The Cultural Resources Section at the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) has been busy commemorating the War of 1812 bicentennial by participating in public outreach events and making interesting discoveries. We hope you enjoy reading about our work in this extended Fall edition of the CRaB. While providing you updates on our Cultural Resources Section and programs, we also encourage the submittal of archaeology or architectural history articles (under 500 words) and/or photographs from you. If you have any comments, would like to submit announcements, or wish to be added or removed from the CRaB distribution list, please contact Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie.

Extended Edition

The Maryland

State Highway

Administration is

committed to

sustaining the

balance between

protecting our

cultural resources

and maintaining

our transportation

system.

Inside this issue:

Concrete Post Reveals History of Defense Housing

2

A Walk Through Historic Taneytown

4

Caulk’s Field: MD’s Best

Preserved War of 1812

Battlefield

5

Native American Waterway Names in Maryland

7

The Booth Log House: Birth-

place of an Assassin

8

Events Calendar 2012 10

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 FALL 2012

As part of our public outreach program, SHA senior archaeologist Rick Ervin attended the annual Nause-Waiwash Festival and Pow-Wow on September 15, 2012 in Vienna, Maryland. The Nause-Waiwash have hosted the pow-wow here since its inception twenty years ago. Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs Administrator Keith Colston was the Mas-ter of Ceremonies. The event featured musicians and dancers from across the nation, along with a variety of cultural displays.

Dover Bridge Outreach by Richard Ervin

SHA displayed information on the early Colonial-period site found near the Dover Bridge in Talbot County. Several years ago, archaeologists excavated the site. Interpre-tive panels displayed during the festival sum-marized the important information gained from the investigations. Highlights of the festival can be viewed here. 17th century Westerwald jug found at site (pictured left).

Page 2

A modest concrete post along MD 22 at an apartment complex in Aberdeen marks an interesting aspect of American history. It doesn’t commemorate the colonial origin of the Old Post Road as decorated elsewhere by steel historic markers erected in the 1930s by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Rather, the concrete post pictured left, (a slender obelisk about four feet tall and inscribed “1942”) is a relic of a World War II defense housing project called Hamilton Courts, which housed African American defense workers and their families. The current property is called Affinity Old Post Apartments, but the chain of title traces the property back to the Federal Public Housing Authority, which acquired it through condemnation in 1943. In 1956, the U.S. Government sold the project to private owners and the streets were transferred to the Town of Aberdeen. Newspaper advertisements stated that the project had 140 wood-framed units sided with Cemesto, concrete pier foundations, oak floors, sheet rock walls, and rolled asphalt roofs.

In 1956, housing remained segregated for African Americans and most of the residents were employed at the local defense installations. The advertisements and Sanborn Maps refer to the project as Hamilton Courts Project, MD 18260. Historic aerial photographs provided the layout of the buildings and sidewalks along these streets, showing 29 gable-roofed buildings, each with five walkways leading from the street (and presumably) five apartments each. A larger building, possibly a community building, is at the northeast quadrant, and an even smaller building is at the northeast corner. The aerial photographs do not provide enough detail to show the concrete post. While archival resources have provided a fair amount of information regarding Hamilton Court, the definitive purpose of the concrete post has not been established. Images of comparable defense housing projects were found at the Library of Congress’ American Memory website, documenting methods used to quickly build defense housing projects as well as concrete posts- of a taller height. At the Sojourner Truth Homes in Detroit, Michigan, posts stand along an interior sidewalk with signs attached. Similarly, several towns, especially in the Southern United States, retain concrete posts. Generally these posts are painted with street names are stenciled onto them. Close inspection of the Hamilton Court concrete post reveals two holes that run through the post parallel to Post Road, perhaps a cable was strung through the post to close Hanover Street to traffic at certain times? Or perhaps a series of concrete posts and cable fencing made a fence along the north side of Hamilton Court? Another remaining question why is the concrete post stamped "1942" when the parcel was not acquired until 1943? Did Army planners select the parcel for acquisition during 1942 and place the monument at that time, or does the monument relate to another parcel that was acquired in 1942? Or was the post prefabricated in 1942, but not installed until 1943? While these questions remain unanswered, the historic context associated with Hamilton Court is fascinating. For several years prior to the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States anticipated its involvement in World War II, building weapons and vehicles, manufacturing ammunition, and training soldiers. Realizing that defense workers needed places to live near their new places of employment, thousands of housing units, both temporary and permanent, were built by the federal government. Some of the earliest defense housing projects were designed by "star" architects, and some developments in prefabrication lent a style of modernity. As the war progressed, the need for quicker and less expensive housing overcame aesthetic considerations, using prefabrication methods on traditional housing styles. Continued on page 3.

