Banneker-Douglass 2.0

The Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library Celebrates It's Fourth Anniversary

2011-12-05T15:36:00.027-05:00

Prior to the holiday season, the chairman of the Maryland Commision on African American History and Culture, Ted Mack, along with Commisioner Dr. Clara Small, Dr. Joni Jones, executive director of the Maryand Commission on African American History and Culture and director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Alma Cropper, president of the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, Betty M. Coleman, president of Friends of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Dwyane Lee and Linda Simms, board members of the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, the family of Sylvia Gaither Garrison, and many others gathered together at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library.

C. R. Gibbs, the keynote speaker, captivated the audience, as he shared the many dramatic stories of bravery by both Caucasions and African Americans that occured during the antebellum period in Maryland. One story in particular stood out: William Chaplin, a Caucasion abolitionist, hid two enslaved men: Garland White and Allen, whose last name is unknown, in his carriage and was taking them to freedom when six armed men stopped the carriage by putting a fence rail between the spokes of the wheel. Then, they shot into the carriage, but one of the enslaved men fired back. The joy of freedom, unfortunately, was denied both men on that day. Determined to be free, Garland White escaped from slavery and became a chaplain in the 28th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops. It was stories like this and others that made Gibbs' lecture compelling.

As Gibbs came to te conclusion of his lecture, the audience didn't want it to end. In fact, they felt the topic was so satisfying tht they posed several though provoking questions to the historian, after the hour long lecture concluded.

Pictured from left to right: Alma Cropper, C.R. Gibbs & Lynn Waller

Winter Programs

2011-11-29T13:28:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone

Just wanted you to take note of the new programs listed in the right hand column. More programs to be added later this week.

Come out and join us!

Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library's Fourth Anniversary Celebration

2011-11-15T11:21:00.016-05:00

Runners: Maryland Fugitives from Slavery: A Lecture by C.R. Gibbs

Saturday, November 19, 2011
10:30am-12:30pm
Location: Bates Legacy Center, 1101 Smithville Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Free, Open to the public
Registration encouraged
To register, call 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us by November 16th

Join the Banneker-Douglass Museum in celebrating the 4th anniversary of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. Historian and author C.R. Gibbs will discuss historic figures, such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and their escape from slavery.

This program is sponsored by the Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center.

2011-10-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

Banneker-Douglass Museum, Maryland State Archives, and Historic Annapolis Present

Flee! Stories of Flight from Maryland in Black and White

Exhibition Opening and Talk by Dr. Ira Berlin

Tuesday, 1 November 2011
5:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.

Banneker-Douglass Museum

84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD, 21401

Commemorate the 148th anniversary of the end of slavery in Maryland at the opening of themuseum’s latest exhibition. Designed by the Archives’ Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland, this traveling exhibition highlights rare historical documents that give testament to the daily operation of slavery in our state Join us for a living history performance from Historic Annapolis’ highly acclaimed Project Runaway followed by nationally renowned historian and author, Dr. Ira Berlin, as he shares some of his views on the Underground Railroad and slavery in Maryland.

For more information or to register for this program, please contact the Banneker-Douglass Museum at 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

Teachers who pre-register for this program will receive a complimentary document pack.

Moving

2011-09-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

My office ceiling has been really loud today.Working in the old part of the museum (former Mount Moriah building), sounds seem to carry really well whenever anyone is in the sanctuary. This can be helpful at times such as when large groups come in the building without scheduling in advance. It can also be distracting such as when my tour groups are in the sanctuary making a lot of noise while working on projects. Fortunately I am not in my office during that noise, but my co-workers probably don't revel in the sounds of tour groups coming through their ceilings.

Today the noise isn't due to groups in the building, but rather the installation of the museum's newest exhibition, Selections from In Each Other's Shoes. This exhibition, which opens on Sunday, October 1, 2011, features several artworks by Baltimore artist Loring Cornish. He creates artwork from found objects, turning them into mosaics. The mosaics in the exhibit at the museum all center on the African American and Jewish history and culture and the ways they intersect with special focus on the Civil Rights Movement and the Holocaust.

The artworks arrived at the museum on Monday and are being installed on the first floor of the sanctuary all this week. Installation of these works is no easy task as they are quite large with many components and small pieces for the art handlers to accommodate. The exhibit pieces are actually so large they take up the entire main floor of the former sanctuary. As a result we will be hosting many upcoming programs in sites other than the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming programs and their locations.Here are a few installation shots to give you an idea of what is coming in. Please be sure to join us for the opening reception of Selections from In Each Other's Shoes on October 2, 2011 from 1-3 p.m. at the museum.

2011-09-07T15:51:00.003-04:00

BDM Returns to Regular Hours

The BDM is now open Tuesday - Saturday from 10am - 4pm. Come visit us!

BDM Closed

2011-08-26T11:46:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

With Hurricane Irene's pending visit to Maryland, the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be closed on Saturday, 27 August 2011. If you are in the area please take the necessary precautions and stay safe.

For updated safety information and the latest on the State of Maryland's Hurricane Irene preparations, please visit the following websites:

Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
http://www.mema.state.md.us/MEMA/index.jsp

MEMA Hurricane Irene State of Emergency page
http://www.mema.state.md.us/MEMA2/index.html

Preparation

2011-08-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

Summer is drawing to a close and with it another tourist season ends. As a tourist destination, one would think that the museum would be heading into "slow time," but in fact we are ramping up for the busier time of our year. We have new exhibitions coming in which means installation plans to work out and execute, new programming calendars to plan, school programs and tours to design, research to conduct, publicity to do, etc. Like I said, very busy.

As Tabitha wrote in the previous posting, we are preparing for the arrival of Loring Cornish's In Each Other's Shoes. This exhibit has the staff very excited. For my part, I am working up a series of program offerings for the next eight months that I think is really interesting. The new calendar will have a variety of programs including concerts, performances, family days, artmaking opportunities, and a few other intriguing offerings. We will be releasing the calendar soon, so please make sure to check back on the blog.

For right now, please mark your calendars for Sunday, October 2, 2011 and plan to attend the opening reception for In Each Other's Shoes. More details to come in the next few weeks! Have a great rest of the summer!

Loring Cornish at the Jewish Museum of Maryland

2011-08-10T10:29:00.011-04:00

The Banneker-Douglass Museum would like to recognize the Jewish Museum of Maryland and their current exhibit Loring Cornish: In Each Other's Shoes. Mr. Cornish, known for his row-houses turned art in Baltimore, focused his exhibit on "acknowledging the shared Jewish and African-American heritage of the Lloyd Street heritage."

Mr. Cornish's previous exhibition focused on Civil Rights in the African American community, and was shown at Morgan State University. His perspective changed after meeting with a local Jewish couple: “Everything changed. I realized I could not use my art to talk about the struggles of only one community,” Cornish said. “I was struck by the connections between the struggles of Jews and Blacks.” Mr. Cornish took the mosaics from the Civil Rights exhibition and used the opposite side to create related pieces with Jewish themes.

To read more about this exhibition, please see the Jewish Museum of Maryland's website or plan a visit. The exhibition will be at the Jewish Museum until September 15, 2011, after which BDM looks to exhibit a sampling of the pieces in our galleries. Keep posted for updates!

http://www.jewishmuseummd.org/exhibit/loring-cornish-each-others-shoes

Pictured above:
Formation of the Star ©2009 Loring Cornish.

Turner Station Heritage & Praise Celebration Honoring Henrietta Lacks

2011-08-03T13:07:00.000-04:00

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011
Time: Noon-5pm
Location: Baltimore’s Historic Turner Station
Admission: Free
Parking: Free, On-Street
For More Information: Contact Ms. Courtney Speed, Program Organizer, 410-340-4888

Part I: Program
Union Baptist Church
105 Main St
Dundalk, MD 21222 [Turner Station]
(410) 282-7944

Meet Ja-Zette Marshburn

2011-07-27T10:33:00.003-04:00

Greetings,

My name is Ja-Zette Marshburn, and I am very excited to be working as the Walter Hill Fellow in Archives at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in conjunction with the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. I am a lifelong Marylander, hailing from the historic Prince George's County. Recently, I transplanted to Montgomery County-- another area known for its historic political and military connections. Currently, I am pursuing my Master's in Archival Science and Information Management at the University of Maryland College Park. I am entering my second year of study.

I have had lifelong love of history coupled with the serendipitous training in the archival profession since I was a young child. I can remember perusing my grandmother collection of Ebony and Jet magazines that went back to the 1940s and being so enamored by them; I took great care to read and preserve them. It was also during this time that my love and zest for history began particularly with a deep interest in African American history and culture. I was an accomplished student and was awarded several scholarships finally bringing me to pursue my collegiate studies at the renowned Hampton University, a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia. Unfortunately, after a number of misfortunes, I could not finish my studies at Hampton, but with tragedy comes triumph. I graduated with honors from University of Maryland University College (UMUC) with a major in History with an emphasis on African American studies.

Once I completed my undergraduate studies, I knew I wanted to continue my education at UMUC's sister school, University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) because of its affiliation with world-renowned information institutions, most specifically the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and its connection to Dr. Walter Hill.

Dr. Walter Hill was an author, teacher and historical consultant but most specifically, he was a senior archivist and African American subject area specialist at NARA. He was also a former member of the MCAAHC and I am invested in being able to continue Dr. Hill's and the MCHAAC vision to illuminate the African American experience in Maryland with the use of archival records. I am honored and excited to be working here in a fellowship with named after one of my heroes in the archival profession. I am delighted to be working with the staff at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in a pursuit to process the archival records of the MCAAHC with a goal to elucidate individuals on the commission's history and purpose that will educate and enlighten generations to come.

2011-07-09T14:48:00.004-04:00

An Evening with

Jason Luckett

Saturday, July 23, 2011, 7-9pm

Banneker-Douglass Museum

84 Franklin Street

Annapolis, MD, 21401

Come experience the smooth sounds of alternative rock guitarist Jason Luckett

Admission

$15 in advance

$20 at the door

To purchase or reserve tickets contact:

J. Michael Powell

410-216-6188

jpowell2@goci.state.md.us

www.bdmuseum.com

• This event is suitable for ages sixteen and above.

Introducing Steve Carioti

2011-06-30T11:00:00.005-04:00

I am a native of Prince George's County, Maryland, where I curently reside with my fiance Bobi Sofou and her daughter Anna. I am the third child of five boys. My parents also reside in Prince George's County.

I am a full time student at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) in Largo, Maryland. I plan to complete my studies at PGCC in the spring of 2012 at which point I will recieve my Associate's degree in General Studies. Upon completetion, I plan to transfer to Bowie State University, where I will pursue a Bachelor's degree in history.

I've lived in Maryland for most of my life, except for a seven year period where I lived in Los Angeles, California. I worked as a production and writer's assistant at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California on such shows as "Hanging with Mr. Cooper," "The West Wing," "ER," and several other productions.

I love playing most sports; however, hockey is my favorite. I also enjoy reading historically significant books that typically center around the American Revolutionary period.

I recently started a stamp collection and vintage toy car collection. I enjoy visiting museums in my spare time. The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. is my favorite museum to visit.

My longtime goals are to secure a position working in the field of history and to further my education, once I've completed my studies at Bowie State University.

