George Willard House, Site 18FR696

ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE G= EORGE WILLARD HOUSE (18FR696)

A federal farm house in sout= hern Frederick County, Maryland

by

James R. Beall, Ph.D., Stacey Streett, A.A., and Guy Whidden, M.Ed

Note: Originally published in Maryland Archeolo= gy, Volume 31, 9-24, March-September 1995.

This WWW version is still under construction. Illustrations, tables and certain supporting documentation are yet to be added. This WWW version also contains photographs and additional information that is not contained in the published version cited above.

You may wish to view these related documents:

http://www.fred.net/j= beall/GWSTORY.mht (An informal history of the = George Willard family, with references)

http://www.fred.net/jbeall/= volunt.html (This contains the names of volunt= eers who helped with the archaeological study)

http://www.fred.net/jbeal= l/GW1.mht (A page of related links concerned= with the history of the house)

http://www.fred.net/jbea= ll/pub1.mht (This version contains photog= raphs of the house)

http://www.fred.net/j= beall/owners.html (A chronological listing of past o= wners of the house)

E-mail questions, comments, or requests to: James Beall, 4804 Old Middletown Road, Jefferson, MD 21755.

ABSTRACT

An archeological investigation of a midden beneath the kitchen of a Georgian-style, federal, farm house has recovered numerous artifacts and ecofacts from early 19th century life in rural Maryland. The house was built in 1818 = by George and Susannah Willard who had ten children. George was a successful farmer and tanner; he had descended from German immigrants (Archives 1845, Beall, 1993). The findings recovered indicate that the early occupants of t= he house used a variety of plates, cups, saucers, and cutlery that reflected changing fashions and technology. The findings also suggest that they wore leather shoes, used a variety of buttons, took medicines of sulfur and iodi= ne, smoked tobacco in kaolin pipes, practiced oral hygiene and wore some jewelr= y.

INTRODUCTION

Site 18FR696 in Jefferson, Maryland is a nearly square= ten acre parcel of what was, in 1850, an 87 acre farm and tannery. The farm, wh= ich was once divided by the road to Middletown (Old Middletown Road), has been slowly subdivided and sold as housing lots over the last 45 years. Site 18FR696 is the largest remaining parcel of the Willard's farm. It incl= udes the tanning site and lies along the west side of Old Middletown Road, starting about= 400 meters south of MD Rt. 180 (Fig. 1). Near the parcel's center is the house (Fig. 2, Structure Detail 1) that is the location of this study. About 100 meters south of the house is a continuously running fresh water spring (Archives, 1795, 1798). Stone flakes and projectile points found near the spring, indicate that the area has been occupied for centuries. The area ne= ar the spring was the site of a tannery that operated from 1797 to 1856 (Archi= ves 1798, 1802, 1856). Artifacts recovered from the tannery site, at other locations around the property, and beneath the house reflect various stages= of the land's history. The 10 acres with buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the George Willard House (Reg. #93000665). <= /p>

The house remains in a relatively unadulterated condition( Photographs 1= and 2). Nearby is an old tannery site. We thought that a study of the house and tannery site might offer an usually clear view into the lives of a successf= ul 19th century family from Maryland's Middletown Valley area. In the literature rev= iew phase of the study, we located over 50 historical documents about the 19th century residents of the George Willard House. The documents include ancest= ral records, marriage and death records, real estate and property transactions, loans and mortgages, wills and estate accountings, and court records of a lawsuit in 1856. This extensive documentation provided an unusual and valua= ble resource that allows site 18FR696 to be placed into historical and familial contexts. We conducted this archeological study of the kitchen midden to ga= ther additional information about the lives of early residents of the house, and= of Middletown Valley in Maryland.

HISTORY

Land records of Frederick County were traced through p= ast owners to George Willard who, with his wife Susannah, built the house on la= nd he had purchased from Elias Delashmutt Jr. in 1802 (Table 1). George Willard was a son of Elias Willard and Roseanna Gump Willard (married, 1762). Georg= e's father, Elias, had immigrated from Germany<= /st1:country-region> to Pennsylvania in 1746, at age 12. He subsequently moved to Burkittsville, Maryland (Beall, 1993). George was born near Burkittsville, Maryland, in 1770.

In 1795, George Willard bought lot #6 on the north side of the road in N= ew Freedom, MD (Archives 1795, Rice, 1984), renamed Jefferson in 1832 (Archive= s, 1832). The purchase gave him access to the continually running spring and an adjoining 675 ft2 (apx. 64 m2) plot of land located about 400m north of lot= #6. In the next 3 years, George used the land and water supply to start a tanya= rd, that was probably the area's first industry (Rice, 1984). In 1798, he bought land next to the spring on which his tanyard existed (Archives, 1798). In 1= 802, he bought the spring itself and about 30 acres around it, gaining access to= the tanning operation from Old= Middletown Road (Archives, 1802; Rice, 1984).

In 1805, George Willard married Susannah Culler, a 24 year old woman fro= m a local family. Official records that required Susannah's signature were sign= ed only with an "X" near her name (below which may be written "= her mark") suggesting that she could not write her name.

