BGuthrie Photos: MD -- St. Leonard -- Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum -- All else

MD -- St. Leonard -- Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum -- All else:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. JPATT_150923_007.JPG: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum State Museum of Archaeology Welcome to Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum (JPPM), State Museum of Archaeology, where we explore the changing cultures and environment of the Chesapeake Bay region over the past 12,000 years. You can investigate the thousands of years of human history by touring archaeological sites and trails, acres of working farmland, restored farm buildings and museum exhibits, and by attending educational programs. Whether you are a first time visitor or have a great deal of experience in the outdoors, you are sure to find something of interest at JPPM.
2. JPATT_150923_020.JPG: Fate of the Flotilla Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail -- War of 1812 -- Some of the fiercest fighting of the war occurred here, where St. Leonard Creek meets the Patuxent River. During the summer of 1814, the British navy tried to flush out and destroy Commodore Joshua Barney's Chesapeake Flotilla -- a rag-tag assembly of armed boats barges. The flotilla prevailed in a series of skirmishes June 8-10, known as the First Battle of St. Leonard Creek. A few weeks later, they clashed again in the Second Battle of St. Leonard Creek. This time, Barney had land support, including a gun battery at present-day Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. His flotilla escaped up the Patuxent. The British pursued and on August 22, the Americans scuttled their own fleet to keep it out of enemy hands. "The moment the enemy ran off, we moved up the river..." -- Joshua Barney, June 29, 1814. Joshua Barney, naval hero in both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, commanded the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla. Find exhibits about the War of 1812 along the Patuxent River at: * Sotterley Plantation-Exhibits tours of 18th-century house and slave quarters, river access * Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum-Visitor center provides information on touring the site and War of 1812 exhibit.
3. JPATT_150923_029.JPG: "The moment the enemy ran off, we moved up the river..." -- Joshua Barney, June 29, 1814. Joshua Barney, naval hero in both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, commanded the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla.
4. JPATT_150923_041.JPG: Weapons of War American Artillery Replica Fiberglass Cannon on Carriage: The replica 18-pounder cannon located on the hill is similar to the type used by American forces during the Battle of St. Leonard Creek. "18-pounder" refers to the weight of the cannonballs, which were approximately five inches in diameter. The Chesapeake Flotilla carried 24, 32, and 42-pounder cannonades (short, light cannon capable of firing a relatively large caliber shot) and 12, 18, and 24-pounder long guns. The cannon fired during the battle were mounted on two types of carriages. Small-wheeled naval carriages -- replicated here -- were used on the ships. The large-wheeled traveling carriages (shown in the illustration) were employed by the American land forces. During the Battle of St. Leonard Creek, a small portable furnace -- perhaps similar to the one shown at left -- except mounted on large wheeled carriage -- was used by the American land forces to heat solid shot, which upon striking wooden ships, could set them on fire. One soldier lost his arms when a mishandled hot shot caused an explosion at the gun battery. U.S.S. Constellation: Eagle Scout Project: The replica gun battery was an Eagle Scout project by Erich Eshelman from Troop 427, Solomons, MD. It is typical of gun batteries used in the Chesapeake Bay region during the War of 1812. The original gun battery during the Battle of St. Leonard Creek was located approximately 2,100 feet to the south, over-looking the Patuxent River and the mouth of the creek. To create this replica battery, Erich conducted the research and coordinated all aspects of the project, including assembling volunteers who provided 121.5 hours of labor. The cannon is a fiberglass cast of a late 18th century cannon found during recent renovations of the U.S.S. Constellation. The cannon was purchased by the Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, thanks to a grant from the Eugene Chancy Foundation. Numerous other local companies and foundations also contributed to the project, making this a highly successful community effort in the summer of 2000.
