Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum is a state museum of archaeology. It is the primary repository for archaeological collections from throughout Maryland, which are housed in the state-of-the-art Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. Through a formal Memorandum of Agreement with St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary’s students can be awarded IMPART internships or assistantships, although students from other schools are eligible as well. The Museum is also partnering with St. Mary’s College and Historic St. Mary’s City to provide resources for the College’s new Museum Studies Program.
Proposed Programs: The IMPART plan calls for adding faculty positions to the staff in American Indian/paleo-environmental studies and in museum studies. IMPART would allow for a significant strengthening in training for professionals in the museum studies, collections management and archaeology preservation communities.
Investments Toward IMPART: Staff members have increased collaboration with faculty and students of partner institutions to the extent that their other responsibilities allow. Internships and assistantships have been offered in archaeology, collections management, artifact conservation, historical research, and education. Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum also has put on-line its extensive library catalog of archaeology references, as well as a guide to artifacts that can be used by partner institutions. Artifact type collections have also been loaned to several schools.
Recent Projects
Katie Derr, U. of MD. graduate student catalogues artifacts from the Indian Rest Cabin site in Calvert County. Research was performed at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum.2006-2007 Projects
During this assistantship, Ms. Jenkins worked on the West Mattapany collection under the direction of Sara Rivers-Cofield, federal collections curator of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.
West Mattapany Collection
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Courtney L. Jenkins
During this assistantship, Ms. Jenkins worked on the West Mattapany collection under the direction of Sara Rivers-Cofield, federal collections curator of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. Her task was to reorganize the sites in the collection so as to provide easier future access in storage, and to formally enter the records of the sites into a computer database. For the first part of the project, she worked from a printed site catalogue as well as the original field notes to confirm the status of each site, i.e. that each artifact in the record was present and properly catalogued, and that no discrepancies existed between the catalogue and the physical collection. Once this was achieved, Ms. Jenkins re-labeled the bags for each individual lot, giving them numbers from one to the final number of the artifact in the site, and grouped these bags accordingly. While performing these tasks, she also observed the collection for any interesting, unusual, or particularly representative artifacts to be possibly used in an exhibit (some artifacts had in fact already been removed for this purpose).
For the second part of the project, Ms. Jenkins first revised the catalogue as it existed in Word document form, to reflect the new system of categorization and any changes that needed to be made from the original records. When this task was completed, she learned the basic set-up of the computer database used by the MAC Lab, Re:Discovery, and began entering detailed descriptions of each individual artifact according to the new system of organization. One of the primary goals of this project was to make the valuable information gleaned from the West Mattapany collection easily accessible, both in the storage room of the MAC Lab and within its electronic records. It is now possible to search the Re:Discovery database for the sites and artifacts contained in the collection, and indeed to physically locate those artifacts, with a much greater degree of ease than before. This information may be used in future exhibits at the Lab.
Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
During the internship, Ms. Davis learned much regarding the science of archaeology and the different techniques used in the conservation of artifacts.
Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Ashley Davis
During Ms. Davis' internship at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory she performed several tasks. She helped to rehouse and catalogue three complete sites from different locations in Maryland. By the time she completed the internship, she could identify differences between artifacts from each separate location. From these collections Ms. Davis also pulled specific artifacts that were put on display. After receiving guidelines and instruction, the selection of these artifacts was left to Ms. Davis in order to allow her to create a display of her own design. She also cataloged the collections into a computer database so that it would be easier to find the artifacts for future reference. During the internship, Ms. Davis learned much regarding the science of archaeology and the different techniques used in the conservation of artifacts.
2004-2005 Projects
Intern Brenna Savage worked with the team that was processing artifacts from 18th-20th century Addison Plantation in Oxon Hill.
Addison Plantation Project
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Brenna Savage
Brenna Savage worked with the team that was processing artifacts from 18th-20th century Addison Plantation in Oxon Hill. She gained experience in washing, labeling, and curating historic objects. As the project progressed, she also entered artifact data into the State's computer catalog, and learned how to process soil and flotation samples. She also assisted in developing an artifact study collection for the site. As a result of her time at the Lab, Brenna learned to recognize a wide variety of historic period material culture, and developed an understanding of the procedures archaeologists follow in their efforts to permanently curate artifacts.
