I am sure the Jim, Pete, Scott, Anne, and Stephanie have their hands full today! Before fieldwork can begin tomorrow they have to transport a ton of field equipment to Port Tobacco, set up our datum points, establish NE corners of our starting units. But that is not all. They need to set up all of our documentation systems, print and copy provenience cards, bag tags, field specimen number lists, and the field manual. They also need to set up their living quarters in the Burch House, buy groceries for the next 24 hours, set up showers, and strategically place rented port-a-johns before BBQing their first field meal tonight.
Don't worry. With the help of our dedicated volunteers and members of the Maryland Archeological Association and Maryland Historical Trust, it will all get done. Fieldwork begins at 8am on Friday and lasts until June 30. We will be digging at least 6 days a week during these 6 weeks so the blog will come alive again with reports from the field.
I will be a bit tardy in my arrival. I have a few things to finish up here in Tiffin, Ohio before I load up the van with our three interns (Allison, Magen, and Katharine) and drive down to Port Tobacco. The Heidelberg University crew will arrive around dinner time on Tuesday night...just about when the A team will be in need of reinforcements. We will stay in PT for the duration of the field season.
Let the digging begin!
-April
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
D-Day
Tomorrow (Thursday, May 21) the PTAP crew invades Port Tobacco. The team established a beach head at Burch House last week, now we set up the excavation area for the Archeological Society of Maryland's 39th (?) annual field session.
For those arriving early, please note that we want you to park on the field and not in the paved parking lot (reserved for visitors) and certainly not in the driveways of the residents. We want to make this effort as painless as possible for the several households in and immediately around town, so please be courteous to our hosts.
Upon arriving on Friday, there will be a registration station at which you can check in. Please check in each and every day, regardless of whether or not you have registered. If the registration table has not been set up when you arrive, or is not yet staffed, please check in some time during the day.
The Burch House can still use a couple of lamps, so if you would like to donate lights, now would be a good time.
We will be reporting from the field most days, although communications may be irregular until April arrives Tuesday evening.
See you all in the trenches.
Jim
For those arriving early, please note that we want you to park on the field and not in the paved parking lot (reserved for visitors) and certainly not in the driveways of the residents. We want to make this effort as painless as possible for the several households in and immediately around town, so please be courteous to our hosts.
Upon arriving on Friday, there will be a registration station at which you can check in. Please check in each and every day, regardless of whether or not you have registered. If the registration table has not been set up when you arrive, or is not yet staffed, please check in some time during the day.
The Burch House can still use a couple of lamps, so if you would like to donate lights, now would be a good time.
We will be reporting from the field most days, although communications may be irregular until April arrives Tuesday evening.
See you all in the trenches.
Jim
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Historic Ceramics Workshop
We had a ceramics workshop at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum today, thanks to MAC lab director Tricia Samford who made available not only the conference room, but an excellent type collection to boot. There were fourteen in attendance, mostly CAT candidates and mostly folks planning on participating in the field session.
At lunch we walked down to part of the Smith site currently under investigation. While there I saw two very old friends...two of the original Lavish screens, now in service for about 21 years. Our new Lavish screens, which Dan Coates is building, will be online in time for the field session. I expect that we will get at least 21 years out of each and every one of them.
Jim
At lunch we walked down to part of the Smith site currently under investigation. While there I saw two very old friends...two of the original Lavish screens, now in service for about 21 years. Our new Lavish screens, which Dan Coates is building, will be online in time for the field session. I expect that we will get at least 21 years out of each and every one of them.
Jim
Friday, May 15, 2009
In the News
First, April returned safely to Ohio yesterday. She probably was curled up with a margarita before my post hit the ethernet.
Second, keen-eyed Elsie spotted a Washington Post article on archaeology volunteer opportunities in the Washington area: port tobacco is one of 6 sites mentioned
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051401716.html
Port Tobacco joined five other sites/projects, probably more than one might find in most parts of the country.