George and Susannah built a Georgian-style, center-hall, brick farm house with 9 rooms and 8 fireplaces (Photograph 1). It was finished in 1818 (Rice, 1984). By 1845, George and Susannah had five daughters and four sons living. George owned five slaves, two farms totaling over 300 acres, three houses, a tannery, a blacksmith shop, and a barouche (Archives, 1845).

The Willard's second surviving son, John, married Louisa Ann Wasmus on M= arch 9, 1841 (Beall, 1993). They probably moved into the George Willard House so= on thereafter because George's will of 1845 states that John was "now liv= ing in the house." The will further indicates that George and Susannah were living in another house in Jefferson (Ar= chives, 1845).

John and Louisa had six children by 1856. That year both John and the youngest daughter, Anne, died (Archives, 1856). John's brother, Henry, purchased the farm and house from John's estate in 1856 through a series of deals involving Ezra and Amanda Thomas (Archives 1856a, 1856b, and 1856c). Though Henry Willard bought John's house, Louisa, and her children probably continued to live in it. Records show that Henry Willard was living in Bath, Virginia (n= ow West Virginia) i= n 1857; he is buried there.

The George Willard House has undergone relatively few changes since 1818. The earliest changes probably were made about 1853 when John and Louisa (wi= th other family members) borrowed $7,000 from Fredericktowne Savings Instituti= on. Those changes included installing a trifolding door between two adjoining r= ooms on the east side of the first floor to yield front and rear parlors that co= uld be converted to a single room when desired. They also included adding a lar= ge front portico with a balcony, and windows for light beside the main door. <= /p>

Between 1875 and 1915, the Charles Zimmerman family divided two second f= loor rooms to yield two extra bedrooms, and added wainscot decoration to the sit= ting room and kitchen, and enclosed the area beside the kitchen fireplace to for= m a food storage closet. About 1925, the Bussard family installed electricity, = and indoor running cold water (driven from the spring by a ram pump). The house lacked indoor bathrooms and hot water.

In the late 1940s, Mrs. Elgin installed four closets, central heat, indo= or bathrooms with running hot water and the supporting septic system. She remo= ved the peg boards, replastered much of the house, and modernized the kitchen. = She also added two small rooms to the outside of the house.

Between 1960 and 1984 the house deteriorated extensively. By 1985, the s= outh east quadrant of the kitchen floor was partially rotten and had a large hol= e in it. Starting in 1985 a major restoration effort was undertaken. It included stabilization of the foundation, removal of the two external additions, and installation of modern plumbing, electrical wiring, and heating sources. Du= ring restoration of the kitchen in 1986, the floor was removed and a utility tre= nch was dug to accommodate plumbing and wires. The trenching operation revealed several artifacts buried in loose dirt below the floor. That discovery led = to this archeological investigation which started in 1992.

METHODS

The National Registry of Historic Places designates archaeologically imp= ortant areas in a given historic place with alphabetical letters. The location of = the midden in this study is defined therein as "Area A". Area A resid= es under the kitchen floor and measures 15' x 22'(Fig. 3). About 30" below the kitchen floor joists there is a base of hard-packed red clay with an un= even surface (Fig. 4). Over this base is a layer of loosely-packed, dark, brown dirt, with an uneven surface created by modernization activities. Above the loose dirt is a layer of fiber glass that was blown uniformly over the surf= ace as an insulating barrier about 1950 and then disrupted in 1986 when new utilities and a floor were installed.

About 4m3 of the brown dirt was displaced during various modernization efforts to produce a 5m long, L-shaped, trench for pipes, ducts and wires. Except for the trench, the loose brown dirt containing artifacts filled abo= ut 80% of the available space between the clay base and the floor joists. Part= ly because dirt was displaced during modernization, the layer varies greatly i= n depth but generally fills the space above the clay to within 15cm of most floor joists. The total volume of the loose brown dirt is estimated to be 30m3.

When our excavations started the limited space under the joists permitted only one person at a time to work there. Ingress and egress to the dig site= is accomplished by crawling on one's elbows and stomach, military style, throu= gh an irregular opening (50x70cm)in the stone foundation supporting the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Except for the kitchen the first floor= is built over a cellar. The access hole is located in the north wall of the ce= llar beneath the dining room about 1.25m above the cellar floor. The trench was = so narrow that we could only crawl a few meters into it when the dig started. Removal of artifacts was therefore confined to the sides and floor of the trench as we worked our way under the kitchen.

When the dig started, making accurate measurements using a standard grid system posed a very difficult problem. The George Willard House was built o= n a nearly north-south line, facing south. We used this fact to help create an interim three dimensional grid that capitalized on the close proximity of t= he floor joists (easily located in the trench by raising one's head quickly). = We defined the intersect of the joist and footer board at the southeast corner= of the kitchen floor as point "0,0", and used the floor joists, that= run at about 16" on center, as "X" axes (east-west) grid lines. = We marked distances from the footer board (at the kitchen's east foundation wa= ll) on the joists to define the "Y" axes (north-south) grid lines. Measurements from the planar surface defined by the bottoms of the joists downward to the artifacts provide the third dimension. To comport with meas= urements used in construction of the house, we measured distances in inches and feet. For example, an artifact might have been recorded as being 26" below j= oist No. 4, at 12'3" west (from the east joist footer board).