Intern Kurt Lewis assisted with the excavation of the foundation of the house at Smith's St. Leonard.
Field Assistant
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Kurt Lewis
The primary objective of Mr. Lewis' Impart position was assisting with the excavation of the foundation of the house at Smith's St. Leonard. He learned many techniques including working with the public, the history of the site, and new and better techniques and field methods. Finally, he was able to acquire experience on how to properly run and manage an archeological site from his Field Chief.
This experience was invaluable; it allowed Mr. Lewis to work with the public and hone his skills in both the field and the lab. He was able to gain experience on a rich and important archeological site. During his time in the lab he was also able to further hone his skills at artifact identification while labeling and categorizing artifacts for re-bagging and later cataloging. Finally, this site allowed for an all-around improvement in his archeological methods and skills.
The most important piece of knowledge he took away from the experience was how to work with the public and their value to archeology. The ability to work with the public is invaluable to archeology, due to shortages of resources and manpower. The public provides archaeologists with many willing and able people to perform much-needed processing of artifacts and labor in the field.
This internship slot began in September 2004, when Brenna Savage began working with a professional team processing artifacts from the Addison Plantation site. However, Brenna resigned her internship after a couple of months, and a replacement could not be found immediately. By January, the Addison project was finished, and an intern was no longer needed. Instead, the remaining Impart funds were re-directed to Kurt Lewis. He spent May and June 2005 participating in the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum's annual Public Archaeology Program, assisting project supervisors Eric Frere and Ed Chaney. Kurt's responsibilities included helping with all aspects of the excavations; washing, labeling, and sorting the excavated artifacts; and most importantly, working with volunteers and children participating in the program. Over 400 adult volunteers and school kids joined the program, and Kurt was an able teacher to these inexperienced archaeologists. He demonstrated patience while imparting his knowledge to the volunteers, and they seemed to appreciate his efforts. From the Museum's perspective, Kurt was essential to the program. They simply could not accommodate 400 volunteers without the assistance he provided. Therefore, he was a key member of one of the Museum's signature programs and he picked up valuable skills working with the public, skills he can apply in nearly any profession he chooses for himself.
Curatorial Assistant and Research Aide
The primary focus of intern Kurt Lewis' work on the Benjamin Banneker site was the reorganization and consolidation of the site.
Curatorial Assistant and Research Aide
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Kurt Lewis
The primary focus of Mr. Lewis' Impart program on the Benjamin Banneker site was the reorganization and consolidation of the site. It was also deemed necessary to create a type collection and to separate artifacts for this type collection. Another primary objective was the removal of the many metal artifacts that were still mixed in with the other artifacts. These metal artifacts needed to be separated and placed into a separate micro-environment for conservation. Other goals and objectives arose throughout the reorganization process. These included the creation of a list of all artifacts missing or possibly located in the museum.
In addition to learning how to properly organize an archeological site, Mr. Lewis also learned conservation techniques, such as how to create a micro-environment. This project allowed him to further develop his skills in identifying various artifacts and discover new identification techniques. Furthermore, the creation of the collection gave him opportunities to perform research on artifacts in order to provide proper identification. Finally, the project furnished him with an appreciation of the need for proper cataloging, analysis, and organization of sites following an excavation.
The proper organization of archeological sites is imperative to their preservation but is something that is severely lacking, mainly due to a lack of finances and inexperience among some archeologists. There are many sites that need to be properly conserved and curated and without this the information from many of these sites may be lost, along with the artifacts.