The crew was in St. Mary's County today testing a Middle Archaic aboriginal site that we found during a survey. Most of the material was in the plowzone, but still interesting.
Jim
Second, keen-eyed Elsie spotted a Washington Post article on archaeology volunteer opportunities in the Washington area: port tobacco is one of 6 sites mentioned
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051401716.html
Port Tobacco joined five other sites/projects, probably more than one might find in most parts of the country.
The crew was in St. Mary's County today testing a Middle Archaic aboriginal site that we found during a survey. Most of the material was in the plowzone, but still interesting.
Jim
Thursday, May 14, 2009
April Leaves Town Under a Cloud!
April saddled her horse and headed west this morning and, with luck, should be riding into Tiffin, Ohio, as I write this posting. We got a lot of planning done and we are well on our way to completing preparations for the field session.
This afternoon, Dan Coates dropped off several recently completed screens. As April would say, they look marvelous. He also dropped off components for our field shower, including a propane fired water heater.
Early this morning, Belinda Urquiza sent me a spreadsheet with field session registrations to date. We have 39 people registered for the first day, 12 for the last day, and about 50 for everyday in between. We could use a crew cook, an events organizer, and a trained psychiatrist to counsel each of the PTAP team members.
Jim
This afternoon, Dan Coates dropped off several recently completed screens. As April would say, they look marvelous. He also dropped off components for our field shower, including a propane fired water heater.
Early this morning, Belinda Urquiza sent me a spreadsheet with field session registrations to date. We have 39 people registered for the first day, 12 for the last day, and about 50 for everyday in between. We could use a crew cook, an events organizer, and a trained psychiatrist to counsel each of the PTAP team members.
Jim
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Preparing for Guests
April, Pete, Carol, Elsie, Anne, and Stephanie descended on Port Tobacco today, polishing up Burch House for the field session and reestablishing the grid. April broke a nail. Next week we start delivering equipment. Hopefully no more nails will be broken.
Pete, while working with the total station in the field, met Mr. Vincent Jamieson. Mr. Jamieson has given us permission to work in his fields, as has Mr. Calvin Compton, so we are going to have some great sites to work on.
This Saturday at J. Patterson Park & Museum in Calvert County we will hold a historic ceramics workshop in preparation for the field session. We'll be in the Conference Room of the MAC lab. Plan to attend and bring lunch. If the weather cooperates, we will visit our host, Dr. Tricia Samford, in the field. She'll be working on a site near the MAC lab.
Jim
Pete, while working with the total station in the field, met Mr. Vincent Jamieson. Mr. Jamieson has given us permission to work in his fields, as has Mr. Calvin Compton, so we are going to have some great sites to work on.
This Saturday at J. Patterson Park & Museum in Calvert County we will hold a historic ceramics workshop in preparation for the field session. We'll be in the Conference Room of the MAC lab. Plan to attend and bring lunch. If the weather cooperates, we will visit our host, Dr. Tricia Samford, in the field. She'll be working on a site near the MAC lab.
Jim
Monday, May 11, 2009
CCAS Meeting
Just a reminder that the Charles County Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Maryland will hold their next meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 12th @ 7:30pm in the Courthouse at Port Tobacco.
Ms. Sara Rivers Cofield, Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, will give a lecture on the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory’s Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland web site.
Also...April has returned to us (although only briefly) to help with the preparation for the upcoming ASM Field Session being held in Port Tobacco May 22 - June 1.
If you haven't already registered, go to the ASM website and do it soon...the beginning of another fun summer of excavation at Port Tobacco is right around the corner!!
- Peter
Ms. Sara Rivers Cofield, Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, will give a lecture on the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory’s Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland web site.
Also...April has returned to us (although only briefly) to help with the preparation for the upcoming ASM Field Session being held in Port Tobacco May 22 - June 1.
If you haven't already registered, go to the ASM website and do it soon...the beginning of another fun summer of excavation at Port Tobacco is right around the corner!!
- Peter
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