Because of space limitations, dirt could not be sifted with control in s= itu. We used a wooden sled (9.5 x 30 x 60 cm) to transport dirt to a more practi= cal sifting area. The sled had a tin base and runners on each end that tapered outward from bottom to top. Ropes attached at each end permitted us to pull= the sled either direction as needed. Each sled-load of dirt represented a defin= ed location and was sifted for findings outside the house.

ARTIFACTS AND ECOFACTS

Since 1992, about 25% of the dirt in area A has been removed and sifted. Thousands of artifacts and ecofacts that date from the late 1700s to the present, have been recovered. Though many modern artifacts lend support to = the stages and dates of modernization, we chose to focus this report on the historic findings.

By count, most findings are pieces of early window panes, bottles, ceram= ics, charcoal, coal and nails, and bones of small mammals including mice and rats that inhabited the area. The remaining findings, though fewer in number, are from many aspects of early life. Table 2 summarizes categories of artifacts= by intended use.

Ecofacts of food included clam and oyster shells, walnut and almond shel= ls, peach and plum pits, and bones from cattle, pigs, chickens, and small game birds. Bones of small fish and a corn cob have also been found. Court recor= ds from 1856 state that John Willard grew corn and purchased herring by the ba= rrel (Archives, 1856). Evidence of cooking (and heating) includes pieces of charcoal, coal and slag.

Drinking vessels and liquid containers are evidenced by shards of early = hand blown wine, port, and perhaps soft-beverage bottles, cups, and glasses. Tea cups were made of pearlware or stoneware and were in several styles of polychromatic ceramics (c. 1810), red and blue rainbow and blue spatter (c. 1820), and blue transfer patterns (c. 1830-1860). Also clear glass shards of drinking vessels have been recovered. Shards of a dark blue cobalt pressed = wine glass have also been recovered.

Shards of redware, slipware, stoneware, pearlware and other ceramics, milkglass and clear glass, represent a variety of styles and patterns of tableware. These include pearlware cups and saucers in spatter patterns, fl= oral patterns (in underglaze and overglaze) and several varieties of blue orient= al and romantic transfer patterns. One redware shard is slip decorated with yellow, black and brown in the style of Peter Bell (1806-1890) who was a po= tter in Hagerstown, MD (Renfrew = Museum, New Franklin, PA).

Shards representing several edge patterns were recovered. They included spear-, and feather-edged patterns (Noel Hume, 1969). Shards of feather-edg= ed plates included circumlateral (c. 1810) and radial brush marks, (c. 1790) in both blue and green underglaze. Noel Hume (1969) states that the circumlate= ral brush marks were used to make plates faster. These markings were more common 1800-1805 when demand for the plates required faster production methods.

Several examples of Pearlware in spatter decoration (c. 1830) were also recovered. These include the blue and red rainbow pattern in a cup and sauc= er, and a blue pattern on cup and saucer rims with underglazed picture inside t= he saucer. These styles were made as early as 1765 in <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Bristol, England (Noel Hume, 1969).

Several shards of pearlware blue transfer patterns from the mid-1800s we= re also recovered, including examples of three relatively common patterns, "Victoria" "Palestine" and "= Willow". Markings on the back of t= he plate state "Victoria" and "J&G Alcock". These marks indicate the makers were John and George Alcock; they made ceramics in an a= rea known as "The Potteries" in England (Rinker, 1994). A sim= ilar "Victoria" pattern was also made by Samuel Alcock & Co. c. 1830-1859 (Williams, 19= 78). We found the "Victoria" pattern on three different sized plates. The "Palestine" transfer (c. 1836) patt= ern, one of the most common of the Romantic Staffordshire patterns (Coysh and Henrywood, 1982; Rinker, 1994), was found on a matching cup and saucer (Photograph 2). We have not identified the maker. The blue "Willow" chin= a was an early example by an unknown maker.

We recovered a molded glazed shard with mottled brown glaze over yellow clay. It came from a c. 1850 pitcher called a "<= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Bennington" or "Rockingham&qu= ot; and bearing a scene of two riders on horses and three dogs chasing a buck ("The Hunt"). Mottled pottery like this was made in several locations, including Rockingham, England, Bennington<= /st1:City> VT, and Baltimore, MD, (Noel Hume, 1969).

Cutlery artifacts include: a bone handled knife and a 2-tine fork; two cutlery handles of antler; a Britannia spoon handle marked "Britan&quo= t;, c. 1820; incised bone handles; smooth one and two pieced bone-handles, c. 1= 800; a knife blade, a silver plated tablespoon, a nickel tablespoon, and several silver teaspoons. Three incised, two-pieced, bone handles were recovered, e= ach with a different pattern of incisions. We define the three patterns as: X S= lash X , Full Oblique, and Oblique-L (Fig. 3). In all cases, two rivets were use= d to attach the bone pieces to the tang.

