Archeologists dig deeper into 200-year history of Maryland's Hammond-Harwood House

BALTIMORE - A team of archeologists is digging up clues of the past at the historic Hammond-Harwood House in downtown Annapolis to learn more about the life of the residents from 200 years ago.

The Hammond-Harwood House on Maryland Avenue was built in 1774 and commissioned by wealthy planter and politician Mathias Hammond. It was purchased in the early 1800s by another wealthy Annapolis family whose descendants lived there for the next 100 years.

The home is now a museum with Barbara Goyette as the executive director.

Goyette said that because the Hammond-Harwood House is a historical site, an archeological dig had to be done before the museum could start a project to improve drainage.

"Are there pipes that are down there? Are there posts down there? And while they're doing that, you can see them sifting through the four-millimeter mesh."

What was found?

Archeologists unearthed sewing supplies, the head of a porcelain doll and artifacts from someone's trip to the dentist 200 years ago.

"We found a bone-handle toothbrush and a human molar with a cavity," project archeologist Robert Warner said.

They carefully logged every item they found along the way to make sure no archeological information is lost.

"We dig a little bit and then we have to record, we have to take measurements, pick up pencils, measure things, draw things and then we dig a little bit more," Warner said. 

However, some of the artifacts found were fascinating, including "30 to 40 examples of printing type now from an early printing press," Warner added.

Archeologists found a sidewalk that likely dates back to the 1820s with oyster shells embedded in sand.

"It just never gets old"

The dig will continue for at least another month with more historic items yet to be uncovered.

"The process where you pull something out of the ground that no one has seen for 200 years, it just never gets old for me, and telling a story about it," Warner said.