5. JPATT_150923_051.JPG: Naval Warfare Barges, Boats, & Frigates The Opposing Forces: During the Battles of St. Leonard Creek, the United States Chesapeake Flotilla consisted of the sloop Scorpion armed with four cannon, 13 barges with two cannon each, the one-gun row galley Vigilant, and a lookout boat and two gunboats, each armed with a single cannon. The American guns ranged in size from 12-pounders to 41-pounders with 18-and 24-pounders the most numerous. Barney was opposed by a British fleet that outgunned him by more than four-to-one, even without including the 74-gun ship-of-the patrolling at the mouth of the Patuxent River. The British ships stationed off the mouth of St. Leonard Creek were the 38-gun frigate HMS Loire, the 18-gun frigate HMS St. Lawrence, and the 18-gun sloop HMS Jaseur. Fortunately, these vessels were too large to sail very far into the creek. To engage the United States Chesapeake Flotilla within the creek, the British relied on 21 barges and two small schooners, each carrying a single cannon. In addition, the British had a small boat armed with their newest weapon -- the terrifying Congreve rocket. Following the First Battle of St. Leonard Creek, the British were reinforced by the 32-gun frigate HMS Narcissus and several smaller boats. Despite the overwhelming strength of the forces aligned against him, Commodore Joshua Barney with the assistance of hastily erected shore batteries, was able to escape up the Patuxent in late June of 1814. Rockets Red Glare: Ballistic Warfare: Congreve Rockets: Developed by William Congreve in 1804, these self-propelled projectiles carried an incendiary or explosive charge for a distance of up to two miles. A sheet iron tube containing the propellant charge was attached to a long wooden shaft which served as a stabilizer during flight. The "rockets red glare" in the song "The Star-Spangled Banner" refers to these rockets, which were used both at the Battle of Baltimore and here at the Battles of St. Leonard Creek. Because of the rockets' unpredictable flight, they terrorized both the military and civilians, but did relatively little damage to their intended targets.
6. JPATT_150923_057.JPG: The War of 1812 Living History A Living Legacy At Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, living history is an important way to educate visitors about the museum's important role in the War of 1812. Recognizing the importance of making history come to life, Richard Fischer, Jr. has been instrumental in expanding War of 1812 educational opportunities. His support helped to establish the annual War of 1812 reenactment, which allows visitors to step back in time and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of this important period in Maryland's history. Richard H. Fischer, Jr. has supported Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum programs for over a decade. Mr. Fischer was the first recipient of the Patterson Prize, the highest award given in recognition of his distinguished service throughout Southern Maryland.
7. JPATT_150923_062.JPG: Congreve 32-pr Carcass Rocket -- circa 1813. Reconstructed after an example in the Smithsonian Institution.
8. JPATT_150923_097.JPG: What is this Big White Building? The Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Laboratory is a state-of-the-art archaeological research, conservation and collections facility. Opened in 1998, the Lab holds the State's archaeological artifact collections. In the labs, the often fragile artifacts are stabilized, cleaned and conserved for future study and exhibition. Suitable temperature and humidity conditions are carefully maintained and monitored in the collections storage area to protect Maryland's rich archaeological heritage. By analyzing these artifacts and their sites, archaeologists here have uncovered new and valuable information about our past. This building won an Honor Award from the Maryland Society/Architectural Institute of America "for architectural excellence" and a Design Award, Honorable Mention, from the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In her 95th year, Gertrude Sawyer, the original architect of Point Farm, reviewed the plans and suggested several useful improvements.
9. JPATT_150923_108.JPG: The Government at St. Leonard's You are now standing on the house site of Richard Smith, Sr., who in 1657 was appointed to fill the newly created office of Attorney General for Maryland. The following year, this plantation -- "St. Leonard's -- was used by the colonial General Assembly and Lord Baltimore's Council of Maryland for a series of meetings. Among the laws passed by the Assembly at St. Leonard's that year was a peace treaty between Lord Baltimore and rebellious settlers; a bounty for killing wolves; a bill that required the registration of birth, marriages, and deaths; another that established the penalties for servant women who had illegitimate children; the creation of legal protection for the estates inherited by minor children; and the establishment of penalties for public drunkenness. A map of the plantation drawn in the 1770s indicated that the Smith family cemetery was located here, in an area where the Museum planned to install utility lines. Archaeological test trenches immediately uncovered the tops of graves, exactly where the map indicated they should be, and so the utility lines were moved to leave the burials undisturbed.