In the X Slash X pattern, two parallel rows of Xs are crosshatched and o= verlapped along each edge of the handle. Between the edge crosshatches are triplets of slash markings (Fig. 3). In both the X Slash X and the Oblique-L, the incis= ions are placed groups of three lines, with a deeper incision followed by two shallower incisions, like "\\\ \\\ \\\". Between groups of three incisions is an unmarked area the width of the two lightly incised lines. In the Oblique-L pattern, the incisions forming the arms of the L intersect at= a 30o acute angle and are offset to form a "herring-bone" like patt= ern near the intersection (Fig. 3).

Five matching silver teaspoons (or parts thereof), c. 1840, bearing the initials LAW and having 4 "hallmarks" each under the handles has = been recovered (Photograph 3). A tablespoon of Sheffield<= /st1:place> silver and one of German silver were also recovered.

Health related items recovered include bone handles for tooth brushes, a small two-sided bone comb with fine teeth for a baby or doll. The artifacts also included three, two-sided, vulcanite combs with fine teeth. One is mar= ked "R. Comb Co Goodrich, 1851". Two-sided combs with fine teeth such= as these were often used to remove lice from hair.

Health artifacts included hand blown medicine bottles, and numerous shar= ds of medicine bottles from about 1780 to 1850. Three intact medicine bottles = (c. 1780, Noel Hume, 1969) show open pontile marks the bottom (Photograph 4). O= ne with a cork stopper contains a residue. One particular style of blown molded medicine bottle (late 1700s to early 1800s) was found frequently. It was re= ctangular in shape (2 x 0.7 x 5.0 cm) and contained the words "Genuine Essence&q= uot; molded into the glass along one side. Several shards of early wine bottles = have also been found. Shards of 19th century medicine bottles with wording along= the sides have also been recovered, including a brown one with molded patterns,= and words reading "Kidney Water".

Three residues that may have been medicines were recovered. One was a cylindrical piece of what appeared to be sulfur that was shaped as if had b= een in a bottle. Another was a small amount of substance that looked like copper sulfate and may have fit within a small medicine bottle. The last was the iodine looking residue found in the intact, stoppered, 18th c. bottle.

Jewelry artifacts include glass tubular beads (34x6mm) and a wound glass bead (10x11mm), a brass bead (6mm dia), victorian jet earrings, two dress brooches, a heart-shaped, blue, stone (10x15x4mm) , a trade-silver cast dog (10x22mm), a brass ring (3x16mm), a brass cuff-link, a shell cuff link. The= blue stone and the dog have small holes to accommodate a loop or string, and may have been for either a child or a doll.

Seven U.S coins were recovered. One, a Coronet type large cent dated 181= 7, was found on the surface of the clay base beneath the loose dirt. Other coi= ns include a large cent Braided Hair dated 1856, a half-cent piece (undatable)= , a five cent coin dated 1863, and Indian Head pennies (one is 1895, others are undatable).

Clothing artifacts include a straight-lasted, men's size 9 to 9.5, leath= er shoe. The soles and heel were attached with wooden pegs. It was held on the foot with a single lace tied through two holes in the vamp. It had been worn mostly on the right foot. The quarter was compressed "accordion-like&q= uot; where the heel rested, as if it has been used as a sandal. The half and slip soles were worn completely through. According to Pequet (1994), the shoe predates the 1850s, when styles and construction methods changed. Fragments= of a child's shoe heal attached with wooden pegs were also recovered. Findings also included a cast brass riding spur (Photograph 5) with circular iron pr= od (4mm dia.) with formed buckles from the 1800s (Noel Hume, 1969).

Other clothing items included eye and hook fasteners, cloth fragments, a= nd buttons in several styles and materials, including bone, brass, metal, shel= l, jet, porcelain and cloth. Button shanks were either molded with the button,= or wire. Wire shanks were either a pin type through a center hole, or were hel= d by insertion between the front and back of the button. Buttons held on with th= read had either two, four, or five holes. Examples of hollow metal buttons with = wire shanks, and brass decorations over cloth were also found. Several of the mo= lded metal buttons and buttons with inserted wire shanks had writing on the back (Table 3).

Sewing artifacts include, copper thimbles, brass pins, iron scissors, and wooden spools for thread.

Writing artifacts consisted of several pencils for use on slate boards. = They are in dark and tan colors. Most show wear from usage only on one end, but = some show usage on both ends.

Artifacts of children's recreation include 11 clay Marbles (3 were white ceramic with blue decoration, a child's sadiron, and a metal molded toy cap pistol. Adult recreational items included several kaolin pipe bowls with re= eded decoration extending from the base of the bowl, (c. 1820, Noel Hume, 1969),= and a hollow reed used as a stem for a molded clay pipe. We also recovered a mo= lded redware pipe bowl (for use with a hollow reed stem) that was decorated with grape vines and leaves in 'bas relief' extending from rim to base (Photogra= ph 6).

Arms findings included intact and spent firing caps, r= im fired cartridge shells and projectiles for 22 and 30 cal. firearms, and a b= rass chain and hook possibly for suspending a sword scabbard from a belt. Also recovered were primitive sharpening stones of two sizes, appropriate for kn= ives and tools.