Pictured: Steve Carioti

Introducing Michelle Angeli

2011-06-29T14:34:00.004-04:00

I grew up and still live in Gambrills, Maryland, just north-west of Annapolis. At a young age, I experienced the local history. Many school trips were to Annapolis and many other local historical places. So now it's exciting to be working in the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. I have had many interests since I was little. I'm an avid reader; I sing; and play the violin. Right now, I sing in my church choir and praise band, "Whatever". I've been singing most of my life, but I was also interested in dance for 13 years, even performing in the Nutcracker annually. Finally, I've always had an interest in History. My love for history started in the elementary school. My teachers and later my professors always taught history with so much enthusiasm that I wanted to learn more.

After graduating from South River High School in 2003, I continued my education at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), where I continued Music and History courses. I performed with the AACC Orchestra and the Choir. I did well academically with being on the Dean's list from 2004-2005 and became a Phi Theta Kappa member. With an Associates of Arts degree in general studies, I transferred to University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). At UMBC, I started to concentrate on a major and realized I was taking enough history courses to get a history degree. While I was there, I was lucky enough to get a chance to study abroad in Ireland for a year at University College Cork (UCC) from 2006-2007 where I learned the history of the Early Christians, Women in Irish Society, Marriage, Vikings and the Ancient Celts. I continued to sing and learn the fiddle there. I received an award as runner up in RAG Idol, a singing event at School, in 2006. When I came home, I took as many European and Asian History courses as I could. At UMBC, it was required to take United States History courses, so I took a wide range of classes from Native Americans, Early American, the Founding Fathers, Women in European and Colonial Societies, the History of the Paintings, Architecture, Places and People during the Renaissance of Italy and Northern Europe, Japanese History through Film, and Western Civilizations. Finally, I graduated from UMBC in December 2008 with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in History.

My history lessons did not end there. I've been able to travel to places I learned about in school and church. I went to Vienna, Salzburg, Prague and Budapest in 2006 with a Collegiate Laureate Music Delegation program. We learned about the Cathedrals, Opera theaters and music schools. In 2008, with the Ecumenical Church Choir (POP ETC), we went to Germany where we sang in the Cathedrals of Leipzeig, Halle, Dresden, Wittenburg, Munich and Franfurt. I had the opportunity to sing a solo over Bach's grave. Awesome musical history! I love when my two favorites, history and music go hand in hand. In January 2010, I went to Egypt with my parents and in May 2011 we went to Turkey. We plan to go to Peru in October 2011. I loved the travelling experience and learning the history of the places I visit. I plan to have many more of these experiences.

Pictured: Michelle Angeli

Music to Our Ears

2011-06-07T12:32:00.000-04:00

Last week the Banneker-Douglass Museum opened the Music to Our Ears exhibition. This exhibit is the product of a school-museum-community collaboration between the museum, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation. The exhibit tells the story of Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches, two local landmarks with rich connections to the community. Over the course of the spring semester, Education & Public Programs Manager Genevieve Kaplan worked with Southern Senior High School's African American history class to interview community members about their experiences at the beaches. While conducting oral history interviews, the students were able to get first hand knowledge of the beaches and take an active role in documenting history.

Students spent the semester interviewing family members who attended the beaches as well as community members who worked and attended the beaches. Through their interviews they uncovered stories about sneaking into the beaches, varying disciplinary measures taken by security staff to maintain the peace, the many celebrities and performers coming to the beaches, and the lasting impact these landmarks had on the lives of people in Anne Arundel County and beyond.

The students were also fortunate to be able to research historic photos and newspaper articles thanks to the Afro's Black History Archives online and the digitized photos on the Maryland State Archives's website. These images were combined by the Print and Design staff at Anne Arundel County Public Schools with text written by the students and edited by museum and school staff to create exhibition panels. The exhibit panels tell many stories of life at the beaches in full color.

The exhibition opened last Tuesday to a crowd of nearly 75 people. The students shared their research as well as took questions from the audience on the beaches. During the presentation, the students shared their reflections on the semester as well as their heightened pride in their community and its history.

This is the second year for the Music to Our Ears project. The first year involved students at Annapolis High School conducting research and interviews with the final result being a mini-documentary. The documentary will start screening in the museum in a few weeks as part of the exhibition.

Curator's Corner

2011-05-12T15:10:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to present our newest accession of 2011!

On April 13, Ms. Donna Schmitz, art teacher of Lothian Elementary School, presented us with the school’s mural of President Barack Obama, an adaptation of the now-famous “Hope” campaign poster designed by street-artist and political activist Shepard Fairey during the 2008 presidential campaign. The mural, designed to serve as a reminder of the positive spirit of that historic campaign and created to honor President Obama’s Inauguration in January of 2009, was a collaboration between students and faculty in which each and every member of the Lothian Elementary community participated. The mural itself was painted in sections by different students, and the “frame” that surrounds the mural is a collage that highlights and celebrates American diversity. The border contains the signature of each participant. The sides of the mural features postcards created by older students, which focus on the importance of core values that all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, hold dear: love, freedom, and the importance of education for our collective future.

Our mission here at Banneker-Douglass is to preserve and promote over 4 centuries of African American history, culture, and art in Maryland. President Obama’s election and inauguration are important parts of that history. Lothian Elementary’s mural functions as a reminder to all of us that educating young people about culture, public affairs, and museums is an important part of ensuring that story can move forward. We’re glad to have it as part of our collection.

Upcoming Special Exhibitions at the Museum

2011-05-10T10:19:00.008-04:00

In the month of June, the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be exhibiting two new temporary exhibitions. The first exhibition will display the work of local contemporary artist Cisco Davis. This exhibit has three themes; works on the American Civil Rights Movement, Cisco Davis' personal life, and selected works on the African American experience. Davis draws inspiration from artist like Rembrandt and Cal Massey. His attention to detail is influenced by the work of fashion illustrators of the 1940s and 50s.

In conjunction with the Maryland State Archives, BDM is exhibiting A Charge towards Freedom: Resistance to Slavery in Maryland. This exhibition will highlight events in Maryland surrounding the resistance and call for the end of slavery.

Exploring the Autobiography of Matthew Henson

2011-04-19T10:46:00.005-04:00

On April 6, 1909, Matthew Henson became the first person to walk on the North Pole. The rare book, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, the first addition copy of which the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library owns, serves as Henson's account of that landmark achievement. In addition to discussing his historic journey to the north pole, he also gives an autobiographical account of his formative years. The book also includes a forward from Robert Peary, a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral as well as an introduction by Booker T. Washington, the most influential African American during the early part of the 20th century.

Pictured: Matthew Henson

Introducing Tabitha Pryor, Curator of Collections

2011-04-06T15:30:00.006-04:00

Tabitha Pryor has been brought on as the new Curator of Collections here at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Originally from Hagerstown, a small town in Western Maryland, Tabitha received her B.A. from Bridgewater College in Virginia. She obtained her Master’s degree in History at The University of Delaware as well as a certificate in Museum Studies. Before coming to the museum, she worked at The Rural Heritage Museum in Boonsboro, MD, cataloging the personal and professional collection of Dr. Peter Fahrney. Tabitha has also done work at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, and The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.

Her primary responsibility at the Banneker-Douglass will be caring for the museum’s extensive collection of artifacts which provide an invaluable window into four centuries of African American life in Maryland. Tabitha also has the essential task of ensuring that these important objects are being properly preserved, catalogued, and displayed so that future generations of historians and citizens will be able to examine them for evidence about our shared past. She will be looking for more ways to incorporate the museum’s collection in exhibits at the museum itself as well as for educational purposes throughout the state. She is honored to be serving her home state of Maryland and bringing the history of her fellow citizens together.

When not at work, she can be found at her home in Annapolis with her extremely lovable pets.

New Curator on Board... Introducing J. Michael Powell

2011-04-05T15:36:00.003-04:00

J. Michael Powell is the Banneker Douglass Museum’s new Curator of Exhibitions. Joseph Michael Powell is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from Virginia Union University and has candidacy for a Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Loyola University Maryland. He has additional graduate study in history and museum studies from Virginia State University and Morgan State University. Previous to coming to the Banneker Douglass Museum, Mr. Powell was the Assistant Curator and Historian at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. As the Assistant Curator, he assisted in the creation and research of exhibitions. He has a vested interest in sharing history and culture with the public and embraces a personal philosophy of education through self- discovery. Mr. Powell looks forward to creating new and innovative exhibitions for the BDM, with an initial exhibition in May on Slavery in Maryland in conjunction with the Maryland State Archives.

Ar'n't I A Woman?

2011-03-22T11:20:00.001-04:00

As I was pondering what I could write for Women's History Month, I remembered one special woman who used her words to describe her status as a Black woman. Rather than blog about the significance of women in history, one woman's words live on as a first hand account of that significance. Enjoy this incredible speech, in it's original text.

"Ar'n't I a Woman?" (1851)
by Sojourner Truth

Wall, chilern,
whar dar is so much racket
dar must be somethin' out o' kilter.
I tink dat 'twixt de nigger of de Souf
and de womin at de Norf,
all talkin' 'bout rights,
de white men will be in a fix pretty soon.
But what's all dis here talkin' 'bout?

Dat man ober dar say
dat womin needs to be helped into carriages,
and lifted ober ditches,
and to hab de best place everywhar.
Nobody eber halps me into carriages,
or ober mudpuddles,
or gibs me any best place!
And ar'n't I a woman?

Look at me!
Look at my arm!
I have ploughed,
and planted,
and gathered into barns,
and no man could head me!
And ar'n't I a woman?

I could work as much
and eat as much as a man --
when I could get it --
and bear de lash as well!
And ar'n't' I a woman?

I have borne thirteen chilern,
and seen 'em mos' all sold off to slavery,
and when I cried out with my mother's grief,
none but Jesus heard me!
And ar'n't I a woman?

Den dey talks 'bout dis ting in de head;
what dis dey call it?
"Intellect,"
(whispered someone near).
Dat's it, honey.
What's dat got to do wid womin's rights
or nigger's rights?
If my cup won't hold but a pint,
and yourn holds a quart,
wouldn't ye be mean
not to let me have my little half-measure full?

Den dat little man in black dar,
he say women can't have as much rights as men,
'cause Christ wan't a woman!
Whar did your Christ come from?
Whar did your Christ come from?
From God and a woman!
Man had nothin' to do wid Him.

If de fust woman God ever made
was strong enough to turn de world upside down
all alone,
dese women togedder ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!
And now dey is asking to do it,
de men better let 'em.

Bleeged to ye for hearin' on me,
and now ole Sojourner
han't got nothin' more to say."

February 24, 2011--Happy Birthday BDM!!

2011-02-24T12:44:00.003-05:00

The Banneker-Douglass Museum of African American Life and History opened to the public on February 24, 1984. It was renamed the Banneker-Douglass Museum of African American History and Culture in 1993. Pictured in the photo from that day addressing the crowd, is Carroll Greene--the first person to hold the joint position of executive director of the MD Commission on African American History and Culture and museum director. Also pictured (second from left) is Senator Verda Freeman Welcome, the first African American woman to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates and the first to become a state senator in the United States. Senator Welcome introduced the bill creating the MD Commission on African American History and Culture (1969) and the BDM. It was through their hard work and the tireless efforts of many individuals, grassroots community groups, preservation organizations, the City of Annapolis, and our State, that the BDM came into being. Thank you all and happy 27^th BDM!