Concrete Post Reveals History of Defense Housing by Rebecca Crew

Page 3

Continued from page 2...

To help you learn as much as possible about our submissions contained herein, we have hyperlinked many words and phrases. To access additional information, use your mouse to place the cursor over the blue underlined word and the cursor will turn into a hand. Click on the word to discover more.

Hamilton Court served a population associated with Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). During the build-up to World War II, the growth of jobs at APG resulted in huge population growth in Aberdeen and the sur-rounding areas causing overcrowding. The shortage of housing for African Americans was especially severe, and Hamilton Court, while not glamorous, provided decent housing for its residents. APG’s commanders eventually banned segregated housing in 1967. Elsewhere, such as in Baltimore City, the placement of defense housing projects for African Americans was a matter of public and political debate, but the federal government selected sites in accordance with the ap-proval of local government. In the middle of World War II, politicians and cities questioned whether de-fense housing should be temporary or permanent. Many feared that following the war, temporary housing units would become slums and real estate developers opposed permanent government-owned housing units that would lower the number of potential homeowners. However, the Korean War required housing near the same places where many temporary projects were built, including APG. Thus, some temporary housing projects, including Hamilton Court, remained occupied long after their intended use. When the project was eventually rebuilt, it was done so in phases preventing displacement of residents, but demolishing buildings and a community plan that certainly represented a remarkable era in our country's history.

Housing for defense workers, Aberdeen, MD. Library of Congress.

What is it?

The copper alloy object pictured left was found on a War of 1812 battlefield site in Maryland. The artifact is 2.75mm in diame-ter. HINT: It is not a button. The winner will receive a copy of the book, Historic Bridges of Maryland and will be randomly chosen from the correct entries from the first day of the newsletter’s distribution. Email your guess to nsorensenmutchie@sha.state.md.us. Good luck!

African American residents at Detroit’s Sojourner Truth Homes with similar housing design and con-crete posts. Library of Congress.

Page 4

A Walk Through Historic Taneytown by Anne Bruder

As part of the Taneytown Streetscape project, SHA provided five interpretive panels and a walking tour brochure discussing the history of Taneytown from its founding in 1754 through the 1930s. The panels discussed Taneytown’s different religious buildings, the town’s early history, buildings constructed by Pennsylvania architect, John Augustus Dempwolf, the canning and milling industries that made Taney-town prosperous in the early 20th century, and the town’s role in the Civil War. The Civil War panel tells the story of Whitelaw Reid and how the news got to the public in the days be-fore the 24/7 news cycle. Taneytown was the site of General George Meade’s Union Army encampment prior to the Battle of Gettysburg in June 1863. Reid was a newspaper reporter for The Cincinnati Gazette, and was one of the first reporters to regularly cover the Civil War battles and have the title of “war corre-spondent.” He had the opportunity to discuss General Meade’s plans with the General, and learned that Gettysburg was the battle site. Reid described the troops calling out to one another to “mount and spur to Gettysburg!” to express the urgency of the battle preparations. Before riding ahead of the troops, he sent his dispatches to The Cincinnati Gazette by messenger to the Frederick telegraph office. Reid spent July 1-2-3, 1863 on the Gettysburg battlefield and observed the events unfold from Cemetery Hill. He then traveled to the other parts of the battlefield to discuss the outcome with the other Union commanders. He found the carnage horrifying. As he quit the battlefield, he wrote “nevermore,” as the ending of his final Gettysburg Battle dispatch. This fall, staff members from SHA’s Westminster Shop installed the five interpretive panels along MD 140 (East Baltimore Street) and MD 94 (Frederick Street). The Cultural Resources Section appreciates their help with completing the project. The panels can be found in front of the New Windsor State Bank and the Taneytown Police Station on Baltimore Street, and the Stone Tavern and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Frederick Street. The Taneytown Walking Tour Brochures are available at City Hall, Pristine Antiques and Collectibles, and Antrim 1844.

