REU Site: Archaeological Investigations of Colonial Maryland

St Mary'S College Of Maryland, Saint Marys City MD

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. It has both scientific and societal benefits, and integrates research and education. The REU site is a collaboration between St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Maryland Archeological Conservation Lab (MAC Lab). The goals of the REU and ongoing research is to provide undergraduates experiences in archaeology including the latest scientific and methodological approaches to archaeological fieldwork, artifact curation, materials analysis, curatorial interpretation and public engagement with scholarly content. This REU will generate original research on Maryland history and likely refocus the dominant understanding of economic and political dynamics in the Chesapeake in the 17th and 18th centuries. The study will investigate whether country estates served as the socio-economic foundation of Maryland during the colonial era by steering socio-economic relations in the region, and that its inhabitants were not dependent on the developing urban centers. This project moves beyond traditional studies of 17th and 18th century sites that emphasize first settlements and the estates of important personages such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington by investigation the former West Ashcom Estate. This REU builds upon St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s 25 years as the state’s Public Honors College. This distinction includes a tradition of student driven research and collaboration with faculty in line with the mission of the REU program. The REU project will provide comprehensive training in areas of archaeological and museum practice frequently unavailable to undergraduates. By utilizing and instructing students in the latest technology (e.g., drone use and photogrammetry), field methods, and laboratory procedures, participants will gain experience in all stages of archaeological collections generation (i.e. excavation), care (conservation and management), and analysis (materials characterization and cataloging). Twelve students will be recruited for an 8-week summer research program, offered every other year for a total of three times. This alternating schedule allows for improvement of program content and structure in light of annual assessment and evaluations. The REU will target students early in their academic career, especially those from underrepresented populations and community colleges interested in gaining practical field and laboratory skills. Students will participate in archaeological excavations at West Ashcom located at Cremona Estate, gain training in collections management and conservation at the MAC Lab, and carry out innovative cultural materials characterization in the SMCM Museum Studies Lab. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.