Badge of Honor

2011-02-10T12:30:00.009-05:00

Louie McKinney, the first career deputy to be appointed the acting director of the United States Marshals Service, donated a copy of his memoir: One Marshal's Badge to the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library at the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

Before serving as a special investigator for the FBI, McKinney served with distinction in the U.S. Marshals Service. He guarded John Hinckley, the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. He, in addition, was a member of the Special Operations Group, a unit who is held in high esteem in the U.S. Marshals Service. Mr. McKinney has also worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

As with most men of distinction, Hollywood came calling. As a result, Chase, a television show which presents the work of a U.S. Marshal, employed McKinney as a consultant.

Pictured: Louie McKinney & Lynn Waller inside the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library at the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

Life is Like A Box of Chocolate

2011-01-24T10:25:00.001-05:00

It’s true, “you never know what you’re gonna get” out of life because it doesn’t always go according to plan. All the planning in the world would not have prepared me for the roller coaster ride I had in planning “Garment of Destiny: A Day of Remembrance and Service.” This event was in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and inspired by a quote from Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham” (1963), “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” With a lot of hard work and motivation, this event proved to be one of the most enjoyable. When you're passionate about something, you are willing to go the extra mile to make it the best it can be and I was extremely passionate about this event. Hard work and commitment, really pay off.

At the end of November/early December, I was asked to organize a Martin Luther King Jr. event that would encourage service and volunteerism. Being the thespian I am, I immediately thought of volunteers performing a series of monologues and literary passages to commemorate the progression of African Americans and equality in this country. All I would have to do is select which figures to portray and recruit volunteers for each role. Simple, right? Wrong. Compiling the text for the monologues/literary passages (script) was a headache in and of itself. I had an idea of which readings I wanted to use, but I could only find them in my text books and novels from college. I had to type the majority of the script from books, as well as write the introductions for each reading. Recruiting enough volunteers to fill each role was difficult as well. Not to mention that I ran into three major holidays, I have a second job, and I had mono...not the best combination to have when planning an event. Nevertheless, through the encouragement of others, I remained optimistic and continued to give one hundred percent.

Before I knew it, it was the first week of January and there was still a significant amount of work to be done before the big day. Ever notice how life’s most unpredictable moments tend to bring the best out of you? Well, I experienced several unpredictable moments. The Thursday before the event, which was on a Monday, the second half of the event’s program (following intermission) and other changes had to be made on the program. All I kept thinking was, “What am I going to do? There’s no way I can come up with something this late.” As I was driving across the bay bridge, back to the Eastern Shore, ideas for the second half of the event were running through my mind, but nothing seemed to fit. I had the urge to literally throw up my hands as a sign of defeat, but I couldn’t because I was driving. Then I started talking out loud. You know that conversation you and yourself have when you declare, “If one more thing goes wrong, I’m done!” I had one of those conversations. Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. Friday, I received an email that one of the performers was pulling out of the production and I still had no idea what I was going to do to fill the second half of the program. Well, the show must go on, right?

Friday night, the idea of doing a medley of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speeches for the second half of the program popped into my head, so I ran with it. I spent Saturday morning and afternoon, reading through Dr. King’s writings and speeches, to decide which ones to use. Then came the task of choosing the paragraphs to be read from each speech/writing so that they flowed with one another. Another unexpected difficulty. And what was I going to do about the performer who pulled out? Luckily, a friend heard about my dilemma and agreed to perform as many readings as I needed her to do. Phew. One less thing I had to worry about for the weekend. I spent the remainder of the weekend distributing the Medley of King piece to the “Garment of Destiny” cast and finishing last minute details for the event.

I woke up Monday morning, feeling relaxed. It was the big day and I was excited to see this event come to fruition. Despite some volunteers getting lost and parking in downtown Annapolis being basically nonexistent, all of the volunteers arrived and we worked together to get everything set up; from the registration table, the stage, the refreshment table, and the hands-on activity (for people to write their personal destinies and dreams for the future). Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national day of service and each of the volunteers showed up with an attitude to serve. No one murmured or complained. It was truly a team effort; a testament that you are only strong as the others around you. I wasn’t sure how many people were going to attend “Garment of Destiny” but even if there were only three people in the audience, I knew everyone was going to do their best.

Turns out, one hundred and twenty individuals were in attendance! Many of them stayed after the readings were over to tour the rest of the museum, mingle a little, and take part in the activity of recording their own dreams in the museum’s family gallery. The event itself far exceeded my expectations; along with hearing how many of those in attendance had learned something new and were interested in volunteering with the Banneker-Douglass Museum further. How awesome is that?! This is definitely one of the highlights of my service year as a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator.

If anyone is interested in volunteering as a tour guide (docent) or for upcoming events at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, feel free to contact Joyell Johnson at 410.216.6187 or by email at JJohnson1@goci.state.md.us.

BDM Holiday Hours

2010-12-22T08:55:00.002-05:00

This holiday season, the Banneker-Douglass Museum will operate under the following hours:

Wednesday, Dec. 22--OPEN
Thursday, Dec. 23--CLOSED
Friday, Dec. 24--CLOSED
Saturday, Dec. 25--CLOSED
Monday, Dec. 27--CLOSED
Tuesday, Dec. 28--OPEN
Wednesday, Dec. 29--OPEN
Thursday, Dec. 30--CLOSED
Friday, Dec. 31--CLOSED
Saturday--Jan. 1--CLOSED
Monday, Jan. 3--CLOSED
Tuesday, Jan. 4--OPEN

Please have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Ignorance, Tolerance, Acceptance

2010-12-17T13:26:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, I was invited to attend an intercultural diversity meeting on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. At the forefront of the meeting was the question: how does race play a role in the available resources and upbringing of many present-day African Americans. Several natives of Chestertown expressed their disappointment in their community not progressing much from the Civil Rights Era (http://www.chestertownspy.com/spycam-race-in-chestertown/). Housing developments, occupations, businesses, and social gatherings are as much segregated as they were sixty years ago. These discrepancies are also prevalent in other regions of Maryland, not just in Chesterton nor just on the Eastern Shore.

My grandmother, or “Mom-Mom” as I call her, has shared many stories with me of how things “used to be.” Several months ago, I invited my Mom-Mom to have lunch with me at Washington College, now my alma mater, and I’ll never forget what she told me later that day. She stated, “I never thought I would eat at Washington College.” That simple statement struck a cord within me because I knew exactly what she was alluding to. My Mom-Mom is born and raised in Kent County and has a clear memory of how races did not fraternize with one another in certain establishments. Some doors she was not permitted to pass through because she was of African descent. The mentality of separate-facilities-for-separate-races continued to resonate with her, even though two of her grandchildren had graduated from Washington College.

Although I am of a much younger generation than my Mom-Mom, I still see the lack of integration across the state of Maryland. The way things “used to be” appear to not have changed much, if at all. Instead of confronting the issue of race, the trend has been to detour around the subject and then forget the timeline of events that took place some time ago; before and after “the necessary evil” known as American slavery. What happened cannot be changed, but it can be understood. A clear understanding does not come from denying racial disparities, nor does it come from tolerating those who are of a different color. Understanding comes from acknowledging cultural differences and still being accepting of those difference, despite stereotypes, exaggerations, and lies that have trickled down generations into the twenty-first century.

If an individual knocks over a glass of orange juice, whether intentional or accidental, that individual has to eventually clean up the mess. A spill of racial injustice was made, that America has yet to clean up. The spill has been covered up and left to air dry, but the stain still remains. The spill cannot be cleaned up until citizens, including blacks, are thoroughly educated about African American history (thus eliminating their ignorance), and mature from tolerating African Americans to accepting them and their culture. This is why African American museums (i.e the Banneker-Douglass Museum) and historical sites are so important and need community support to sustain their existence.

The bystander effect has been in affect for too long. It is time for everyone to take initiative in bridging the racial gaps--from education, residential areas, professional careers, and extracurricular activities. We are all running in this race of unity together. Our children and our children’s children are depending on us to be examples for them; to train them, so that when we pass the baton of life onto them, they are adequately prepared to continue on and succeed.

-- Joyell Johnson, BDM Volunteer Maryland Coordinator

Retracing the Steps of a Lion

2010-11-23T15:13:00.021-05:00

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." Approximately nine years after King was born, Walter Mills, a former teaching principal at Parole Elementary School, decided he would walk in the light.

The Lion and the Fox, a play written by Mill's son-in-law, T. G. Cooper, is the story of how Mills' altruism defeated destructive sefiness. The play was imaginatively staged in front of a packed housed at the Banneker-Douglass Museum by Dr. Vivian Spencer, an Anne Arundel County Community College professor, to reveal the racial tension of the time.

The cast featured such dignitaries as Judge Clayton Greene, Jr., Court of Appeals, 5th Appellate Circuit as Thurgood Marshall; Chuck Farrar, former Anne Arundel County Councilman, played Noah Hillman, the lawyer for the County; Dr. Kevin Maxwell, the present Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent, played former Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent, George Fox; and Vincent Leggett, the former head of Black in the Chesapeake Foundation, played Music Brown. Anthony Spencer reprised the lead role of Walter Mills.

In Loving Memory of Irene S. Mills

2010-10-28T11:20:00.006-04:00

Irene S. Mills, wife of pay parity plaintiff, Walter Mills, died on Monday, October 25, 2010 at Anne Arundel Medical Center. She was born on Valentine's day in Morgnec, a small community in Kent County, Maryland. She was the fifth of eight children. She received her elementary school education at Joshua's Chapel. Because Morgnec did not have a high school where African Americans could attend, she traveled by horse and buggy to stay at her aunt's house during the week, so she could attend Garnett High School. Her persistance and hard work generated great dividends. She graduated as the valedictorian from Garnett High School in 1929. In 1931, she again graduated as the valedictorian; this time from Bowie Normal School. She went on to receive a M. A. from New York University. While engaged in the pursuit to obtain more knowledge, she met Walter Mills on the campus of Hampton Institute. The couple married ten years later.

She spent forty-six years serving the children of Maryland as an educator. She taught at Garnett Elementary School in Kent County for eighteen years. In addition, she also taught at Ralph J. Bunch Elementary School and Adams Park Elementary School. She also served as the principal of Ralph J. Bunch Elementary School and Germantown Elementary School, both in Annapolis.

Like her husband, she was involved in several civic organizations. She was the past president of the Salvation Army Board of Directors. She was also a member of United Methodist Women, American Association of University Women, the Friends of Banneker-Douglass Museum, and the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, whose last meeting she attended. Indeed, her presence at the Friends' and the Foundation's meetings will be missed.

Her husband of 45 years, Walter Mills, died in 1994. She is survived by her daughter, Valerie Mills Cooper, her sister, Alberta Smack, and two grandchildren, Irene Cooper and Royia Cooper Wilson.

Haunted House of History

2010-10-18T14:18:00.002-04:00

As Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I would devote my blog posting this month to a question I start to get on my tours and interactions with visitors around this time of year -- is the museum haunted?

When I first started at the museum in 2007, I would get this question every so often when I led tours of the former Mount Moriah Church building. Since the building was constructed in 1874, people thought the building's age equated to a haunted building. I always laughed when I got the question and answered "No, the building isn't haunted. No ghosts here." The person asking the question along with everyone else in their group would smile and breathe a small sigh of relief that I didn't share some spooky story that would have them looking over their shoulder during the remainder of their visit.