Staff members from SHA’s Westminster Shop. [left to right] Tyrone Henderson, Don Livesay and Frank Altvater.

Portrait of Whitelaw Reid taken during the Civil War. Library of Congress.

Page 5

Caulk’s Field: Maryland’s Best Preserved War of 1812 Battlefield by Julie Schablitsky

To commemorate the War of 1812 bicentennial, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) secured a National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) grant to conduct an archae-ology survey across Caulk’s Battlefield. The battle was an American win and the site remains relatively unaltered. DBED chose the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and University of Maryland (UM) to carry out the archae-ology survey and mapping project to determine troop and artillery locations, areas of intense fighting, and battlefield bounda-ries. History of the Battle At the end of August 1814, the citizens of Kent County observed British ships in the Chesapeake Bay. British Captain Peter Parker held his frigate, HMS Menelaus, just off of Poole’s Island in an attempt to disrupt communications between Easton and Baltimore. While stationed here, Parker landed his men on shore to take supplies from local farms and to burn private property occupied by the American troops. On the night of August 30, 1814 the burning and looting of Richard Frisby’s farm resulted in the capture of four enslaved African Americans: William, aged about 25; Ephraim, aged about 22; Solomon, aged about 20; and Peregrine, aged about 17. When the British interrogated the slaves that night, Captain Parker learned that American Lieut. Col. Reed’s camp was located just a short distance away. Trusting the word of these men, the British landed around 11:00 that evening to search out and destroy the American camp, take prisoners, and extract information from the troops. At 11:30pm, Lieutenant Colonel Reed received word from his picket that the British landed near Waltham’s farm. Believing their intent was to burn and pillage, Reed took his men and marched towards Waltham’s farm. Within minutes Reed learned the British were actually in pursuit of them! At this point, he turned his men around, moved their camp into Caulk’s field and positioned the troops on “…the ris-ing ground—the right towards Caulk’s house and the left retiring on the road, the artillery in the centre, supported by the infantry on the right and left.” Continued on page 6.

Acting Commander Henry Crease’s recollection of the battle of Caulk’s Field, September 1814.

Page 6

Continued from page 5...

While a fortified line took the center of the field, an advance troop of Americans laid in wait for the Brit-ish. As the British presented themselves, the Americans fired into them and then fell back to the fortified line with the artillery pieces. The fighting ensued and the British attempted to take the American left flank, but were unsuccessful. They continued to push the front American line and caused Reed to fall back. After almost an hour of fighting, Reed’s men found themselves almost out of ammunition, but continued to hold their position. After dozens of casualties including the death of their leader, Captain Peter Parker, the British quit the field and returned to the Menelaus. The Archaeology In the spring and fall of 2012, the SHA and UM archaeologists conducted a metal detector survey across 40 acres of the battlefield to find evidence of this 200 year old military engagement. The archaeologists attempted to detect the locations of lead and ferrous munitions (lead musket balls and canister shot), brass clothing buttons, and other battle related artifacts. Each time that an artifact was found, an archae-ologist mapped the location with a total station to record the exact position it was found. The artifact was then bagged and collected for study in the laboratory. Although the archaeologists are only half way through their survey, it is possible to determine where the men stood and where their artillery guns were placed on the landscape. Future surveys will determine the battlefield boundaries and other unique de-tails. A public release of findings will occur in November.

NOTICE: The battlefield is privately owned and trespassing is prohibited. Metal detecting was

only performed under the guidance of professional archaeologists.

Lead buck shot, ferrous shot, lead British and American musket balls from Caulk’s Field.

Wreath Laying Ceremony at Caulk’s Field Maj. Gen. James Adkins, Adjutant general and commander of the Maryland National Guard and Lt. Col. Colby Corrin of the Brit-ish Royal Marines raised the American and British flags during a wreath laying ceremony at the monument on August 31, 2012. A video of the ceremony can be seen here. SHA chief archaeologist, Julie Schablitsky, presented the preliminary archaeological find-ings of Caulk’s Field at a reception following the ceremony.