DISCUSSION

The age of the George Willard house is known. Aside from the fact that t= he architectural details of the house reflect the late federal period, "1818" is painted on the house's date stone. Close inspection of = it shows no evidence of any other date and Mr. M. Rice, a centurion resident a= nd historian, recalls the "1818" date stone being there since his childhood (Rice, 1984, 1990). The 1817 coin found on the surface of the clay base also provides a time frame for construction.

The energy-related ecofacts substantiate the use of changing energy sour= ces. Residual creosote and smoke in the heat box of the kitchen fireplace and the other fireplaces provide evidence that wood was a primary source of energy = for several years. Over time, three openings were made in the kitchen fireplace= to accommodate different sizes of stove pipes. Estate records show that John Willard had a ten plate stove in 1856. Residents who lived in the house bet= ween 1916 and 1936 recalled that a coal burning stove was used for cooking, and = that coal stoves and fireplaces both were used for heating (E. Bussard, 1991; M. Kyne, 1995). Their recollections are supported by an early cast iron stove = lid and lid holder that we found in the attic of the house, and openings to accommodate stove pipes in six fireplace chimneys.

We did not find references that attribute incision patterns on bone hand= les to specific cutlers. Noel Hume (1969) dates incised, riveted, bone plate, cutlery handles to the mid-18th century. He illustrates two patterns (Noel Hume, 1969, p 182) but does not name them or name the cutlers who made them. One of his patterns could be called a "Full-Oblique" incision pattern, the other a "Full Crosshatch" pattern. Adams (1987) illustrates several incision patterns on bone cutlery handles, but d= oes not name specific patterns. Illustrations "J" and "N" b= y Adams (1987, p 432) are similar to the oblique-L an= d X Slash X patterns that we found. We asked subscribers to the e-mail HISTARCH Discussion List if they have seen an incision pattern like that illustrated below (o =3D rivets). Several reported having recovered handles with this pattern.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX---- ///o///////o/// XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX----

Similar patterns have been found in Boston, MA (Varley, 1994), Kings= Bay (Adams, 1994) and in Louisiana (Marke= ll, 1994). Bone handles marked in a similar fashion are said to be in Lyle Ston= e's writings on the excavations at Fort Michilimackinac, MI and in the collection of the Fort Lig= onier Memorial Foundation (site c.1758-1766) in Ligonier, PA (Scott, 1994). Detailed comparisons of these handles with the ones from Site 18FR696 have not been done.

One cutler, "John Kirk, Sheffield", produced two piece bone handles (with the X Slash X pattern and attached wi= th two rivets) that are identical to ones that we found. [The Kirk family of <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">England= were famous silversmiths. One, John Kirk, immigrated to <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Pennsylvania in 1688. His descendent, = Samuel Kirk, opened a silversmith shop on Market Street in Baltimore, MD in 1815 (Samuel Kirk &am= p; Sons, 1925). We do not know if Samuel Kirk & Son Co. produced handles similar to those of John Kirk of Sheffield.]

Several artifacts were collected from area A in 1986 by earlier owners (Hallein, 1989) and subsequently given to JRB. Included were two intact sil= ver teaspoons with "LAW" engraved on the handles. These spoons matched three others that we recovered. The hallmarks did not match any reported Hallmarks in references that we reviewed.

The engraved initials, silver material, and style of construction indica= te that the teaspoons may have been a gift to Louisa Ann (Wasmus) Willard who lived in the house between 1841 and 1867 (Beall, 1993). On a hot Sept. 12, 1862, before the battle of South= Mountain in the Civil War, some 12,000 Union tr= oops passed through Jefferson. Based on artif= acts found near the spring, some soldiers may have stopped to drink from the spr= ing near the George Willard House. Perhaps Louisa hid the spoons below the kitc= hen in 1862 to secure them from soldiers.

Noel Hume (1969) states that combs were first made of vulcanite c. 1860.= Our finding of the comb by R. Comb Co. Goodrich confirms that vulcanite was patented in 1851, and was used for combs.

Except for the access hole, Area A is enclosed by a solid stone foundati= on. Dogs could not have accessed Area A until the floor rotted through and would probably not have contributed to the early bones that were found.

Most artifacts we found were likely made between 1800 = and 1860 and fit well with the time that the Willard's occupied the house. Several artifacts date to the civi= l war period and later. These inclu= de some coins, part of a spur, a scabbard chain, and a pistol butt plate. As might be expected most artifact= s came from the more recent occupants. These findings include parts of a single tree and a double tree (use= d to attach a horse to a farm implement), plates, pots, parts of a coal or wood burning stove, and so on.

Many provide supporting evidence to the reported dates of manufacture commonly reported in modern references. The presence of ecofacts of food beneath the kitchen lends support to the likelihood that the area once attracted many rodents and insects. Numerous holes that were chewed in baseboards and peg boards give graphic evidence of serious rodent infestati= ons near the kitchen areas use for food storage.

The finding of fish bones comports with court records showing that John Willard owed money to Basil Norris for barrels of herring (Archives, 1857).2 The Jet jewelry, indian head pennies, and several other artifacts were left= by occupants after 1867. Some buttons, the cobalt kerosene lamp, and a child's sadiron, and many other findings probably date to when the property was own= ed by the Zimmerman family (1867-1915).

