groups. Once they formed groups, she assigned each group the task of developing a message, using the language of the Underground Railroad. After each group created a message, one after another, they sought to convey it to the other groups. After every group attempted to convey their message to the other groups, they wrote about the experience on a worksheet. When the participants came across difficulty in expressing their thoughts regarding their experience, Kristin and Nicole assisted them, using their college training in Grammar and Literature.

As you can see, it was a productive summer for the IMPART interns at BDM. Kristin and Nicole are both wonderful young women. We wish them great success in their future endeavors!

Frisby Collection

HERBERT M. FRISBY COLLECTION, ca. 1890 – 1980

Herbert Frisby (1886-1983) pursued knowledge, traveled widely, and educated others through his writings and lectures. A young Frisby became fascinated by Matthew Henson, the first African American to explore the North Pole. As one of the first African American war correspondents, Frisby covered the construction of the Alcan Highway, connecting Alaska with Canada. Frisby made twenty-six trips to the Arctic regions, culminating in 1957 with his fly over of the North Pole to deposit a memorial to his childhood hero, Matthew Henson.

Frisby filled his home, which he dubbed “The Igloo,” with geological specimens, animal furs, photos, and audio tapes, souvenirs collected during his Arctic trips. The entire collection was donated to BDM in 1979 and also includes family history, documentation of his teaching, speaking, and military careers.

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

Let me introduce myself: I am Joni Jones, executive director of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). MCAAHC’s mission is to preserve, promote and interpret Maryland’s African American Heritage. We are administered by the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. For more information on us, check out our website: http://www.africanamerican.maryland.gov/

The MCAAHC also operates the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM)—the State’s official repository of African American history and culture. The BDM offers compelling exhibits and programs, and it collects art objects, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, and other articles of significance to MD’s African American history and culture. We hope this blog provides you with timely information about our exhibits, programs, and services. After you’ve checked us out online, we hope you’ll attend a MCAAHC-sponsored event and visit the BDM.

Fall Programs

Be sure to be on the lookout for the latest additions to the Banneker-Douglass Museum's upcoming fall program calendar. We have some great offerings this fall including a quilting workshop led by Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, the creator of the Journey to the White House quilt, a hands on workshop on Geochaching a new way of scavenger hunting using GPS systems that is fun for the entire family, an oral history workshop on preserving your family's history, and the annual Benjamin Banneker Birthday Party which will be an evening of learning about Banneker's life as an astronomer while exploring the stars with the Anne Arundel Community College Astronomy Club.

We will also be offering talks on photography to go along with our newest exhibition, which will debut later this month. More details to come on the workshops and the exhibition.

Make sure to mark your calendars for this year's annual Sylvia Gaither Garrison Day, honoring the namesake of the museum's library. The event this year will take place on November 7. Information on this program will be coming out soon.

A full calendar of the museum's fall events will be available here, at the museum, and on our website in a few weeks. In the meantime, keep your eyes on this space for individual program announcements.

Museum Hours

I wanted to post a quick note to say that the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be closed over the Labor Day holiday starting on Friday, September 4 running through Monday, September 7. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m.

In addition the museum will return to its regular operating hours of Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Banneker-Douglass Museum in the news

In the past few months, the Banneker-Douglass Museum has started appearing in the press quite a bit. Articles ranging from the new Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture to mentions in opinion pieces on new efforts to preserve African American history in Maryland have appeared in several newspapers across the state mentiong the museum. I decided to share a few of these stories below. Enjoy!

Banneker-Douglass Museum has new leader in 25th anniversary year
The Capital Newspaper 8/9/09

Museum saves by going green
The Capital Newspaper 8/10/09

Preserving a Legacy
Baltimore Sun 8/17/2009

Blog Changes

Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined Community has now officially ended its 15 month run at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. With the end of the exhibition, we had to think about what to do with this blog. About 6 months ago, we polled people on this blog about what they would like us to do and the results are in.