Mr. Lewis spent several months working with the MAC Lab's Collections Department staff on one of Maryland's most significant archaeological collections, the Benjamin Banneker archaeological site (18BA282) collection. This work included creating a comprehensive study collection of the site's most important artifacts, making this collection more accessible to researchers. He also created desiccated microenvironments for all metal artifacts, which will ensure the long-term preservation of these sensitive objects. He also spot-checked the artifact inventory against the actual artifacts to verify artifact identification and storage location, which allowed for a more accurate accounting of the artifacts in the collections inventory database. All of these tasks were an integral part of accomplishing the Collections Department's mission to curate, inventory, and preserve the State's archaeological collections. As a result of Mr. Lewis's hard work, the staff from the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, on whose property this archaeological site is located, was able to easily access all the artifacts in this collection.
2002-2003 Projects
Intern Katherine Cowles undertook a multidisciplinary project at the MAC Lab, preparing digital maps and researching Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Patterson, as well as the history of a petroleum storage facility.
MAC Lab
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Katherine Cowles
Katherine Cowles undertook a multidisciplinary project at the MAC Lab. In the first phase, she prepared digital maps of several sites that were to be analyzed as part of a NEH-funded project. Katherine used original field records to create maps that showed the locations of features on each site. This helped familiarize her with some of the methods archaeologists use to analyze excavation data. Next, Katherine conducted two documentary research projects. For the first, she collected information about Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Patterson, using accounts published in local newspapers. This data was then placed into the JPPM Biographical Files, and will be used in a new exhibit about the Pattersons that is currently in planning. For the second project, Katherine traced the development history of a petroleum storage facility in St. Mary's County, again using local newspaper accounts. The records she collected are now stored at JPPM, and will be used to write a lengthy article about the facility for the St. Mary's Enterprise. JPPM and the MAC Lab have benefited directly from Katherine's research projects, while she has been able to experience several different aspects of historical and archaeological investigation.
Intern Katie Clair, an economics major at St. Mary's, assisted Julie King and assistant professor of economics Joan Poor in a study of Point Lookout, Maryland.
Point Lookout Study
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Katie Clair
Katie Clair, an economics major at St. Mary's, assisted Julie King and assistant professor of economics Joan Poor in a study of Point Lookout, Maryland. Katie collected more than 400 interviews from visitors to Point Lookout, asking questions about their visit and their use of the park facilities, questions about their attitudes toward the American Civil War, and what visitors would be willing to pay for additional interpretation of the site. Questionnaires were prepared in English and in Spanish, and the cooperation of Point Lookout State Park was secured. This data was then coded and analyzed by SMCM senior Howard Grube-O'Brien for his St. Mary's Project, and King, Poor, and Grube-O'Brien reported on the study at a conference on cultural economics in Chicago.
Intern Anna Huttel worked on historic farm tools and domestic implements from the JPPM collections, prehistoric and historic archaeological artifacts from MHT collections, and architectural elements from the Annapolis State House.
Artifact Conservation
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Anna Huttel
Anna Huttel participated in the program with the aim of getting conservation experience prior to settling on a career in archaeological conservation. She received 159.5 hours of training and experience in the examination, documentation, and treatment of a wide range of artifact types. She worked on historic farm tools and domestic implements from the JPPM collections, prehistoric and historic archaeological artifacts from MHT collections, and architectural elements from the Annapolis State House. As result, many valuable artifacts in the State's collections were preserved for future generations.
For her project, intern Erin Mulgrew re-housed approximately 20 boxes of artifacts from the Oxen Hill Plantation site.
Artifact Conservation
- Partner: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
- Student: Erin Mulgrew
For her project, Erin Mulgrew re-housed approximately 20 boxes of artifacts from the Oxen Hill Plantation site. The materials from this Prince George's County site were deemed to be one of the 31 most important artifact collections in the State's possession, and thus were re-cataloged as part of a two-year project supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional grants from the Maryland State Highway Administration and private sources have been used to help clean and organize the artifacts and enter them into a database. Erin's work helped advance this broad project. She placed artifacts from the site into archivally-stable bags and boxes, and made sure that provenience information was put onto acid-free tags placed in each bag. Through this effort, Erin learned many of the techniques that collection managers use to properly curate artifacts. This knowledge will help advance Erin's career in archaeology, while at the same time her project has been of great value in ensuring that an important resource will be preserved for future generations.
