Al Luckenbach, Anne Arundel County Archaeologist, wrote Providence 1649. His book is both readable and scholarly, opening a fascinating window on life in the seventeenth century Puritan settlement of Providence on the Severn River. Providence 1649 contains full color plates illustrating artifacts from the digs and contemporary Dutch paintings showing similar items. The digs reflect the significance of Dutch goods and building techniques in Maryland. Luckenbach's interpretation relates both transatlantic cultural transmission and local adaptation.
By 1649, life seems to have been far from "nasty, brutish, and short" in Providence, setting it apart from the crude beginnings at Jamestown or St. Mary's City. Even so, the pattern of the þtownþ seems uncertain. Was there really an urban center or was the village more dispersed? Luckenbach presents the physical and documentary evident for the reader to analyze.
Providence 1649 is a thought provoking and informative work for scholars and a more general audience. The book's words and pictures vividly portray life in seventeenth century Maryland because Luckenbach has so effectively reconstructed the settler's lives using the bits and pieces they left behind.
In June, three Anne Arundel High School interns joined us for two weeks. They contributed to the preparation of a publications' catalogue and helped us get ready for the inventory. They annotated the database with author and subject information to be used in an Internet catalogue and in publication programs. We will soon be able to search for items by author and subject, as well as title.
Assistance was given with special research projects. The Maryland Historical Society's Sankofa exhibit committee is preparing for their upcoming exhibit on African American crafts and craftsmen. Research strategies were developed to learn more about these artisans and their artifacts. Representatives of the Sons of the American Revolution are compiling information on casualties among Maryland soldiers at the Battle of Camden. A graduate student working with Dr. Allan Kulikoff at Northern Illinois University came to discuss dissertation research on the lives of United States Colored Troops. The Archives' work on the subject has inspired several scholars.
The National Archivist of Tunisia visited the Archives, touring the physical facility and learning about our system for organizing records.
Lynne, Betsy and I conducted 4 classes for staff members to receive hands-on experience with the Internet and with Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) using the electronic classroom. The staff now has a feel for the potential of the electronic world and its implications for the Archives. Because of our pioneering efforts, several state and county agencies have come to the Archives for assistance in setting up their own systems or classrooms.
Twenty-one fourth-grade teachers from Harford County spent a day learning about the use of original documents in their classrooms and what the Archives has to offer. I would particularly like to thank Julie, Lee, and Reggie for their spectacular work handling the many publication orders placed by the teachers.
I would like to bid a personal farewell to a member of Outreach and Education: Doug McElrath. While he will be sorely missed here, I wish him the greatest success in his new position at the Maryland Room at College Park.
Several items from the Artistic Property collection have undergone, or are undergoing conservation treatment. The items include two candelabra, made by the Meriden Britannia Company, which were re-plated for use in Government House. Portraits of Oden Bowie and Cecil Calvert are being cleaned and undergoing minor repairs by Josepha Caraher, a conservator in Baltimore.
In preparation for the refurbishment of the Governor's Reception Room in the State House, Elaine Rice and Rob MacAdam packaged and transported portraits from that room to the Archives for the duration of the work. In addition to the portraits of ten previous governors, the portraits of Charles I, Henrietta Maria, and George Calvert were also temporarily removed from display.
For ten weeks this summer, the Curator of the Commission on Artistic Property supervised an internship program for the First Ladies and Official Hostesses Biographical Project. Emily Oland, Corinne Funk, and Sally Craig pursued research on the seventy-five women who have either been married to a governor of Maryland or served as the Official Hostess of the state. This research project was inspired by Mrs. Glendening's suggestion that a book be prepared on the lives of these little-known women who have contributed significantly to the history of the state. A great deal of previously unrecorded information was compiled during the initial stage of the project. Most information was gleaned from primary sources at the Archives. Continued research will focus on outside collections, specifically historical societies and libraries in the home counties of the various women.