Effective today, the Seeking Liberty blog will morph into a blog covering the Banneker-Douglass Museum. In future postings, the blog will feature posts about our collections, upcoming events, information on happenings around the state, and anything else that strikes the museum staff's fancy.

The archives of the Seeking Liberty postings will remain and you will be able to search back postings through the archives section on this blog. We will continue to post related articles as we come across them. Thanks for your interest in this blog. We hope you will continue to visit!

Last Chance!!

The "Seeking Liberty" exhibit will be on display at the Banneker-Douglass Museum for just two more weeks! The last day to view the exhibit will be Sunday, June 14th. The Museum has switched to summer hours and will keep the following schedule through September 6th:

Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Hope to see you at the museum!

Digging In

Interested in getting your hands dirty and helping on an archaeological dig? Check out the article below from today's Washington Post listing several archaeological sites hosting public digs this weekend.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051401716.html?hpid=features1&hpv=local

You never know what you will find...

Archaeological finds were in the news in the Capital last week as archaeologists with the Lost Towns Project presented some of their findings during a dig on the Patuxent River. The archaeologists are hoping to find Native American artifacts dating from zero to 900 A.D. to provide evidence of life at the Middle Woodland settlement. What they have found instead are objects dating to time periods before and after, but not their target. Check out the article from the Capital to learn more.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2009/05/04-10/County-archaeologists-uncover-Indian-site.html?ne=1


The Lost Towns Project is sponsoring a public archaeology dig day this Saturday, May 16 from 9:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m. Check out the event listing below for more information.

Dig with professional archaeologists from the Anne Arundel CountyLost Towns Project in search of the lost town of London. No experience required. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.Groups must make reservations in advance.
FREE
Call 410-222-1318 for more information.

Maryland Preservation Conference

The other day I heard about Maryland's Annual Preservation & Revitalization Conference and I thought I would pass on the information...

The conference will take place at the Tremont Grand in Baltimore, Maryland on May 28 and 29. The schedule includes numerous presentations, workshops and tours most of which focus on some aspect of preservation in the city of Baltimore. Many of the presentations look really interesting including one entitled "Promoting and Preserving African-American Heritage in Baltimore and Beyond." This presentation will focus on the different venues in Baltimore that help to tell the story of African-American history in the city. Some of the tours offered will be of Clipper Mill, Baltimore churches and the American Brewery, among many others. There is discount for early registration for the Conference if you register by May 13th. It will be a very interesting and informative couple of days- Hope you can attend!

For more information follow this link to view the Conference Brochure:
http://www.preservationmaryland.org/pdf/pm%20conf%20broch%20webFINAL.pdf

MAC Lab

I thought I would do a quick post on an organization that plays a major part in Maryland archaeology- The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, otherwise known as the MAC Lab. The MAC Lab is located at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard Maryland about an hour south of Annapolis. The Lab is a state-of-the-art archaeological research, conservation and storage facility that is estimated to hold between 7 and 10 million artifacts. Almost all of the artifact collections housed here were recovered in Maryland with much of the collections coming from archaeology projects carried-out by state and federal agencies within Maryland. Some of the collections housed at the MAC lab were acquired through private donation. The MAC lab is operated by the Maryland State Government through the Maryland Historical Trust.

What some people might not realize is that a majority of archaeology work actually takes place in the lab. It's estimated that for every week spent in the field excavating, at least a month of work is needed to properly clean, catalog, analyze and store the excavated artifacts. A major concern in the field of Archaeology right now is the proper conservation and long-term care of artifact collections. Unfortunately, there are far too many cases of artifact collections that are neglected once analysis is completed. Given the importance of the laboratory side of archaeology work, the state of Maryland is very fortunate to have such an advanced facility to care for our material past.

The MAC lab offers a range public programs including a monthly open house where visitors can go on a free guided tour of the MAC lab facilities. The next one is scheduled for May 20th!! To read more about the MAC Lab and Jefferson Patterson Park visit their website: http://www.jefpat.org/3arch-maclab.htm

Field Schools!

