Researchers Discover Piece Of Civil War History In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A discovery deep below ground led researchers to a piece of Civil War history.
Gigi Barnett explains it's in the heart of West Baltimore.
Below the layers of dirt in West Baltimore's Fayette Square is an archaeologist's gold mine.
"It's like Christmas every day, digging in the dirt," said volunteer Rain Atkins.
And each piece is a link back to Camp Hoffman. It was a Civil War-era military barracks and hospital--a sign that the Union Army had encamped in West Baltimore.
"We have some pictures of the fort but we don't know exactly how the picture we have relates to the landscape contemporarily, so what we want to do is figure out how the landscape and pictures match up," said lead organizer David Gadsby.
The metal detector could pick up objects like uniform buttons and nails. The flags mark a perfect grid for digging. Armed with a team of volunteers, lead archaeologists started the three-day dig on Friday.
Rain Atkins calls herself a history hunter. She says this dig is like doing family research.
"Several of my uncles not only served in the Civil War but in the Revolutionary War. For me, it's personal," she said.
In addition to the dig, organizers are offering tours of the site.
Fayette Square, once an affluent neighborhood back in the 1860s, is in West Baltimore's historic district. Now with abandoned buildings like the Sellers Mansion, organizers hope that digging up the area's history could one day build its future.
"Return these vacant homes and properties to some great use," Gadsby said.
The three-day dig was funded by a $2,000 grant from the Archaeological Society of Maryland.