We have no substantiated explanation for how the findings got into the enclosed space beneath the kitchen. Though small artifacts (like pins, butt= ons and marbles) could have easily passed through cracks in the floor, it seems unlikely that findings like larger bottles, silver spoons, and glass panes entered the space in that manner. The original flooring for most rooms in t= he house remains intact; it is 5/4ths tongue and groove "pumpkin" pi= ne with no large cracks. Different flooring may have been in the kitchen. Duri= ng modernization in 1986, some floor joists were removed that appeared to have been notched logs from a log cabin. Court records of 1956 refer to a "Servant's house back of the kitchen". Such a house is no longer there. It is possible the servant's house was made of logs and that the kit= chen floor was replaced after 1856, using logs from the servant's house as joist= s. Perhaps a rotting floor before then allowed large items through to the crawl space. Or, perhaps a midden outside the house was shoveled under the kitche= n in an effort to clean up the yard when the floor was replaced. The relatively uniform distribution of dirt beneath the floor does not support this type of translocation of artifacts.

According to some who lived in the house in the late 1930 and 40s, the kitchen floor was made of wide plank boards (Crone 1995, Kyne 1995). Mr. Cr= one (1995) also told us that Luther Bussard installed a dry sink with drain in = the southwest corner of the room. He later installed a small trap door near the sink to allow repairs of the drain, and to allow access to the crawl space. Clustering of some ecofacts occurred in the crawl space rather near the are= a of the trap door. Clustering of items like bits of charcoal with oyster shells appeared as if they may have been discarded by overturning a small vessel containing them onto the dirt's surface beneath the floor, perhaps through = this trap door after 1916.

This article is intended as an introduction to site 18FR696. While the artifacts delineated herein are an extensive sample of those found, recover= y of artifacts continues. We have not attempted to quantify the findings thus far because the dig continues and the numbers increase almost every week. Detai= ls of numbers, types and distributions of items beneath the kitchen by category will likely be the subject of future reports.

Photograph 1. Picture of t= he George Willard House. Taken a= bout 1890. The portico was added a= bout 1853. John and Louisa Willard probably made these changes using part of the $7,000 they borrowed in 1853. At that time changes we= re also made to the parlors and in adding windows to the sides of the main entrance door. These ch= anges were probably financed along with the loan that included monies to modernize the tannery. = As published in Maryland Archaeology. According to Rice (1990), the man = shown here is thought to be Luke Zimmerman. Luke was a son Charles and Hattie Zimmerman (Table 3). Access to the balcony above the po= rtico was via a jib window (not visible in the photograph) from the center hall. =

Photograph 2. Picture of house taken in December 2002.&n= bsp; The front porch was expanded about 1925 using the same fluted column= s as were used on the portico shown in Photograph 1. New front porch railings and floor= ing were added in 1986. The rear = balcony railing and posts were reproduced from the original rear corner post (the reproduction is visible in the picture below) that was found supporting the front wall of a nearby chicken coop. It was beveled at the corners and contained mortising where the rails connected to it. That post al= lowed us to recreate the original dimensions of the posts and= rails of the original balcony at the rear of the house.

DEDICA= TION

We dedicate this article to Elizabeth Bussard Stull (deceased) who, by sharing her vivid recollections, gave life to our quest = of history. May she finally know that the mysterious brass holder with cobalt blue vess= el that her mother retrieved from the well and gave to her as a child was a br= oken kerosene lamp patented in 1878.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The contributions of many people made this research and manuscript possible. We greatly appreciate the generosity of E. E. Ned and Carolyn Hallein, Ralph Crone, and Mary Bussard Kyne for returning artifacts that were removed from the property between 1930 and 1986, and of Helen Sullivan for giving us the old photograph of the house. We appreciate the valuable ideas and suggestions of David Foltz, Spencer Geasey, Victor Metta, Silas Hurry, and Patrick Tucker that improved the research and the manuscri= pt. We are indebted to numerous volunteers, including Jan Barrett, Lynley Becke= r, Kate Swanson, Cindy Smidt, Adrianne Wahrer, Nicholas Wahrer, and Valerie Wa= hrer for their enthusiastic pursuit of artifacts.

REFERENCES

Adams, W.H. (Editor)
1987 Historical Archaeology of Plantations at Ki= ngs Bay, Camden County, Geor= gia. (Reports of Investigations 5). Department of Anthropology, University of Florid= a, Gainesville, FL, pp 1-465.

Adams, W.H.
1994 Nov. 11. Handles. Historical Archeology Discussion List. Available, e-mail: HISTARCH@ASUCAD.BITNET

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1795 Deed, Elias Delashmutt to G. Willyard. Liber WR13 Folio 39./

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1798 Deed, Elias Delashmutt to G. Willyard. Liber WR17 Folio 46.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1802 Deed, Elias Delashmutt to G. Willyard. Liber WR22 Folio 466.