It's that time of the year again... different archaeology projects are busy preparing for their summer field schools. Field schools are an opportunity for those interested in archaeological excavation to gain intensive, hands-on experience in the field. Field schools typically last around six weeks and students receive instruction in all aspects of archaeological investigation from professionals in the field. Completion of a field school is a basic requirement for almost any job in the field of archaeology. Luckily field schools are offered all over the country (and all over the world!!) so you can find one that meets your specific interests.

Last summer I worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Archaeology in Annapolis field school which was held for 3 weeks at the Wye House on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and for 3 weeks in the Historic District of Annapolis. You may want to check-out some of the posts on this blog from May, June and July of 2008 to read about last year's work. The field school this year will also be held in both locations. If you are considering a career in Historical Archaeology, this field school is the best of both worlds in that it offers instruction in both an urban and plantation environment. For more information about the University of Maryland, Archaeology in Annapolis field school see the following link:

http://www.bsos.umd.edu/anth/aia/school.htm

There's lots of opportunities for field schools in Historic, Prehistoric and Underwater Archaeology. A great place to learn about field schools (and archaeology jobs) is through a website called shovelbums. Here's the link to the field school page:
http://www.shovelbums.org/component/option,com_sobi2/catid,44/Itemid,880/

If you have any questions or would like some suggestions about what type of field school might be best for you, post a comment or email us at seekingliberty@gmail.com.

Archaeology Month!

I just thought I would remind everyone that April is Maryland Archaeology Month. I know we are half way through April already but luckily there's many ongoing events and a number of events yet to be held...

You may recall that last year the city of Annapolis was featured on the Maryland Archaeology Month poster. The poster attracted a lot of visitors to the city and in particular to the "Seeking Liberty" exhibit at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. This year the Archaeology Month poster features St. Mary's City in Southern Maryland, which was the first capital of the colony of Maryland. Historic St. Mary's City has a great archaeology program and they hold an archaeology field school each year. Dr. Tim Riordan, the chief archaeologist at Historic St. Mary's City will be giving an Archaeology Month lecture on Sunday, April 26th at 3pm at St. Mary's. The lecture will focus on findings from excavations at the Calvert House at St. Mary's which was excavated during the 2008 field school. St. Mary's City is also open to the public Tuesday through Saturday during the spring. The site offers reconstructions of many of buildings including the 1676 State House. There are also costumed interpreters on hand to teach visitors of all ages about Maryland's earliest years. It's well worth the trip! For more on St. Mary's City visit their website: http://www.stmaryscity.org/index.html

For information on Archaeology Month events visit the Archaeological Society of Maryland website: http://www.marylandarcheology.org/Arch_Month_2009/Index.htm

Written in Bone

I recently visited a really incredible exhibit which is now on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The exhibit is entitled "Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake" and describes how archaeologists and forensic anthropologists study human remains in order to learn about how the people of the past lived. The exhibit includes many examples of bones that show the effect that different types of trauma or diseases have on the skeleton.

One of the most fascinating parts of the exhibit focused on an excavation that took place right here in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and was carried-out by the Lost Towns Project. On display is the skeleton of a boy that archaeologists found buried in what was once the basement of a plantation house on the Leavy Neck site. The boy was buried in a shallow hole which was too small and caused the skeleton to bend at the the hips and knees. The body was covered with a thick layer of clay and then the cellar was filled in with trash. The lack of care taken in the burial of this boy shows that he was most likely considered to be a person of very little value to the family who lived on the plantation. The boy's skeleton also shows signs of physically demanding work and poor nutrition which indicate he was almost certainly an indentured servant. In addition, scientists discovered that the boy's wrist was broken prior to death. Archaeologists believe that the clandestine nature of the burial, the lack of regard for the body, along with the physical trauma suffered by this boy indicate abuse and possibly a violent death. The archaeologists and forensic anthropologists who study the "Leavy Neck Boy" admit that they will never know exactly the events that led to this boy's death but that his skeleton certainly has aided them learning a lot about the every day lives of indentured servants in the Chesapeake.