Fortunately, Emily has decided to pursue this topic for her master's thesis in history at UMBC, and will be researching regularly at the Archives throughout the next academic year.
Other archival interns cleaned, processed and cataloged over 800 volumes and nearly 300 clamshells of bank records from the Savings Bank of Baltimore and the Metropolitan Bank. Founded as a mutual savings bank in 1818 to promote thrift and financial security among the working class, the Savings Bank of Baltimore has long held a prominent position in Baltimore's history.
Through the generosity of First Fidelity Bank, the Archives was able to support a summer internship program which introduced students to the problems and procedures of establishing archival control over permanently valuable historical records, emphasizing modern research techniques in the use of those records. Five college students - Emily Murphy and Daniel Flammenhaft, recent graduates from St. John's College, Claire Norcio from University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Eleanor Stewart from St. Mary's College - were selected for this highly competitive archival internship.
For the first five weeks of the program, the interns, under the Registrar's direction, processed and cataloged the collection according to the Archives' standard computerized collections management system. The remainder of the summer was devoted to continuing the Archives' research relating to Baltimoreans who served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the Civil War. After the records were processed, relevant information on African American depositors and institutions was compiled to enhance our understanding of the economic status of USCT soldiers and the growth of the African American community in Baltimore.
Great progress was made in May and June as Marion Warren devoted several hours identifying hundreds of negatives of commercial projects he photographed around Maryland, and weeding out duplicate exposures. He also brought in additional negatives from his Great Houses of Maryland collection. Negatives from both groups were accessioned by volunteers. Hundreds of negatives of Annapolis scenes, projects, people, and events taken by Marion Warren over the last 48 years were added to the computer database. These photographs have no restrictions and may be ordered from Marion Warren, but no prints exist for the vast majority of them. If a patron wants to review the negative before ordering, an appointment must be made with the curator of photographs.
On May 1 Mame Warren attended the monthly meeting of the Annapolis History Consortium which consisted of a tour of the National Cemetery located on West Street at Taylor Avenue. The tour was conducted by Jack Kelbaugh, who recently loaned a large collection of Civil War photographs to the Archives for copying. Jack began with a slide lecture explaining the Civil War connections between Annapolis and the cemetery. Then the group went to the cemetery to find tombstones marking the graves of both Union and Confederate troops (for the most part differentiated by different shaped stones), USCTs, nurses, and a Russian seaman killed in a barroom brawl.
In May Mame met with several judges and the clerk of the Court of Special Appeals to make plans for a permanent exhibit of historical photographs to be displayed in the hallways of the Courts of Appeals building. The images selected include views from numerous Special Collections and illustrate scenes and events all over Maryland.
On June 5 Mame hosted the monthly meeting of the Annapolis History Consortium at the Archives. She gave a slide lecture on the contents of MSA SC 2140, The Annapolis I Remember Collection. To prepare for the meeting, she created a handout about the collection, copies of which have been added to the appropriate finding aids in the searchroom.
Additions to Special Collections
CLERKS OF THE COURTS IN BALTIMORE CITY
The following sources were consulted for the names and dates: Maryland Manual, 1898-1982, SECRETARY OF STATE (Commission Record) 1851-1967 [MSA S1081], BALTIMORE CITY CIRCUIT COURT NO. 2 (Minutes) 1948-1977 [MSA T1691], BALTIMORE CITY COURT (Minutes) 1867-1945 [MSA T531], BALTIMORE CITY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS (Minutes) 1950-1971 [MSA T1433], BALTIMORE CITY CRIMINAL COURT (Minutes) 1851-1971 [MSA T483], and BALTIMORE CITY SUPERIOR COURT (Minutes) 1851-1968 [MSA S219 and T590] and (Test Book) 1851-1982 [MSA C252 and T2394].
There are a few uncertain dates in the Circuit Court No. 2 list. The records are unclear about when the term for Alfred J. Shultz ended and the one for William R. Brewer began. The same is true for Elliott R. Morrison and John F. Kelly.
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