Evidence Found in the Ground

Information about the people who lived at King’s Reach comes from the items they left behind, including discarded or lost objects, the remains of buildings, and evidence of daily activities. Archaeologists call this kind of evidence a feature; unlike artifacts, features are part of the ground and cannot be removed easily. Features at King’s Reach include hearths, storage cellars, garbage piles, fence ditches, and discolorations in the soil left by decaying wooden posts. Archaeologists found a wide range of artifacts in the field, including fine table glass, pottery, tobacco pipes, pewter spoons, a needle case, pins, jewelry, locks, horse harness ornaments, hoes, and animal bones. They collected objects outside the houses where early settlers threw their trash, found artifacts where buildings once stood that may have fallen between floor boards, and recovered objects from soil that had filled cellars and other features. A map shows the outline of the plantation owner’s house and servants’ residence with possible room uses noted. Volunteer archaeologists also work in the laboratory analyzing bones and artifacts, and for every day spent digging in the field, many more days are spent cleaning and analyzing artifacts in the laboratory.

Maryland · United States