This was a really interesting and informative exhibit that is great for visitors of all ages and all levels of archaeological understanding. The exhibit is on display through February 2011. Check out the following link for more information on the exhibit: http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/index.html

Reynolds Tavern Exhibit

I wanted to take a moment to follow-up on Genevieve's last entry. Amelia and I are in fact hard at work putting the finishing touches on the off-site exhibits. We were able to complete the small exhibit at Reynolds Tavern which was debuted at the Queen Anne's birthday celebration in February. It was a celebration worthy of the Queen, complete with a lively costumed Queen Anne impersonator and speeches by current British diplomat Dominik Chilcott and Annapolis Mayor, Ellen O. Moyer. Everyone was very interested in the artifacts on display and we got some really positive feed-back!

In this exhibit we included contents from the second cache of materials found in the Reynolds Tavern basement. It is believed that this distinct deposit of materials, which dates to the early 1800's, is related to African Spiritual practices and was possibly used for healing or safeguarding. Material in the cache includes everyday objects such as pieces of broken glass and pottery, oyster shells, rusted nails, crab claws, pieces of smoking pipes and many more objects. The other cache found at Reynolds is still on display at the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

The exhibit at Reynolds includes many other exciting artifacts, all of which were found during excavations at the Tavern in the early 1980s. Be sure to visit the exhibit ... and stay for tea if you can!

For information on visiting Reynolds Tavern visit:
www.reynoldstavern.org/tea.html

To read more about Queen Anne’s birthday celebration see the following links:
www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2009/02/07-03/Queens-legacy-yields-new-significance-on-344th-birthday.html?ne=1

www.ci.annapolis.md.us/headlines.asp?ID=13666

Seeking Liberty Expands!

Over the past two months exhibition designer Amelia Harris and archaeologist Jessica Mundt have worked steadily to create new satellite Seeking Liberty exhibitions at three of the sites featured in the exhibition at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Calvert House, Reynolds Tavern, and the Green Print Shop are the proud hosts of mini-exhibitions telling the story of their buildings through archaeology. The Capital recently ran an article on the new exhibitions. Click here to view the article.

Visitors are invited to view the new exhibits this Sunday, 29 March 2009 during the second annual Four Rivers Heritage Area sponsored Maryland Day. On Maryland Day, over 30 sites around Annapolis and South County including the Green Print Shop and the Banneker-Douglass Museum will open their doors free of charge to the public and offer special activities for visitors from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. To learn more about this event, visit the Maryland Day website at www.marylandday.org.

Upcoming Archaeology Lecture

Dr. Mark Leone, the guest curator for Seeking Liberty, will present a lecture at the Banneker-Douglass Museum this Saturday on Frederick Douglass and Wye House Farm. The University of Maryland conducts field schools at Wye House Farm every summer uncovering several artifacts including the remnants of a slave village.

Wye House Farm was one of the places Frederick Douglass was enslaved at during his lifetime. The plantation, owned by the Lloyd family, was established in the 1650s. The Lloyd Family was one of the largest slave holding families on the Eastern Shore.

Come to the Banneker-Douglass Museum this Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 2pm to learn more about the work happening at Wye House Farm and Frederick Douglass' connection to this Maryland location. The lecture is free of charge and registration is not required.

Surprise!

Just after my last posting declaring the end of Seeking Liberty, I was informed of the possibility that the exhibition would be extended. I held off publishing that information until I had confirmation on that fact. I am now pleased to announce that Seeking Liberty has indeed been extended through the end of January and most likely through the end of February! The blog will continue through the end of the exhibition. Hooray!

Check back here in the coming weeks for information on upcoming programming at the museum as well as the follow up to the French archaeological digs. Please feel free to contact us with any archaeology-related projects you may be interested in seeing on this blog. We are always looking for more feedback and ideas.