Excavation of Slavery-Related Artifacts
The archaeological survey that determined quarters for the enslaved were located in the area for the proposed stadium was a multi-faceted process. The archaeological team, led by Dr. King, viewed historical property records and then dug a series of “shovel test pits” across the field. Shovel test pits are one-foot diameter holes dug to collect artifact samples from across large areas. A geophysical survey was also conducted using ground-penetrating radar and a magnetometer (devices that measure magnetism) to identify soil anomalies beneath the ground surface.
Dr. King’s team started digging in the summer of 2016. They would not end their excavation until February 2018, following a bitter cold snap. As the project wore on, the crew became aware of the importance of their work to the college, the community, the descendants of enslaved peoples, and the history of our country.
The shovel test pits revealed six areas of archaeological sensitivity. Additionally, excavations were conducted along with continuing oral history and documentary research. Throughout this months-long process, artifacts including 18th- and 19th-century ceramics, bottle glass and tobacco pipes were unearthed. This additional work provided conclusive evidence of the presence of quarters for the enslaved.
The artifacts found in the field were typical for slave quarter sites ----- similar materials have been uncovered at other quarter sites throughout Southern Maryland. Two ceramic fragments with star-like designs, however, intrigued King and her team. King enlisted the help of her colleague and adjunct professor of anthropology, Dr. Patricia Samford, who identified the star-like motif as a recurring symbol at African American archaeological sites in Tidewater Maryland. The team also learned that ceramic fragments with a similar star-like motif had been found on the west side of Mattapany Road at a contemporary slave quarters complex.
Archaeologists believe the star-like designs found on these ceramic pieces could represent Anansi, a trickster figure in African folklore. Often taking the form of a spider, with the star-like motif representing Anansi’s web, Anansi became a symbol of resistance in the Caribbean. Perhaps enslaved people who lived here drew on Anansi to cope with their enslavement. Because these traditions were hidden from the eyes of enslavers, we may never know the true story behind the star-like design. Nonetheless, these unique ceramics provide a glimpse into the “hidden lives” of the enslaved peoples that lived in these quarters.
Advertising the Resistance
Historical documents provide insight and tell the stories of enslaved people. The documents reveal not only their inhumane treatment at the hands of their enslavers, but through their stories of resistance, resilience, and survival in an unjust world.
Runaway slave advertisements tell us the stories of rebellion. Each ad represents an individual who risked their life to make an attempt at freedom. Despite the chance that they would be found by bounty hunters, killed by those who enslaved them, or perished in the journey itself, they still set forth on this uncertain path.
Enslaved people also demonstrated their resistance by creating opportunities to earn an income. A Jesuit plantation, which neighbored the College, then St. Mary’s Female Seminary, kept detailed records that we have used to uncover the stories of enslaved people who built their own economies. In one diary entry, a minister wrote of the enslaved: “They were in the habit of selling some cabbages and a great many eggs. Each family raised 100, 150, or 200 chickens, which they sold at 25 cents each, seldom at a lower price. They also, in defiance of authority, gathered oysters on Sundays and holidays, which they sold to ships. The father of each family generally made $80 to $100 per year. This was clear gain to him, as he depended entirely on the (overseer) for working clothes and provisions.”
These stories provide insight into the everyday lives of enslaved people. They show that when human rights and freedoms are taken, the human spirit is resilient. That even within the confines of slavery, the enslaved found creative ways to live, to shape their own identity through participation in the consumer economy and through these efforts resist the role they were put in by those with power.