Nowadays, I am not so sure. In the past 3.5 years I have been working at the museum we have had some very bizarre unexplained occurrences that no one in the museum can explain to this day. These occurrences always happen after the museum closes for the evening and are seen by staff members when we stay late working. And they are almost always in the former sanctuary of the Mount Moriah building. We have only had one strange unexplained phenomenon occur in the new addition to the building, however that occurrence was a rather big one.

Submitted for your approval: the first of 3 stories from the Banneker-Douglass Museum staff on unexplained events at the museum. I will post the other two stories throughout the week. It is for you to decide, is the museum haunted or is it not?

Light the Night

During the winter of 2008, Exhibitions Specialist Amelia Harris and I stayed late working one evening in the exhibitions office on a new exhibition. The exhibitions office is located on the 3rd floor of the new building, has no windows to see outside the office, and large heavy doors that muffle most sound from entering the office. We were the last remaining people in the building and stayed until nearly 7:00 p.m. As it was wintertime, night fell early and it was completely dark as we prepared to leave for the night. We left the exhibitions office for the evening with Amelia departing the museum and I returned to my office in the lower level of the former church building to shut down my office before leaving for the night.

When I left the museum 5 minutes later, I looked up at the sanctuary windows in the lobby and did not notice anything amiss, noting all of the museum lights were off and everything was properly shut down for the night. However when I went outside and looked up I saw the windows in the front of the church completely lit up. Since I had been in the lobby only moments before as well as when we came down in the elevator, I was more than a little spooked. I immediately called Amelia and asked her if she had noticed anything when she left and she agreed with me that the lights had most certainly been turned off. She drove back to the building and stayed on the phone with me while I re-entered and went up to the sanctuary to investigate. Needless to say, I was a little unsettled. When I walked in the sanctuary, lo and behold, the lights on the rose window were shining brightly for all to see. I quickly made my way to the second floor of the sanctuary where I shut off the light and made a hasty exit lest I run into whomever turned the lights on. Once back outside the building Amelia and I checked and rechecked to make sure the lights didn't come back on.

To further your deliberation on the haunting aspect, when the museum is shut down for the evening all of the lights are shut off at 4:00 p.m. You have to physically walk past the area that was lit twice to turn off all of the lights on the second floor of the sanctuary alone.

What do you think? Haunted or my imagination? Have you ever encountered a ghost or had a scary sighting?

Haunting story number 2 in a few days....

So, Why Am I Here?

2010-10-08T11:25:00.000-04:00

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”

~Zora Neale Hurston, Harlem Renaissance writer

I wholeheartedly agree with Zora Neale Hurston’s definition of research, regardless of the subject. Being selected as the Volunteer Maryland Coordinator for the 2010-2011 service year at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, has granted me access to satisfy my own “curiosity” about African American history, museum operations, and…myself.

For those who may not know, my name is Joyell Johnson and will be working with the Education and Public Programs manager, Genevieve Kaplan, as the museum’s Volunteer Maryland Coordinator. The Banneker-Douglass Museum has partnered with Volunteer Maryland, a second year, to enhance its volunteer program by recruiting and supervising volunteers. Excitement does not begin to describe my attitude about working with the Banneker-Douglass Museum; I am ecstatic and optimistic about what the coming year entails.

I recently graduated from Washington College, located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and concentration in Black Studies. I have been a resident of Kent County for ten years and previously grew up in Europe. While at Washington College, I was a 2009 Comegys Bight Fellow and my research topic was “The Evolution of the African American Woman: The Mammy Caricature.” The research I conducted was instrumental for the research project I am currently completing, “The Evolution of the African American Woman: From Mammy to Michelle Obama.” I hope to pursue this topic further in graduate school next fall. Like the museum, I am also committed to preserving African American history, which is why I plan to earn my Ph.D. in the field.

I feel honored to be added to the team at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, even if for a short time.

Taking It to the Streets

2010-09-25T10:27:00.006-04:00

During the African American Cultural Festival in Baltimore County, Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley began shaking the hands of Marylanders at the table sponsored by the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives (GOCI). GOCI distributed over a thousand pieces of literature concerning the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, programs for African Americans, and the Banneker-Douglass Museum to festival attendees. In addition, GOCI staff members informed festival participants about the various events and programs GOCI hosts, answered their questions regarding the various aspects of Maryland's African American history and culture, and provided activities for children, such as creating stars out of paper.

Pictured: Genevieve Kaplan shows a girl how to create a star as Lynn Waller looks on.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Garrison!

2010-08-24T13:35:00.005-04:00

The staff of the Banneker-Douglass Museum wishes Mrs. Garrison a very happy birthday! We hope you enjoy your special day! May you have many more!

Pictured from left to right: Mrs. Garrison and Lynn Waller, archivist of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library.

Introducing Lela J. Sewell-Willams

2010-07-13T10:08:00.008-04:00

Lela Johnson Sewell-Williams, is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in American History and Black Studies from South Carolina State University and her Master of Arts degree in American History with a concentration in Archives, Museums and Historical Editing from Duquesne University. Ms. Sewell-Williams resigned from her position as the Assistant Curator of Manuscripts within the Manuscript Division of Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University to found Preserve Your Story, an archival consulting firm, which identifies and fosters the preservation of historical materials with a specialized interest in the promotion of family, community, cultural and corporate records reflecting the African Diaspora. She is currently serving as the Dance Archivist and an adjunct professor within the Dance Major program at Howard University, Washington, D.C.

As a member of the professional history and cultural preservation communities, as well as a member of the African Diaspora, she has a vested interest in the preservation of the history and culture of those of African descent. Being a student of these professional and cultural communities has served as a catalyst toward her decision to pursue a career in the field of archival preservation. As the first archivist at South Carolina State University (a centennial Historical Black College and University), as well as serving as the project archivist for the Robert “Bob” Johnson Dance Collection (founder of the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble) has afforded her a diversity of opportunities to work with personal as well as organizational records and artifacts. Additionally, she served as a Manuscripts Librarian within the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book division of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library located in Harlem, New York. While at the Schomburg Center Sewell-Williams served as the initiator and project archivist for the Center’s Hip-Hop Archive Project. These professional experiences have enabled the chance to develop, implement and apply archival polices and procedures. Through a collaboration of Moorland Spingarn Research Center and Howard University’s Dance department, Sewell-Williams has developed an initiative to collect the records of regional black dance companies and through the project has established a dance archive.

Intern at the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library!

2010-06-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

Archival Assistant (Contractual Position)

The Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library seeks an intern to serve as an Archival Assistant. The incumbent will assist with the arranging, describing, cataloguing, and preserving of historical manuscripts and photographs. The incumbent must be proficient in Microsoft Word. Experience in Past Perfect Museum software, library science, archival science, or African American history is preferred.

The Archival Assistant will work approximately 20 hours per week during the summer on a flexible schedule; the stipend is $2,500.00.

Please email your letter of interest, including availability, and resume to LWaller@goci.state.md.us by June 8, 2010.

Summer at the Banneker-Douglass Museum

2010-05-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

Summer is quickly approaching which means it is time for the Banneker-Douglass Museum to switch to summer hours. What does this mean? Beginning Tuesday, June 1, 2010, through Labor Day weekend, the museum will be open on Sundays from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. and on Thursdays until 7:00 p.m. The museum will also close to the public on Tuesdays.

Also, the museum will be closed on Friday, May 28 and Saturday May 29 for Memorial Day.

Here is the summer hours schedule which will run from Tuesday, June 1, 2010 through September 5, 2010.

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.

Carr's and Sparrow's Beach Images Needed!

2010-05-24T16:21:00.001-04:00

The Banneker-Douglass Museum Education Department has worked with the Annapolis High School African American history classes and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation over the spring to document the people, places, and events connected to Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches on the Annapolis Neck Peninsula. Throughout the semester we have visited the former site of the beaches and interviewed attendees, performers, and employees of the beaches to uncover their history.

The result of our efforts will be a short documentary on the beaches told through the people who were there to the high school juniors and seniors. The documentary is in its final stages of production now and we need your help. We are looking for images from the beaches to be included in the documentary. The images can be of people, memorabilia, or location shots. The museum is more than happy to scan and/or photograph the objects if you can bring them to us.

We need the images very quickly - no later than this Thursday, May 27! If you have images and/or objects you are willing to share, please contact Genevieve Kaplan, Education & Public Programs Manager, at 410.216.6186 or at GKaplan@goci.state.md.us.

Thanks!

African American Heritage Preservation Grants Announced

2010-05-06T16:04:00.005-04:00

Governor Martin O’Malley today signed into law a bill that establishes the African American Heritage Preservation Program to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. The program will be administered as a joint partnership of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC).

“The heritage preservation program will help restore a multi-cultural landscape while capturing the uniqueness of Maryland’s rich and diverse history and stimulating increased dialogue among individuals, groups, and sites,” said Commission Chair, Theodore Mack.

Governor O’Malley was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Speaker of the House Michael Busch and sponsor of the bill, Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller.

“This program provides us with a new opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the State's communities and to tell the story of the African American experience in Maryland for the benefit of residents and visitors alike,” said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall.

The African American Heritage Preservation Program also provides support for the acquisition, construction, and capital improvement of buildings and communities of importance to the history of African Americans in Maryland. This competitive program, offered once per year, is supported through an annual appropriation from the Maryland General Assembly. The legislation requires the Governor to include $1,000,000 in the annual capital budget submission for the program for specified fiscal years. Grant awards generally range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000.

For assistance in the development of project scope and purpose, contact Dr. Joni Jones, (MCAAHC) at (410) 216-6180. For assistance with capital project and technical preservation issues, contact Michael Day (MHT) at (410) 514-7629.

Application materials for the upcoming grant round will be available in the coming weeks, pending the approval of the final program regulations.

The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture serves as the statewide clearinghouse for preserving evidence of and documenting the African American experience in Maryland. It specializes in the collection and preservation of historical materials: art objects, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, and other articles of significance to African American history and culture. For the community at large and Maryland educational systems and institutions, the Commission provides exhibits, programs, and resource materials.

The Maryland Historical Trust is a state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland’s past. Through research, conservation and education, the Trust assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage. The Trust is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning and serves as Maryland’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Click here for more information including eligibility requirements, application process, and timelines.

Click here for information on available grants from the Maryland Historical Trust.

MCAAHC-Meeting Reminder--May 3, 2010

2010-04-23T15:30:00.006-04:00

The next meeting of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture is Monday, May 3 at 10am at the American Legion Post 77--102 Glenwood Avenue, Easton, MD 21601in Easton MD. Agenda highlights include a multiagency presentation by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, the Department of Natural Resources, and the counties of Dorchester and Caroline about Harriet Tubman commemorative projects. There will also be a discussion of the proposed African American Heritage Preservation grant program.

Reservations are encouraged, but not required. To make a reservation or to be added to the agenda, please contact Genevieve Kaplan by May 2 at: 410-216-6186 or GKaplan@GOCI.state.md.us.

Free. The public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

The mission of the MD Commission on African American History and Culture is to discover, document, preserve, collect, and promote Maryland’s African American heritage. The Commission also provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors to our state about the significance and impact of the African American experience in Maryland.