Page 7

With its coastal setting and a multitude of rivers, estuaries and bays, Maryland’s waterways have been the focus of human settlement, a source of sustenance, and a means of travel for millennia. Many waterways still retain the names the Native American inhabitants, largely Algonquin-speakers, gave them. Here are a sampling of Maryland waterway names and their translated meanings, taken from a variety of sources: Accokeek At the edge of the rising ground Antietam Swift water Anacostia At the trading town Assateague Yellow or brown river Catoctin Speckled mountain Chesapeake Great shellfish bay Chincoteague Large stream or inlet Choptank River It flows back strongly Conococheague A dull sound is heard far off-or-A long way-or-Water of many turns Conowingo At the waterfall or rapids Honga Goose Linganore It melts copiously in springtime Lonconing Where there is a beautiful summit Mattawoman Where one goes pleasantly Monocacy Fortified, fenced, a garden-or-At the garden creek Nanticoke Tidewater people; they who ply the tidewater stream Nanjemoy They go down to the river or landing place Nassawango Ground between the streams Octoraro Where the water is shallow and swift Patapsco At the rocky point or creek Patuxent At the little falls or rapids-or-tide covered with froth Piscataway Division or branch of a stream Pocomoke Pierced or broken ground-or-Broken by knolls Pomonkey River Twisting in the land-or-Where we sweat-or-Place of secrecy in the woods Port Tobacco (Potopaco) A jutting of the water inland-or-Bulging out Potomac Something bought-or-Where it is brought in-or-Those to travel to bring

again Rockawalking At the fork-or-At the sandy ground Sinepuxent Stones lie shallow-or-Stones are lying broken up Tonoloway Long tail Tonytank Where there is a stream at a little hill Transquaking Place of the white cedar swamp Tuscarora Hemp gatherers Wicomico Pleasant dwelling or village Youghiogheny Circuitous or winding stream

Native American Waterway Names in Maryland by Carol Ebright

Page 8

At first glance, the Booth Log House (HA-1631) isn’t much to look at. It’s an unassuming, vernacular 19th century dwelling with a broad wraparound porch as its most distinguishing feature. The private residence is situated at the intersection of Churchville Road and Prospect Mill Road in Harford County. As currently configured, the dwelling is an irregular amalgamation built in four different sections: the original side-gable log house is sandwiched between a circa 1900 single-story hipped-roof kitchen addition and circa 1950 two-story shed-roof addition to the north and the circa 1925, two-story, gable-front Classical Revival addition to the south. The original log section is hard to

discern from the other sections, only notable by its steep, gable ends incorporated into the east and west elevations shown by the arrow on the above picture. The periodization was determined through a close examination of the resource and a combination of new research and existing historical documentation. SHA consultant EHT Traceries conducted the cultural resource work for this property as part of an intersection improvement project at the location. The most interesting element of the dwelling is its history. The log portion of the house was the first home of Junius Brutus Booth and his mistress Mary Ann Holmes. Booth was a successful Shakespearean stage actor when he immigrated to the United States in 1821, leaving behind an estranged wife and child. In 1824, Booth acquired a 1000 year lease for an agricultural parcel outside of Bel Air, MD and relocated a two-story, three-bay log house to the farm. The original location of the log dwelling is not known. Interestingly, the log house was the birthplace for several of Booth’s children including Edwin Booth (1833-1893) and, most famously, John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865), Abraham Lincoln’s assassin. Booth constructed the nearby Tudor Hall (HA-117) in 1847, employing designs from the 1847 pattern book The Architect by William H. Ranlett. Tudor Hall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 14, 1973. When construction of Tudor Hall was finished, Booth moved his family into the new home and left the log house on the property. Upon his death in 1852, Booth’s property in Bel Air changed hands before being sold directly to his wife in 1869. Mrs. Booth owned the property for nine years before selling it to Samuel A.S. Kyle in 1878. It was Kyle, a retired merchant from Ireland, who in 1880 moved the dwelling to its current location, then a distant corner of his property. The Booth Log House is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places owing to the wide variety of changes over the years. The dwelling lacks integrity of materials, design, workmanship, feeling, location, setting and association. The house is outfitted with replacement materials on nearly every surface, including replacement siding, roofing, doors, and windows. Additionally, the original dwelling contains three additions and has been moved at least twice. Nonetheless, the log house is the birthplace of John Wilkes Booth, infamous for his role in the assassination of President Lincoln, making him a historical figure of outstanding importance. There are other historical sites still extant that are more closely associated with Booth’s life and actions in the killing of the President. Nearby Tudor Hall (HA-117) is the residence where Booth grew up and honed his acting skills. Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site is the physical location where the assassination took place. Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, where Booth is buried, is also listed on the National Register. These three locations are more strongly associated with the significant actions of Booth’s life, but it doesn’t make the unassuming dwelling at the intersection of Churchville Road and Prospect Mill Road any less interesting.

