Indian Queen Tavern, Day 11: Another Hot Day

Today we have a couple of posts from two volunteers who joined us for the day from State Highways:

My name is Gary Monroe, a Creative Artist that works in the Public Involvement Section of OPPE for the Maryland State Highway Administration. I volunteered to help out with the dig at the Indian Queen Tavern in Bladensburg, MD. As soon as I arrived I started sifting through the dirt given to me by the Archaeologists. I was very surprised to find so many things in the dirt and clay from the dig. It seems that every so many inches down represents a different period of history. Today I found numerous nails, bone matter, glass and ceramic pieces, pottery bits, and other artifacts. It was amazing just how many different items in a chunk of earth that you can find in there. Of course I had to accept helping the [cultural resources] people on the hottest day of the year so far. At least I had control of the water hose that I was using to separate the mud from the artifacts. If I got a little hot I would just spray myself off. This is proving to be more interesting than I first thought. I will come back tomorrow to finish up with my help and will surely take some memories back to PI with me. I wish to thank the Cultural Resources department for giving me the opportunity not only to help them, but to broaden my curiosity and knowledge for what they do.

To all, I am Dr. Jawad P.G.bdullah Project Engineer with the MD State Highway Administration OPPE Highway Development division volunteer for today 06/24/2010 on the dig into the past of yesteryear. It has truly been an amazing experience to uncover the remnant utility pieces of a time many moons ago. Revealed to me were corroded nails, earthenware, glass, other pieces of artifacts, and of certain mention were the myriad of colors uncovered in the unearthed stones. What a joy this day to reminisce on an era of Maryland’s colorful and eventful archeological history.

Thanks Guys! We'll have updates on the features we are excavating tomorrow. As we work our way down through upper levels, 18th century artifacts and features are appearing, revealing a very complexly stratified site. Just what we were hoping for!