Archaeology at the Brick Quarters

Archaeology at the Brick Quarters. . , Constructed in the 1840s, this 22 by 40 foot brick slave quarters housed two families. It was divided into two living areas by a central wall and chimney. Each side has an entryway and fireplace with a loft above. Later, a shed was added to the right (eastern) side of the building. , Archaeology at the Brick Quarters , Archaeologists found several storage pits beneath the floor of the brick quarters. Artifacts recovered from these pits include pottery, animal bones, buttons, glass bottles, tobacco pipes, and toys. They provide valuable information about the daily activities of the enslaved people and free tenants who lived at Northampton., Northampton Descendants , Descendants of Elizabeth Hawkins, such as James, Edward, and Raymond Smith, visited their grandmother, Susie Smith, at the brick quarters in the 1920s and 1930s. Their shared experiences and memories have helped archaeologists learn more about life at Northampton during the 1900s., Archaeologists found more than 25,000 artifacts in the brick slave quarters. Sometimes when artifacts are in the ground for a long time they begin to deteriorate or fall apart. If this happens, an object can become fragile or hard to identify. An archaeological conservator helps slow or prevent deterioration of objects to preserve them for the future. Two of the artifacts on this sign show what an object looked like before and after conservation treatment. Can you find them and see what was discovered?, Photograph of the descendants of Elizabeth Hawkins. Represented here are members of the Fletcher, Harkins, Hawkins, Ponger, Savoy and Smith clans, Cosca Regional Park, Clinton, Maryland 1987