The Booth Log House: Birthplace of an Assassin by Jon Schmidt

Page 9

Getting to Know: Matt Manning

few and far between. So after working for 1 1/2 years, I headed to grad school to study historic preservation. New buildings are fun to design, but old buildings have depth and character; they provide irreplaceable physical ties to our past. I think working with existing buildings offers unique creative opportunities and is ultimately more rewarding than simply replacing what we have with something new. Do you have a favorite architec-tural style? Sometimes I think it changes depending on what I'm working on. I've always been partial to roadside architecture; in school, I based a photography project around Waffle House and wrote my thesis on strip malls. Post-World War II suburban architec-ture is always interesting because such a volume of buildings and neighborhoods exists that there's always something new to discover. But if I were stuck on a deserted island with just one architectural style, I'd choose something from the Arts and Crafts movement. I

love the use of natural materials, the honest structural expression

Matt Manning is an architec-tural historian consultant at SHA. He received his MA from the University of Georgia. The following is an interview with Matt.

What got you interested in architectural history? It started with family vacations – each one was a learning experience. Our trips typically revolved around historic cities and national parks. Even when we went to Disney World, we made a trip to St. Augustine; when we went to Busch Gardens, we also spent time in Williamsburg and Jamestown. (I still associate the smell of boxwoods with summer vacation.) Even so, I didn’t immediately decide to become an architectural historian. When I graduated college with a degree in architecture, I started working at a small architectural firm in North Carolina. The firm specialized in big, upscale outlet malls, but some of their projects involved local rehabili-tations and downtown infill. These were the projects I found myself drawn to, but they were

What is it? Answer

and the close connection to the sur-rounding landscape. I have visions of building a Frank Lloyd Wright Uson-ian or a Gustav Stickley Craftsman in the mountains someday. What has working at SHA taught you? Being a relative newcomer to MD, working on a variety of SHA projects has given me an opportunity to see more of the state than I ever would have otherwise. My weekends are filled with places I’ve filed away for return visits. Having worked as an architect, I’m familiar with building construction, but I didn’t know much about highway design or its history until I started at SHA. It’s surprising how involved something as seem-ingly simple as sidewalk placement can be, and I can’t drive anywhere now without noticing different types of bridges, guardrails and other high-way structures.

There were a lot of great guesses for the mystery artifact (pictured far left) including a shutterdog, a cannon part and a saber pommel. The correct answer is a boot spur! This example roughly dates to ca. 1650-1775. Click here to learn more about early spurs. Congratulations to David Brown for being the first person to answer cor-rectly!

Page 10

Events Calendar 2012

Free Fall Baltimore Various venues Baltimore, MD All of October Annual Conference on DC Historical Studies Washington, D.C October 18-21 Midwest Archaeological Conference East Lansing, MI October 18-21 Archeological Society of Maryland Annual Meeting LaPlata, MD October 20 Lecture-“The Enduring Appeal of the Federal Style: Tradition of the Way We Live Now” Homewood Museum Baltimore, MD October 22 1812 Bus Tour Maryland Historical Society Baltimore, MD November 3 Finding Family in the Freedmen’s Bureau Records Reginald F. Lewis Museum Baltimore, MD November 10 Lecture - “Shadows, Reflections, Spirits: The Stories Behind Edward Curtis’s Photos of Native America Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC November 14

Call for Papers: Vitruviana 2013 Center for Palladian Studies in America Charleston, SC Due November 15 149th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address Gettysburg National Military Park Gettysburg, PA November 19 Hearth & Home in Early Maryland Historic St. Mary’s City, MD November 23 & 24 Lecture-”Dining, Wining & Social Life: Food and Beverage Wares 1600 to 1730” Wintethur Museum Wilmington, DE November 29 Forensic Friday with Jamestown, Virginia Archaeologists Smithsonian Natural History Museum Washington, D.C November 30 Exhibit-Changing America: The Emanci-pation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963 Smithsonian American History Museum Washington, D.C Opens December 14

If you are interested in submitting

announcements or articles to the CRaB,

please contact

Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie

nsorensenmutchie@sha.state.md.us