Dr. Dorothy Height

2010-04-21T13:37:00.003-04:00

Dr. Dorothy Irene Height - March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010

Dorothy Height, civil rights activist, died Tuesday at the age of 98. Height had been staying at Howard University Hospital for some time. Height had been a longtime activitist for equality and civil rights. She rallied, marched and supported several icons including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1957, Height became the President of the National Council of Negro Women and held that position until 1997. In 1994, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.

The late activist C. DeLores Tucker once called Height an icon to all African-American women. “I call Rosa Parks the mother of the civil rights movement,” Tucker said in 1997. “Dorothy Height is the queen.”

In a statement, Obama called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement" and a hero to Americans. "Dr. Height devoted her life to those struggling for equality ... and served as the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement â€” witnessing every march and milestone along the way," Obama said. Vice President Joe Biden said Height was one of the first people to visit him when he first took his seat in the Senate in 1973. "She remained a friend and would never hesitate to tell me or anybody else when she thought we weren't fighting hard enough," he said.

The recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other awards, she was accorded a place of honor on the dais on Jan. 20, 2009, when Barack Obama took the oath of office as the nation’s 44th president. Ms. Height was the author of a memoir, “Open Wide the Freedom Gates” (Public Affairs, 2003), with a foreword by Maya Angelou. The New York Times Book Review called the book “a poignant short course in a century of African-American history.”

Ms. Height was born in Richmond, Va. The family moved to the Pittsburgh area when she was 4. In her memoir, she recalled marching as a teenager in Times Square in an anti-lynching rally. She went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New York University and did postgraduate work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work.

Ms. Height, who never married, was a longtime resident of Washington. She is survived by a sister, Anthanette Aldridge of New York City.

Dr. Benjamin Hooks

2010-04-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

January 31, 1925 – April 15, 2010
Dr. Hooks, who led of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for 16 years, died Thursday at the age of 85.Hooks was unanimously elected president of NAACP in 1977. To take the position, Hooks resigned as a commissioner on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. He was the first black to have served as a member of the FCC. He worked to improve black’s image, and employment and ownership opportunities on radio and television.
The progressive leader of the NAACP played an important role in many battles in Washington. Amoung them is his lead in the historical Prayer Vigil in 1979, which was instrumental in defeating in Congress the Mott anti-busing amendment. He also lobbied enough votes in Congress for passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Bill.
A lawyer by profession, Hooks was the first black judge in the Shelby County Criminal Court in Tennessee. Hooks was born in Memphis to a middle-class family. He studied as LeMoyne College in Memphis and at Howard University in Washington, DC. In 1948, he received his law degree from DePaul University. “He’s had an amazing career,” said Julian Bond, a former head of the Atlanta branch of the N.A.A.C.P. “Judge, F.C.C. commissioner, minister of churches in two different cities at the same time, businessman, head of the N.A.A.C.P. Most people do one or two things in their lifetimes. He’s just done an awful lot.”Mr. Hooks was also an inspirational leader whose oratory was reminiscent of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which had Mr. Hooks as one of its board members. Mixing quotations from Shakespeare or Keats with the cadence and idioms of his native Mississippi Delta, Mr. Hooks thrilled his largely black following in his speeches. “There is a beauty in it and a power in it,” Mr. Hooks once said of his and other black preachers’ speaking style.In 2007, President George W. Bush presented Mr. Hooks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

Ladies Hats and Tea

2010-03-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

This past weekend the Banneker-Douglass Museum co-hosted one of its most anticipated events of the year - the annual Ladies Hats and Tea. This event first started in 2007 as a one-time program to coincide with the exhibition Trails, Tracks, Tarmac and was so well received it was brought back as an annual event. Partnering with the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center and the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, Inc., the museum has offered the event each March as a tribute to Women's History Month.

This event brings out hats of all shapes, sizes, and designs. There are always at least a few historical hats or hats passed down from family members. Some are very colorful and/or well embellished while others are simple and understated. It is always interesting to see what hats will appear at the event.

During the Hats and Tea, the audience is treated to multiple speakers and performances. The 2010 Hats and Tea was themed Changing Perspectives. To go along with the theme, the planning committee asked attendees to consider how they can change the life of a young person. The audience was treated to singing, a saxophone solo, liturgical dance, and hand dancing all performed by young community members. Additionally we had two guest speakers - Master Chief Evelyn Banks from the United States Naval Academy and the First Lady of Maryland, Judge Katie O'Malley. Both women spoke about the role of women throughout history up to today and how women will shape the future.

Calls for the 2011 Hats and Tea are already coming in. Information about the 2011 Ladies Hats and Tea will appear on the museum's website later this year or early next year. If you would like to help plan next year's tea or participate, please contact us at BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

A Giant Has Fallen

2010-03-20T15:08:00.006-04:00

Simply put, Lucille Clifton is a poetic giant. She was the first African American poet laureate of Maryland, serving in this capacity from 1979-1985. On the dawn of the 21st century, she won the National Book Award for Blessing the Boats. She was also awarded the prestigious Ruth Lily Poetry Prize, the Lannan Literary Award, and many others. In addition to the numerous awards received, she served as a chancellor of the American Academy of Poets as well as a member of the Board of Governors for thePoetry Society of America.

This April, during National Poetry Month, the Poetry Society of America had planned to give Mrs. Clifton the coveted Centennial Frost Medal for her decades of poetic excellence. However, due to her untimely death, the awards ceremony will become a tribute to Mrs. Clifton and her art. The ceremony will take place on April 1, 2010 at the National Arts Club in New York at 7pm. For more information on the tribute, please consult the Poetry Society of America's website: http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/events/#share.

Photo by Rachel Eliza Griffith

Curator Corner

2010-03-05T15:18:00.003-05:00

THOMAS R. BADEN COLLECTION, 1939-1974

Thomas R. Baden (1908-1974), a native Annapolitan, developed his interest in photography into a role of documenting African American life in Annapolis. “Tommy B,” as he was known in the community photographed African American social and community events for over forty years. His collection contains over 3,000 photograph prints, negatives and darkroom equipment donated by his daughter, Barbara Baden-Bentley. Bentley also served as a devoted Commissioner of Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.

Seneca Village Family Art Program

2010-03-01T15:34:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday’s Seneca Village Family Art Program was great fun. Artists Leslie King-Hammond and José J. Mapily helped us create our own artwork based on their sculpture, Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village, which is the focal point of the exhibition, The Seneca Village Collaboration. The works will be added to the exhibit, which run through May 1, 2010.

Come join us for the next family art program, where we will make medicine bottles and power packs. It’s April 10, 2010 from 10:30 to noon. Registration is encouraged: 410.216.6180 or BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us

Events This Weekend

2010-02-12T11:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday!

I just wanted to let people know that in light of the massive weather events this past week, the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be closed today and tomorrow (12-13 February). The scheduled programs for last weekend and this weekend are rescheduled for later dates.

The Seneca Village Collaboration Family Art Program scheduled for 6 February is now set for 27 February at 10:30 a.m.

The Morgan State University Choir concert at Four Winds Performing Arts Center is rescheduled for 8 May.

The Back to Africa? book signing with author Charles Nelson will be rescheduled for a date in the spring.

Celestial Praise for Seneca Village

2010-02-05T10:01:00.009-05:00

The Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village opened on January 16, 2010, just in time for Black History Month. The exhibit features a sculpture, which represents Seneca Village, created by Jose' J. Mapily and Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, two distinguished Maryland-based artists and educators.

What is Seneca Village? Seneca Village was a 19th century predominately African American community situated between 82nd and 89th Streets and Seventh and Eighth Avenues in New York. It was the first time African Americans owned property in 19th century New York. However, due to New Yorkers deep desire for a public park, the state legislature seized their land via eminent domain, turning their residential dream into a nightmare, making it the last African American residential community in New York during the 19th century. Soon after this action was taken, their homes, churches, cemeteries, and a school were razed to make way for the construction of Central Park.

The sculpture, which is the centerpiece of the exhibit, honors their determination to empower themselves economically and politically, an African American man had to own $250 worth of property in order to vote. In addition, the sculpture developed by King-Hammond and Mapily serves to pay deep homage to the residents faith and hope for a better life in a city which abolished slavery shortly after they began to reside in Seneca Village. Adding more symbolism to the sculpture, Mapily designed the celestial praise house to hover over the symbolic village, projecting the faith, hope, and love the residents had to have as their fellow Americans razed their dream.

As you can see, the sculpture says a lot about African American life in Seneca Village during the 19th century. But there is only one way to experience it: by visiting the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Come and explore how the history of Seneca Village inspired and influenced two highly skilled artists to create an exquisite work of art.

Pictured from left to right: Museum Patron, Jose' J. Mapily, Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, Commissioner Anita Neal Powell, Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation Treasurer Linda Simms, Aris T. Allen, Jr., and Banneker-Douglass Museum Volunteer Richard Everett.

Photo by Amelia Harris

African American History Tours of Annapolis

2010-01-29T16:34:00.007-05:00

One of the most frequent requests I receive in February deals with African American history tours in Annapolis. This year I am pleased to announce the Banneker-Douglass Museum is working with Watermark Tours and will be the final stop on their African American Heritage Tour. This tour, run in partnership with the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation is a two hour walking tour of Annapolis highlighting key historical sites including the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial and the Thurgood Marshall Memorial.

The tour will be offered every Saturday in February beginning on 6 February 2010. Tours depart from the Information Booth at City Dock at 1:00 p.m. every Saturday and run two hours. Reservations are required and be aware you will need to bring a photo id along with you.

Tour prices are as follows:
$16.00 Adults
$10.00 Children 3-11
Free Ages 2 & Under

To purchase tickets, visit Watermark's website at http://www.watermarkjourney.com/ or you can purchase them from your guide at prior to the tour. For more information call 410.216.7600 or visit the African American Heritage Tour page on their website.

Don't forget to come into the museum at the end of your tour to see our new exhibitions which opened 2 weeks ago!

New Program Calendar Available

2010-01-29T11:58:00.003-05:00

The Banneker-Douglass Museum February-March 2010 program calendar is now available. Check it out at www.bdmuseum.com.

Upcoming programs include:

6 February 2010 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The Seneca Village Collaboration Praise House Art Program with Leslie King-Hammond and José J. Mapily

13 February 2010 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Back to Africa? Book Discussion and Author Signing with Charles Nelson

13 February 2010 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Morgan State University Choir Concert at the Four Winds Performing Arts Center

20 February 2010 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Banneker-Douglass Museum Family Tour

26 February 2010 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Music through the Ages Community Concert at Annapolis High School

27 February 2010 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Picturing the Promise: Making Photo and Memory Quilts with Dr. Joan Gaither at the Lamond-Riggs Public Library, Washington, DC hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

6 March 2010 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Race Women, Race Man lecture by Dr. Sharon Harley, Chair of the African American Studies Program, University of Maryland, College Park

13 March 2010 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
The Science of Genealogy: DNA Testing with Gene-All-Of-Us founder Lyndra Marshall and Gina Paige, President of African Ancestry, Inc.