Archives of Frederick County, MD
1832 Plat of Jefferson, MD, Liber JS39 Folio 256-258.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1845 Will of George Williard. Liber TS No. 1 Folio 48-49.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1856 Court of Equity, Decree No. 464. Basil Norris vs. Louisa Willard adminitrix of John Willard.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1859a Deed, J. Oates & H.Willard to Ezra Thomas. Liber BGF3, Folio 553.=

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1859b Deed, Ezra Thomas to H. Willard. Liber BGF3, Folio 554.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1859c Deed, H. & Susannah Willard to Ezra Thomas. Liber BG 3 Folio 555.=

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1867 Deed, Henry Willard to Daniel Zimmerman. Liber 1CM-1 Folio 40.

Archives of Frederick<= /st1:PlaceName> County, MD
1984 Deed, C. Hallein to Gary Murphy. Liber 1398 Folio 116.

Beall, J.R.
1993 New Freedom Spring: A Brief and Personalized History of George Willard= 's Family and property in New Freedom from 1795 to 1867.

Bussard, E.
1991 Personal Communication.

Coysh, A. W. and Henrywood, R.K.
1982 The dictionary of Blue and White Printed Pottery 1780-1880. Antique collectors' Club. p. 272.

Crone, R.
1995 Personal Communication.

Hallein, E. & Hallein, C.
1989 Personal Communication.

Kyne, M.
1995, Personal Communication

Markell, A.
1994 Dec. 14. Incised Cutlery Handles. Historical Archeology Discussion Lis= t. Available, e-mail: HISTARCH@ASUCAD.BITNET

McKee, L
. 1994 Nov. 11. Bone Handle Designs. Historical Archeology Discussion List. Available, e-mail: HISTARCH@ASUCAD.BITNET

Mouer, D.
1994 Nov. 30. Incised Cutlery Handles. Historical Archeology Discussion Lis= t. Available, e-mail: HISTARCH@ASUCAD.BITNET.

Noel Hume, I.
1969 A guide to Artifacts of Colonial America, First Edition, Vintage Books, Random House, Inc., NY, publisher.

Pequet, C.
1994 Personal Communication. County Court Wingers, <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Middlebury, IN.<= /st1:place>

Rice, M.M.
1984 New Facts and Old Families. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD. pp 46-47.

Rice, M.M.
1990 Personal Communication.

Rinker, H.L.
1994 Romantic Staffordshire's Time Has Come Again. Antique Week, Eastern Edition, Vol. 27, No. 31, Oct. 24, p 1.

Samuel Kirk and Sons, Inc.
1925 The Story of the House of Kirk, 7th Edition, Samuel Kirk & Son Co. Publishers, Baltimore, MD. 1925.

Varley, P.E.
1994 Nov. 11. Cutlery. Historical Archeology Discussion List. Available, e-mail: HISTARCH@ASUCAD.BITNET

Williams, P.
1978 Staffordshire Romantic Transfer Patterns. Cups Plates and Early Victor= ian China. = Fountain House East, Jeffersontown, Kentucky, p. 53.

>Figure 1.

United States Geological Service Topographical Map of = the area around Jefferson, Maryland. The location of site 18FR696= is indicated by the arrow.

Figure 2.

Property Title Survey Map This property map shows site Fr18696 as it looked in 1988. Included is the house and other outbuildings. Later, a 30' strip of property along the complete southern border and a 20' strip beside the western border were purchased as additions to the site. De= tail 1 shows dimensions and location of the George Willard House.

>Figure 3.

Floor plan of the George Willard House. This illustrat= es the location and approximate configuration of the dig site beneath the kitchen floor, including Point 0,0 of the archeological grid system. The kitchen was built over a shallow crawl space. The other rooms of the first floor were o= ver a cellar. This illustration is not drawn to scale.

Figure 4

. Illustration of dig site. This illustrates the layer= s of material and earth beneath the floor joists as they might appear if the dig site was viewed "through" the foundation on the west side of the kitchen. The illustration is not drawn to scale.

>Figure 5.

Patterns of Incision Marks on Two Piece Cutlery Handle= s.

= TABLE 1. HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP

Table 2. Categories of Findings by Purpose or UseGener= al Purpose or Use Categories Characteristics FoodBonesShellsPitsMisc.small mammals, fish, game birds, chickens, pigs, bovineclams, oysterspeach, plumc= orn, walnuts, locus beansDrinkBottlesGlassesCupswine, portwater, milktea, coffee TablewarePlates, Cups, SaucersDecorationsRim Patternspearlware, salt glaze, redwarespatter and sponge paint, slip, romantic transfer, floral polychroma= tic (under and over glaze) moca.feather edge (green and blue), shell, CutleryKnives, ForksSpoons antler and bone handles (smooth and incised), ir= on blade and prongs silver, Sheffield plated, Britanny, nickel plated Health &= amp; HygieneBottlesTooth BrushesCombs medicines (iodine, sulfur) bone handles bo= ne and vulcanite, single sided and lice ClothingShoesButtonsCuff LinkBeltBucklesHo= oks & eyesadult straight lasted, pegged sole, child's pegged leather heal b= one, shell, brass (solid, stamped and covered), rubber, glass, porcelain,shell, brassleather strap brass stocking or garter, iron belt brassSewingThimbles Spools Scissors PinsbrasswoodironbrassRecreation, AdultChildrenPipesWriting LeadsMarblesBellSadironPistolkaolin bowls and stems, reed stemmolded redware bowl clay and slate colored clay, porcelain, glass brass ball type toy iron metal cap JewelryDrop/EarringBeadsRingTrade / CharmBroochesEarringsstone, blueglass (wound and tube blown), brass, brassgerman silver dogbrassjet Tab= le 2, Con't. Categories of Findings by Purpose or UseGeneral Purpose or Use Categories Characteristics FinancialCoinslarge cents, 1817, 1856 half penny 1793-18575 cent piece, 1863 pennies, indian headArmsKnifeSwordFirearmsbone handle for hunting knife scabbard chain and clip cap primers, cartridges (30 and 22 cal.) projectiles (30 cal) ArchitecturalGlassNailsBoardsDoor knobsHingesDecorativeearly window glass fragmentsiron cleat head cut, square cut, and hand wroughtflooring, peg boardsbrassiron strap with pin, and shut= ter typekey escutcheon, brassHarnesses/tools Iron buckles, leather rivets, shar= pening stones

TABLE 3. TYPES OF BUTTONS I= . Bone dia(mm) Holes Comments

9.5 2 13.5 4 14 4 16 4 16 1 for missing pinhead shank 16 5 17 4 II. Metal with shanks dia(mm) no. found 11 1 loop shank, dome top 13.5 1 stamped, hol= low; flower & stem design embossed 14 1 loop shank 16 1 for pinhead shank, missing; hollow pressed 16.5 1 loop shank, ball shaped, hollow 17 1 loop sh= ank, back mark "warranted orange" 17 1 hollow, shank missing 18 1 loop shank missing, hollow, pressed design on front, may be military. 18 1 back = mark "extra stronge" 18 1 loop shank 18 1 loop shank, back mark "London Paris" 18 1 broken loop shank, back mark "Extra Stro= ng Gilt" 19 2 19.5 1 molded shank loop; back mark "Fellows & You= ng Extra Rich" 25 1 loop shank broken, hollow, brass over metal 26 1 loop shank inserted between front and back III. Metal with holes dia(mm) holes comments 14 4 holes, hollow, pressed 12 4 holes, 17 4 holes, hollow, pressed thin brassIV. Agate (Porcelain, Prosser) c. 1850 Sets and individual findin= gs V. Shell No. found holes dia. (mm) 13 two 10 - 22.5 1 one 12 wire pinhead s= hank missing 10 four 8 - 12 This is an incomplete listing, the study of button artifacts continues.

Photographs Numbered below were= used in the original publication. = With time these will be added to this version also.

Photog= raph 2. Legend. Shown here are a matching cup and saucer decorated in a blue transf= er pattern named "Palestine<= /st1:place>". We have not identified the maker.

Photograph 3. Legend. Shown here are the matching silver spoons bearing = the engraved initials LAW on the handles. The close up photograph shows the initials. Based on the style and initials, we think they belonged to Louisa= Ann (Wasmus) Willard who married John Willard in 1841. They lived in the house from about= the time of their marriage until sometime after his death in 1959.

Photograph 4. Legend. This photograph shows i= ntact examples of hand blown medicine bottles, each with a pontile mark on the bo= ttom. Shards of many similar bottles were recovered. These are probably among the oldest bottles found, dating to c. 1800. One bottle with the cork stopper in place, contains an iodine like substance.

Photograph 5. Legend. This photograph shows part of a riding spur from t= he mid-1800s with strap buckles molded into the spur (Noel Hume, 1969).

Photograph 6. Legend. Shown here is a red kaolin pipe, intended for use = with a hollow reed. Decorations include grape vines with leaves. 1 In June 1995,= we implemented a grid system of 8' squares beginning at the same point 0,0. The new system was extended over Area A and onto the land surrounding the house. The first grid northwest of 0,0 (within "Area A") was defined to = be "Grid A". Grid A is bounded by points 0,0, -8,0, -8,8, and 0,8. Earlier measurements from the east foundational wall were subsequently expressed as negative numbers to comport with the new grid system. Because joists were set with 6 joists per 8', the joist numbering system gives grea= ter precision within the 8' squares of the new grid system.

2 The Willard's love of fish may have been legendary among local residen= ts. Local centurion resident Millard Rice (1990) said his father used to tell a story about a worker who was invited to eat with the Willard family. When a= sked to offer a prayer before the meal, the worker said, "Jesus wept, and w= ell he might. George Willard had corn bread, and fish, every night." As a historian with great respect for accuracy (Rice, 1984), Mr. Rice quickly st= ated that he placed little credence in the story and, even if it was true, did n= ot know if it concerned the same George Willard who built the house. 3 Occupie= d by John and wife Louisa before 4/11/1845, probably upon their marriage in 1841= . 4 likely Occupied by Louisa and children?? J. R. Beall & S. Streett, Archeological Study of 18FR696 J. R. Beall & S. Streett, Archeological Study of 18FR696

Created: 12/21/97 Updated: 12/= 18/2004