19 March 2010 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Genealogy Resource Fair at Sojourner-Douglass College hosted by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation

20 March 2010
Maryland Day celebration at the Banneker-Douglass Museum

27 March 2010 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
3rd Annual Ladies Hats and Tea: Changing Perspectives

PORTRAITS OF COURAGE

2010-01-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

A new exhibition at Banneker-Douglass showcases eight of Maryland’s African American heroes. The men and women depicted in these portraits represent African American achievement throughout Maryland’s state history in the fields of science, law publishing, politics, and civil rights activism. The portraits, six by Hughie Lee-Smith: Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, John H. Murphy, and Lillie Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, John H. Murphy, and Lillie, Carroll Jackson. Also included are the portraits of Herbert M. Frisby by Oliver Patrick Scott, and Nathaniel Gibbs’ painting of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And the portrait of Herbert M. Frisby by Oliver Patrick Scott, and Nathaniel Gibbs’ painting of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are also representative of the mission of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, which strives to preserve the legacy of African Americans such as those presented here.
The portraits are closely tied to the history of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, Inc. commissioned the Banneker, Douglass, and Marshall portraits in 1976, its first year of existence; the unveiling of the Tubman, Murphy and Jackson portraits marked the 1984 opening of the museum in the former Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Church. The Frisby portrait is part of a major research Collection documenting Frisby’s Arctic exploration; and the King portrait is part of the museum’s holding of materials documenting the Civil Rights Movement. By exhibiting these portraits, we want to commemorate and celebrate the accomplishments of these individuals. The Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture mission is to educate, document, and display the courage of each of the displayed Marylanders in achieving their goals. The exhibit will be open from January 16, 2010 until June 26, 2010.

Martin Luther King Weekend 2010

2010-01-12T13:49:00.006-05:00

This weekend will be a busy one for the Banneker-Douglass Museum. We are opening three new exhibits, hosting an exhibition opening reception, participating in an MLK Day Volunteer Day event, and partnering on a concert.

As a heads up, the museum itself will be closed on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day which is Monday, January 18, 2010. Construction work will be taking place throughout the weekend to repair the roof and we can't have any visitors in the building. There are still plenty of museum-sponsored activities going on this weekend throughout Annapolis even if the building itself isn't open. I hope you can join us for at least one of the festivities listed below.

Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village Exhibition

Opening Reception and Artist Talk

Saturday, 16 January 2010

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Location: Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin St., Annapolis, MD, 21401

Free of charge and open to all ages.

Registration encouraged.

For more information, call 410.216.6180 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

Join artists Leslie King-Hammond and José J. Mapily for the Maryland debut of their artwork Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village. This large-scale plexiglass and beaded artwork depicts a portion of Seneca Village, an African-American settlement in New York’s Central Park. Meet the artists and learn how this amazing artwork was created.

The focal point of this exhibit is a commemorative sculpture by Maryland–based artists Leslie King-Hammond and José J. Mapily called Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village. The piece documents a nineteenth century settlement founded by African Americans and later displaced by New York City’s Central Park, the first urban landscaped park in the United States. This artwork was designed as part of the exhibition Legacies: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Slavery at the New York Historical Society in 2006.

In addition to the Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village piece, several never before seen artifacts from the collections of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library and the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be on display to highlight the lives of African Americans in Maryland during Seneca Village’s existence. Such objects will include manumission papers from Anne Arundel County, Allegany County, and Howard County; free-born African American verification papers; a receipt from a slave sale in Anne Arundel County; and first edition copies of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service 2010

Monday, 18 January 2010

11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Location: Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, 1101 Smithville St., Annapolis, MD, 21401

Free.

Registration encouraged.

Open to all ages. Participants 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information or to register, call 410.897.9207 or email Fay Mauro at Fay@volunteerannearundel.org.

To make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a “Day On, Not a Day Off,” the Banneker-Douglass Museum is joining with the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County, Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Stanton Center and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture to offer volunteer opportunities throughout the city of Annapolis. Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2010 by participating in one of several volunteer opportunities including helping with youth activities at the Bates Boys and Girls Club, making school and family program materials for the Banneker-Douglass Museum, and helping to create a community collage on volunteering in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Come meet representatives from many organizations around the area and learn how you can volunteer throughout the year.

Mavis Staples Performs at the Ram's Head On Stage for Martin Luther King Day

Monday, 18 January 2010

8:00 p.m.

Location: Rams Head On Stage, 33 West St., Annapolis, MD, 21401

$65.00 per person

To purchase tickets, visit http://tickets.ramsheadonstage.com.

For more information, call the Rams Head On Stage at 410.268.4545.

In the 1960's Mavis Staples was at the center of the civil rights movement with her family band The Staple Singers. Through message songs like Why am I Treated So Bad? and March up Freedom Highway, Mavis became one of the strong voices of the movement. On January 18, Martin Luther King Day, Mavis will perform many of the freedom songs that she made famous then and now at a special show at Rams Head On Stage. Staples, often marched and performed with Dr. King and throughout her 40-year music career, has continued her message of equality and respect in her music. This performance is anticipated to be a very special one.

Mavis will be backed by her band that recently recorded the album Live: Hope At The Hideout with her. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the upcoming GRAMMYs--the first GRAMMY nomination Mavis has received for a solo project (she had a few for The Staples Singers and compilations and guest turns.) The Chicago Sun Times says of her performance on the album "Anyone who was hearing this American treasure in concert for the first time learned precious lessons about where we have been and where we are today."

Milestones--2009

2009-12-07T09:13:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-17T11:42:00.005-05:00

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

2009-11-07T15:44:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-06T15:14:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

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

2009-10-14T09:56:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-13T10:44:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-09T15:20:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-05T14:16:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-05T11:20:00.010-04:00

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

2009-09-25T15:21:00.005-04:00

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

2009-09-15T11:55:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-14T09:38:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-02T16:16:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-02T16:13:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-24T12:33:00.004-04:00

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

2009-07-09T11:20:00.002-04:00

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!!

2009-06-02T23:24:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-15T09:14:00.001-04:00

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...

2009-05-14T17:01:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-11T17:46:00.006-04:00

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

2009-05-06T20:39:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-04-29T12:46:00.009-04:00

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!

2009-04-19T17:07:00.010-04:00

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

2009-04-13T20:25:00.007-04:00

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

2009-04-03T17:28:00.006-04:00

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!

2009-03-27T10:40:00.003-04:00

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

2009-02-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-01-06T09:13:00.002-05:00

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.

Exhibit Closing

2008-12-16T09:13:00.003-05:00

The end of a year always comes with a sense of closure for people whether it be closure on a good year in hopes of an even better one next time, closure on using one calendar and moving on to the next, and so on.

The end of 2008 will bring with it the closing of Seeking Liberty: An Imagined Community at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The exhihibition will continue on in new forms with satellite exhibit cases at each of the five sites featured in the exhibition going on display in the coming month and the website will remain live. There is even talk of at least part of the exhibit going on display in other areas in Maryland.

Jess and I have been in discussion over the past few weeks regarding the future of the Seeking Liberty blog trying to determine how we would like to proceed. This blog has been a quiet one in terms of comments, however we know that there are many people out there reading it. Just to give you a taste, since the blog was launched, over 1500 people have visited from over 25 countries around the world. It is really gratifying to know that this exhibition has interested people from 6 continents. With that being said, we pose the question to you: What do you think we should do? We have come up with a few different options and would like to hear what you have to say.

Option 1: Do nothing. Continue the blog as usual, although most likely with fewer posts.
Option 2: End the blog when the exhibition ends on 31 December 2008.
Option 3: Convert the blog into a Banneker-Douglass Museum blog with occasional postings on archaeology and Seeking Liberty-related information.

What do you think? Send us your answers by posting below. If you do not want to leave a post, feel free to email me at BDMPrograms(at)goci(dot)state(dot)md(dot)us with your answer.
Thank you!

Horse harness decorations

2008-12-02T00:26:00.008-05:00

The Four Rivers Heritage Area is compiling information about horses in the region, which led me to examine some of our collections for horse related artifacts. The following image is of a brass harness decoration which measures about three inches long and was found during excavations at the Governor Calvert House:

In his influential book A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America published in 1969, Ivor Noel Hume briefly mentions similar artifacts and attributes them to the 18th century.

Archaeology in Annapolis uncovered a similar, though less ornate, brass harness decoration from the Reynolds' Tavern site. During William Reynolds' occupation of the site, there was a stable behind the Tavern, which further supports the claim that this object was a harness decoration.

The MAC Lab website also features information and photographs of similar artifacts, which they identify as leather ornaments. The website states, "More often than not ... the metal ornaments were purely decorative and might have been placed on just about any leather strap, bag, saddle pad, sword hanger, etc." The information on leather ornaments is included in the "small finds" section of the website. The term "small finds" is used for objects that are found in small quantities on sites and therefore are difficult to analyze and interpret. The idea behind this portion of the MAC Lab website is to compile information on "small finds" so that they may eventually be used in site analysis.

As you can see we would love to learn more about leather ornaments so please add comments to this post with any additional information you may have.

To view the MAC Lab "small finds" site follow this link: http://www.jefpat.org/diagnostic/Small%20Finds/leather%20escutcheons/Web%20Pages/LeatherOrnaments.htm

Anne Arundel County Courthouse: Part III

2008-11-17T00:43:00.005-05:00

Here is another really interesting artifact found at the courthouse site:

This is an 1896 presidential campaign button for the Republican candidate, William McKinley. As we mentioned before the courthouse block was occupied predominantly by African Americans through the middle of the 20th century. The Republican Party was in support of Emancipation and was therefore the political party of choice for African Americans during this time period. This button serves as a reminder that African Americans were politically active, having just received the right to vote in 1870 with the ratification of the 15th Amendment.

The McKinley election was actually the first time celluloid was used for campaign buttons. Celluloid buttons became very popular and are still commonly used today. Unfortunately, this material decomposes easily and therefore buttons like these are very rare to find during archaeological excavations.

Archaeology in Annapolis is currently working with the Historic Annapolis Foundation to create a small exhibit at the Anne Arundel County Courthouse on Church Circle in Annapolis. The exhbit will feature artifacts from excavations on the courthouse block and should be installed in the the coming year. We'll keep you posted on progress!

Archaeology on Vacation

2008-11-14T08:43:00.006-05:00

Working as a museum educator requires me to become very knowledgeable on whatever topic the museum I work at focuses on. For instance, working at the National Building Museum years ago I learned more about city planning, bridge engineering, and geodesic domes (think Spaceship Earth aka the big golf ball shaped building at Epcot) than I ever thought I would. I still can't drive home to the midwest without looking at the different types of bridges along the way.

Last month I traveled around the Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Loire Valley regions of France and everywhere I went I ran across archaeological digs. One city I visited was Reims, the location of the signing of the Germany's surrender at the Allied headquarters at the end of World War II. Reims had a front row seat to history throughout the past century. After nearly being completely destroyed during WWI (85% of the buildings were gone) the city went on to serve as the home of the Allied Headquarters in France at the end of WWII and was the location of the signing of the ceasefire on 7 May 1945 bringing WWII in Europe to an end. A more widely known second signing was held one day later in Berlin.

While walking to the Musee de la Reddition, home of the former Allied headquarters, I came across an archaeological dig in progress on a main road in the city. This dig was part of pre-construction archaeology required by law. One of the things that I was very impressed with at this site as well as the one I came across in the Loire Valley was that each dig had signage explaining what was going on for anyone passing by. This took the form of the sign above in Reims.

Within the past 10 years, an intensive archaological study was conducted in Reims to trace the city's history back to the Roman times. The city has Roman ruins and archaologists have been able to successfully trace their findings as far back as two thousand years ago. The findings from this study are available by clicking here. Be aware the study is published in French, so you will need to translate the page if you don't read French.

When looking at the picture on the left you can see the stratigraphy (layering) of the ground. Evidence of roads and road construction from the past 100 years is on view for anyone passing by to view. Imagine what these roads have laid witness to especially given the few events I listed above. While I was at the Musee de la Reddition, I saw a film showing what the city of Reims looked like before and after its moment in history including events such as the V-E Day parades down the streets of the city, including this street. It was a great way for me to have some context as to what types of finds and materials the archaeologists might be looking for.

Coming soon: Archaeology in Angers, France -- The discovery of 5th century artifacts while building a city tramway

Anne Arundel County Courthouse: Part II

2008-11-12T21:00:00.007-05:00

Now for the long-awaited Part II of the Anne Arundel County Courthouse blog entry...

So, as I mentioned before, prior to the expansion of the courthouse the entire courthouse block in Annapolis was home to an ethnically diverse community. Pictured below are ceramic pipe bowls embossed with the words "Home Rule" which were found at the site:

These pipe bowls are likely connected to Irish immigrants who called the Courthouse block home. "Home Rule" refers to the demand made by the Irish "Home Rule League" for greater autonomy for Ireland within the British Empire during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The presence of these pipes show that even while living in the United States, Irish immigrants were still involved in the politics of their home country. In 1879, Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Nationalist movement, visited the United States to raise money and support for the movement.

Check back later this week to learn about another interesting artifact found at the courthouse site!

Rumney's Folly

2008-11-02T21:41:00.003-05:00

I was just forwarded an announcement about a talk that will be given at Historic London Town and Gardens in December. The subject of the talk is Edward Rumney, Sr. who lived at London Town and is also connected to an archaeological site there. Here is the announcement:

"Rumney’s Folly
On Tuesday, December 2nd, at 7:00pm, Rod Cofield, Director of Interpretation and Museum Programs at Historic London Town and Gardens will present his latest research on London Town's Edward Rumney, Sr. Rod will discuss how Rumney, who had lived in Anne Arundel County since at least 1686, overextended himself in the 1710s due to his financial involvement in the ferrykeeping and innkeeping business. Once a respected man in the community, having served on juries and as a road overseer, Rumney saw the last few years of his life become debt-ridden and litigious. More people know about Rumney, Jr. (a known counterfeiter); now learn about his father. Admission is $5. London Town members and volunteers are free. Please RSVP at 410-222-1919."

Sounds like an interesting subject- Hope you can attend!

London Town is located in Edgewater, Maryland about a 20 minute drive from downtown Annapolis. For more on London Town visit their website: http://www.historiclondontown.org/

Online Survey

2008-10-28T11:35:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to post a quick entry to let everyone know that I've recently updated the survey for the online version of the Seeking Liberty exhibit. The survey is available online and can be reached from the Seeking Liberty homepage. Or just paste this link in your address bar to fill-out the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=U8gk65cK16jATnVL176_2bOQ_3d_3d%22%3EClick%20Here%20to%20take%20survey

The survey includes 10 questions and should only take about 10 minutes of your time. We love to hear your comments so please fill-out the survey when you get a chance. Also, feel free to email any comments, questions or suggestions to seekingliberty@gmail.com.

I'm continuously updating the website with new images and information so check back frequently to view the new additions.

More news coverage of the African bundle

2008-10-22T16:07:00.004-04:00

Here is the video from WUSA Channel 9 news coverage of the bundle. Stay tuned as we post more media hits throughout the week.

African Cache found on Fleet Street!

2008-10-22T01:17:00.006-04:00

Featured in yesterday's New York Times' science news and the Capital newspaper were articles on a bundle of artifacts related to African Spiritual Practices found here in the historic district of Annapolis.

Last spring while Archaeology in Annapolis was performing excavations on Fleet and Cornhill Streets we came across a particularly interesting find. Archaeologists Alethea Williams and Matt Cochran initially uncovered the tip of a stone axe blade resting vertically, approximately 4 feet below ground along the side of Fleet Street. As they excavated around the axe head they found that it was encased within a solid clay mass. They carefully removed the mass from the ground and discovered that the clay was full of pieces of lead shot along with numerous nails. The clay mass dates to the early 18th century and was of a distincly different material from the surrounding soil. The bundle was in an ovular shape and was most likely enclosed in a cloth bag which would have deteriorated over time. The Maryland Archaeological Conservation lab x-rayed the bundle and produced the following image:

The white circles are pieces of shot, while the outline of nails and pins are also apparent. Archaeology in Annapolis has found evidence of West African Spiritual practices during other excavations inside of the Carroll House, the Brice House and Reynolds' Tavern. The cache found on Fleet Street is different though, in that it was discovered within a public context. This find was a major breakthrough because it suggests that different spiritual rituals were practiced in public and possibly were more generally accepted than we had previously thought. Archaeology in Annapolis is still working with specialists in West African Spiritual traditions to uncover the origin of this discovery. We'll keep you updated on future finds!

To view the articles visit the following links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/science/21arch.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/10_21-10/CAN

Dr. Kelso to speak at the Naval Academy

2008-10-13T02:10:00.007-04:00

This Tuesday night at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Dr. William Kelso will give a lecture entitled "Jamestown: The Buried Truth." In 1607, 104 English men and boys landed on the James River, built a fort and established Jamestown, what was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Dr. Kelso is the Director of Archaeology at Jamestown and oversaw excavations of the 1607 James Fort. This should be a really interesting talk... Hope to see you there!

The lecture is open to the public and will begin at 7:15 in Mahan Auditorium. For more information on entering the Naval Academy visit their website: www.usna.edu

View the announcement in the Capital newspaper: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/10_12-52/TOP

For more information on archaeology at Jamestown see the following sites:
http://www.apva.org/jr.html
http://historicjamestowne.org/

Anne Arundel County Courthouse: Part I

2008-10-09T21:33:00.005-04:00

While archaeologists are making exciting discoveries at the Charles County Courthouse site, I thought I would highlight some of the history of the Anne Arundel County Courthouse block right here in Annapolis, MD. The Anne Arundel County Courthouse and the Banneker-Douglass Museum are actually located on the same city block in the Historic District of Annapolis.

The map to the right dates to around 1890. You can see the original size of the courthouse and the AME Church which is now part of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The addition to the museum, built in 2003, extends about 50 feet toward the courthouse along Doctor Street (now Franklin Street). The remaining yellow and pink blocks on the map represent houses and small businesses. As a result of development over the past century the remainder of the Courthouse Block is now occupied by additions to the courthouse.

In 2000 and 2001 Archaeology in Annapolis held summer Field Schools on the courthouse block prior to the construction of the museum addition. Students excavated privies, former backyards, cellars and house foundations. They discovered the material remains of the culturally and ethnically varied residents of the courthouse block.

In 1897 Bellis Court was built in the center of the Courthouse Block. This alley community was composed of predominantly low-income African-Americans who according to census records worked almost exclusively as laborers. By 1951 Bellis Court and all the houses along South Street had disappeared and were eventually replaced by courthouse additions. Archaeologists recovered a large amount of buttons while excavating what would have been the backyard area of the Bellis Court houses. In a time when employment was severely limited for African-Americans many female residents of the Courthouse Block worked as washerwomen.

Check back for Part II including more details about excavations at the Courthouse.

Charles County Courthouse

2008-09-29T00:05:00.007-04:00

Speaking of archaeology in the news. There was an article in The Capital recently about an important discovery in Charles County. It seems that archaeologists from St. Mary's College of Maryland have discovered the original Charles County courthouse which dates to the 1620s.

The courthouse has taken almost 75 years to locate. The group of archaeologists led by St. Mary's professor Julia King were able to identify the courthouse due to an unusually large amount of artifacts found while digging test pits. Shovel test pits commonly known as STPs are a standard in the early stages of excavation and are a common way for archaeologists to assess where cultural remains may or may not be located on a given site. STPs are usually laid out in a grid over the project area. Archaeologists then dig small test holes typically only a foot to a foot and a half in diameter in order to determine artifact densities. Based on the results from the STPS, archaeologists determine if further excavation is necessary. STPs are most commonly used for Cultural Resourse Management(CRM) work.

Among the artifacts found at the courthouse were a large number of glass and ceramic shards from wine bottles, beer tankards and drinking vessels. Professor King explained that it was common practice for judges and councilmen to drink while at the courthouse. According to King there are no 17th century buildings which still exist in Maryland or Virginia so to find the foundation of an early government building like this is very significant.

For more information on the Courthouse find see the following Capital and Washington Post articles:
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/09_16-11/REG
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060802057.html

London Uncovered

2008-09-26T10:07:00.010-04:00

Archaeology has been in the news quite a bit lately with many digs and their findings being presented to the public. The finds have been all over the map both literally and figuratively. From the discovery of a 1,900 year old Thracian chariot in Bulgaria to the uncovering of a 3,000 year old head of Ramses II from a large statue in Egypt to the uncovering of Shakespeare's first theater in London. The stories have been really interesting to watch. I never realized how frequently archaeology came up in the media until this exhibit opened and now I can't stop seeing archaeology articles. I suppose it goes to show how aware I have been.

The article on the London findings particularly caught my eye as the images from the digs on the Museum of London Archaeology Service website somewhat resemble the digs that took place this summer in downtown Annapolis. The picture on the left really reminded me of some of the backyards along Fleet and Cornhill Streets. The two digs also have similarities in that they were conducted metropolitain areas in preparation of construction projects. Annapolis was preparing for utility undergrounding while London was studying the site as the home of a new theater.

Annapolis

Tree dedication

2008-09-18T16:48:00.017-04:00

Yesterday was the dedication ceremony of the Honey Locust Memorial tree in the backyard of the Maynard-Burgess House. Everyone gathered around 2pm to hear opening remarks by the Mayor of Annapolis, Ellen Moyer. Janice Hayes Williams, a prominent African American Historian for the City of Annapolis also talked to the audience about the Maynard and Burgess families and generally what life was like for free African Americans in Annapolis. Dr. Mark Leone spoke on the archaeological finds that were recovered at the site during excavations in the 1990s. Lastly, Mamie Williams of Fowler's Methodist Church gave a blessing of the tree which included a prayer and song. Two decedents of Willis Burgess attended and officially uncovered the dedication plaque for all to see. Archaeology in Annapolis displayed artifacts from the excavations and the Mayor's Office produced signs interpreting the archaeology from the site.

As Mayor Moyer explained this dedication was the first step in transforming the backyard of the Maynard-Burgess House into a representation of a 19th century working yard. While performing archaeology at the house in the early 1990s archaeologists found the remains of a privy which was full of household refuse including bottles and ceramics. From census records we know that members of the Maynard and Burgess families worked as laundresses. Archaeologists found an unusually large amount of buttons in the yard to support this information. A privy and a clothes line will be included in the representation of the 19th century yard as well as a small garden. It was typical for middle class families in the 19th century to maintain small gardens as a means of supplementing their groceries. While Annapolis has many house museums this will be an especially important site because it will be the only representation of a free African-American household.

Work on the backyard will take place over the coming year with the site opening to the public sometime in 2009.

Charles Carroll House Cache

2008-09-12T14:03:00.012-04:00

One of the most popular and intriguing portions of the Seeking Liberty exhibit is the Brice House material which includes a model of the East wing of the house that was excavated by Archaeology in Annapolis in 1998. In the basement of the east wing archaeologists discovered a series of caches or distinct, intentional deposits of material placed there by African Americans in order to control spirits which is a common practice in West African cultures. What many may not know is that Archaeology in Annapolis discovered a similar cache at the Charles Carroll House in 1991.

Dr. Robert Worden was a volunteer excavator at the site when he discovered a white ceramic bowl with a blue asterisk placed upside down approximately 18 inches beneath the modern dirt floor of the East wing of the Carroll House. When he removed the broken ceramic bowl he found that it had been placed over a whole array of other artifacts including 14 rock crystals, a half-dozen white bone discs, a smooth black pebble, two coins (one dated 1790 and the other 1810) and a number of straight pins.

This being the first deposit of its kind found in Annapolis, archaeologists were unaware of the meaning and significance of these materials. They did however know that the artifacts had been intentionally deposited in the room, and that they had most likely been associated with the African and African American slaves who worked in this area of the Carroll House.

The finds were published in an article in the Sunday Times on September 15, 1991. That Monday Dr. Frederick Lamp, Curator of African Art at the Baltimore Museum of Art telephoned to suggest that the materials were a spirit bundle associated with West African culture. Lamp further explained that within this tradition crystals were used to contain spirits and that the four holes on the buttons most likely represented a cosmogram. A cosmogram is a symbol of the vertical world axis and the horizon showing a divide between the worlds of the living and the dead. These items were most likely placed in the ground by spiritual practitioners to control spirits for various purposes, especially to protect inhabitants. No one in Annapolis had ever found anything tied so clearly to African culture.

Before these discoveries many thought that African cultural traditions did not survive the Middle Passage. The cache at the Carroll House provided compelling evidence that Africans did retain religious practices in the New World well into the 19th century. Thus, the history of Annapolis was no longer strictly European it also contains clear African influence as well.

The cache of materials from the Carroll House are currently on display at the History Quest Welcome Center in Annapolis located at 99 Main Street right near the city dock. For details see their website: http://www.annapolis.org/index.asp?pageid=44

For more on the Carroll House finds see Dr. Mark Leone's book "The Archaeology of Liberty in An American Capital: Excavations in Annapolis" (2005).

If a tree falls in the forest...

2008-09-09T09:18:00.006-04:00

I was recently in a meeting discussing the use of technology by historic sites in Anne Arundel County when we began talking about the use of blogs as a very user-friendly means of talking about what historic sites are up to. One of the meeting attendees commented on the blog at Port Tobacco here in Maryland as one of the better examples. This blog provides information as to the status or projects, new ideas, and what staff members are up to in bite-sized amounts which gave you quite a bit of detail without being overwhelming and conveying the excitement and energy the writer is feeling towards a particular project. As I was reading the blog, I found myself thinking about how information is provided to visitors by museums and vice versa and how it it changing.

Using Seeking Liberty as an example, we have tried to provide information in four different ways, each one with differing approaches and results. The first method is through the exhibition itself. The exhibit has physical objects, labels, and text panels - all things expected in a museum exhibition. The exhibition has been extremely popular with visitors near and far, with many people coming specifically to see this exhibit. Within the exhibition is a survey asking visitors to take a few minutes to provide us their feedback. I am very interested in the fact that few visitors fill out the forms and when they do, they do not leave us much feedback. However, in our permanent exhibition on the second floor, we have a nearly identical survey which is filled out quite frequently. On this form we ask visitors to rate different experiences they had in the exhibit as well as tell us how they connected with the exhibition. On the permanent gallery forms, we receive quite a bit of feedback - sometimes quite extensive feedback. In Seeking Liberty, that is not the case. The forms, when they are filled out, generally only have numeric answers without any comments.

At first I found this to be rather disheartening. I found myself asking whether or not the visitors were truly engaging in the exhibit or were they simply walking into the exhibit and walking out, following the directions of the security guard to go into the first room they saw. I saw some truth to that when I worked the front desk and would provide a different overview of the museum and would not direct the visitors to immediately enter the exhibit they were standing next to. After doing so, I found that visitors would often actually choose to go to the permanent exhibition first. What did that mean for the attracting power of Seeking Liberty? Is this exhibit not as engaging as we once thought? Are people simply not engaging with the subject matter beyond what they read within the exhibit? Do they not take anything out of the museum from the exhibit?

I ended up getting my answer in a very unexpected place - this blog. One of the major concerns many museum folks have it that if you put exhibitions and exhibition content online, people will not want to actually come and see the physical exhibit. My argument has always been that putting information online is a way of attracting visitors to the exhibition and to allow people who will never be able to see the physical exhibit a means of accessing it. To put in another way, if someone does not have the means to go to Paris themselves, does that mean that looking at images, reading about the city, and owning Paris-themed objects will deter them from ever wanting to actually go?

When reviewing the statistics for this blog and the exhibition website I was very surprised to learn that while people are not necessarily filling out the evaluation forms, they are giving us feedback through their visitation to the blog. We are seeing that many visitors have come to the museum and then gone home to view the website and blog. This showed me that perhaps I was a bit hasty in my thinking that people are not getting anything out of the exhibit because they were not filling out paper forms. The return visits, to me, are far more gratfying because they show me that people are enjoying the exhibition so much that they are willing to give the museum a second visit - this time virtually.

If you visited the exhibit at the museum and this blog, which did you visit first? What made you come back for a second look at Seeking Liberty? If you have only seen this blog, or the exhibit's website for that matter, has it stopped you from wanting to come to the museum to see the physical exhibit?

Lion of Baltimore

2008-08-28T09:49:00.003-04:00

The Capital published an article today outlining a new project for the Maritime and Archaeological Historical Society. They are launching, with the assistance of a grant from the Maryland Historical Trust, a land and water survey of Bodkin Creek in an effort to find the remains of the Lion of Baltimore and a now-vanished lighthouse at Bodkin Point.

The Lion of Baltimore was one of the famous Baltimore Clipper ships known for their speed and agility, even in shallow waters. The ship was lost in 1814 at the Battle of Bodkin Creek when it was burned by the British during the War of 1812. If the search is successful, it would be one of the first times a clipper ship has been found.

Divers will be searching this location as well as the rest of Bodkin Creek and parts of the Chesapeake Bay over the next week and a half. If anyone has any suggestions for where in the Bodkin divers should look, contact Brian Jordan, assistant underwater archaeologist for the Maryland Historical Trust at 410.514.7668.

One of the intriguing parts of the article talks about a man reporting to have seen a schooner ship off his property two years ago after a storm. The comment couldn't stop my mind from wandering to the idea of a Loch Ness Monster in the area.

Click here to read today's article.

Click here for 2003 article published in the LA Times on the search for the Lion of Baltimore.

Click here for a 2007 article published in the Maryland Gazette on the history of the Lion of Baltimore.

Thomas Jefferson's Toothbrush!

2008-08-18T13:36:00.008-04:00

While doing some reading for this week's Featured Artifact I came across another really interesting artifact:

This bone toothbrush handle was found in 1988 during excavations at Colonial Williamsburg. The handle is engraved with the name “Thos. Jefferson.” Thomas Jefferson did live at Williamsburg when he served as the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia beginning in 1779. Jefferson left Williamsburg in 1780 when the capitol was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond. The toothbrush handle was found in a trash deposit near the Governor's Palace. According to the context of the find, archaeologists know that the toothbrush handle was discarded in the late 18th century and therefore almost certainly belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States.

It is extremely rare to recover an artifact that can be connected to a specific person. While this is an exciting find it doesn't really tell archaeologists anything they didn't already know. Historical Archaeoloy is actually more useful for accessing the cultural remains of those who we don't already know much about because they were left out of written history, typically the lower class, women and minorities.

For more information on Thomas Jefferson's toothbrush and other archaeological finds at Williamsburg visit their website:

http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/may03/iotm.cfm

You never know what you are going to get...

2008-08-15T16:06:00.007-04:00

The Washington Post published a fascinating article today on an archaeological dig in the Sahara Desert which has the remains of two different groups of people over a 5,000 year period. The article details how the site was found in 2000 when University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno was searching for dinosaur bones in Niger and came across this site. He returned three years later with researchers from several different countries to dig at the site.

The article is fascinating in that it is proof that you never know that you will find when you are digging.

Archaeologist Elena Garcea of the University of Cassino in Italy brushes sand from a skeleton at Gobero. Garcea, who has spent nearly three decades excavating Stone Ages sites in northern Africa, used pot sherds and other artifacts to help identify Kiffian and Tenerian cultures at Gobero. Photo © Mike Hettwer, courtesy Project Exploration.
http://www.projectexploration.org

Click here to see the article from the Washington Post.

Click here to link to Project Exploration's website for more information, videos, and images.

More than just digging...

2008-08-11T14:27:00.008-04:00

Today I thought I would address a frequently asked question. What happens to the artifacts archaeologists find once the excavations have ended?

Archaeologists actually spend a majority of their time in the Laboratory processing and analyzing artifacts. Archaeology in Annapolis has completed the Fleet-Cornhill Mitigation project and the summer Field School and now we have artifacts recovered from almost 14 weeks of excavation to process. The estimation is that for every week spent in the field excavating archaeologists
spend a month in the lab processing the artifacts.

The first step in processing collections involves washing all the artifacts. There are specific standards for washing artifacts which vary according to the material and the condition of the artifact. This is also the point where archaeologists identify artifacts that require special conservation attention and then create a plan of action to address these needs.

Next we must catalog the collection which is a way of recording a description of each artifact along with all other artifacts found within the same provenience. Provenience is the single most important word within the discipline of archaeology. Provenience refers to the three-dimensional context or location of an archaeological find which allows us to date our discoveries and is essential to the interpretation of a site. Next we carefully label each artifact with provenience information. Ideally we try to label the object itself so that the information cannot be separated from the object. Artifacts are stored permanently in temperature and humidity controlled facilities to reduce the rate of deterioration. The idea is to preserve and store these artifacts indefinitely for future research.

The next stage is the interpretation. For each site excavated, archaeologists must produce a site report which interprets and explains the archaeological finds. Site reports vary according to location and time period of the site but most historical archaeology site reports contain similar elements. Before excavation begins archaeologists perform documentary research in order to understand the site they are digging. This background information is included in the report. Each unit, which refers to the individual holes dug on the site, has a section in the site report. Each of these sections generally includes a brief level-by-level description of how the unit was excavated and then gives greater detail on significant finds including drawings and/or photographs. Cultural Resource Management site reports also include a section for "recommendations" where the the archaeologists make suggestions as to the future care and preservation of the historical site.

Many archaeologists try to publish their findings in a professional journal or if possible a more main-stream publication in order to reach a larger audience. Archaeology in Annapolis certainly has plenty of work to do in the next few months- we'll keep you posted!

The Society for Historical Archaeology provides a great outline for how to properly process an archaeology collection. Here's the link: http://www.sha.org/research_resources/curation_standards.htm