10. JPATT_150923_113.JPG: Attention to Detail -- Gertrude Sawyer, Architect Emphasizing functional requirements as well as traditional Chesapeake Tidewater architecture, Gertrude Sawyer designed 26 Colonial Revival buildings for Patterson's Point Farm from 1932 to 1955. A graduate of the first class (1919) of the Cambridge School of Domestic and Landscape Architecture for Women, Sawyer was one of the first women admitted into the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Point Farm was Sawyer's largest and most diverse project. This work consisted of designing a gentleman farmer's mansion and several farm complexes containing numerous outbuildings, and a show barn for Mr. Patterson's prize Black Angus cattle. Since 1983, the Point Farm buildings have been renovated to house the Museum's administration, maintenance and exhibit design offices, the Visitor Center and the Breckinridge Education Center, while retaining the look created by Ms. Sawyer in the early 1930s.
11. JPATT_150923_123.JPG: Aerial view of the Farm Manager's Complex. The brown barn in the back is one of the few buildings left on the property that predate Mr. Patterson's purchase.
12. JPATT_150923_126.JPG: Riverside view of the brick mansion designed for Mr. Patterson by Gertrude Sawyer.
13. JPATT_150923_129.JPG: The Search for the Chesapeake Flotilla High Technology Locates Ships Underwater archaeology is often more difficult than terrestrial archaeology, especially when visibility is poor because of salty water. Side scan sonars and magnetometers (sophisticated metal detectors) are employed in the search for underwater archaeological remains. Promising targets are then investigated by probing and, if warranted, excavated using water induction dredges that suck up the silt covering the site and deposit it through a screen on a ship or other surface, where it can be sifted for artifacts. Artifacts recovered from underwater sites need special treatment to preserve them. St Leonard Creek Gunboats No. 137 & 138 During 1998 and 1999, two of United States Chesapeake Flotilla's gunboats, No. 137 and No. 138, were located and partially excavated near the headwaters of St. Leonard Creek. Among the artifacts found were a gun fling, .69 and .75 caliber musket shot, several buttons, grapeshot, and copper sheathing nails. All the artifacts were treated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservations Laboratory at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. Commodore Joshua Barney considered these two boats to be slow and difficult to sail, so they were scuttled in shallow water before the Flotilla escaped up river. The British later finished their destruction by setting the vessels on fire. The two boats found by underwater archaeologists exhibited tell-tale burn marks from the British action. This damage, along with the artifacts, the vessels' size, and their place of discovery, all confirm that they are the American gunboats.
14. JPATT_150923_138.JPG: "We Must Have Done Them Considerable Damage" -- Captain Joshua Barney June 11, 1814 First Battle of St. Leonard Creek After encountering superior British naval forces, Commodore Barney retreated into the relative safety of St. Leonard Creek, which was easily defendable because of its narrow entrance and high banks. One June 8th, 9th, and 10th, the British sent wave after wave of gunboats, schooners, and barges into the creek to destroy the Flotilla. In this First Battle of St. Leonard Creek, the British forces were soundly repulsed. They began a campaign of terror, pillaging the plantations along the Patuxent River in an attempt to draw Barney from his lair. Letter from Commodore Joshua Barney: "... on the evening of the ninth the enemy moved up with 20 barges, having received more force from the 74 (gun ship-of-the-line) at the mouth of the Patuxent. I met them, and after a short action drove them until dark, and returned to my anchorage. Yesterday they made a bold attempt, about 2 pm they moved up with 21 barges, one rocket barge, and two schooners in tow. On making their appearance, we went down on them; they kept up a smart fire some time seemed determined to something decisive. But they soon gave way and retreated, we pursued them down the creek. At the mouth lay the 18 gun schooner; she attempted to beat out, but our fire was so severe she ran ashore at the entrance and was abandoned. We still pursued until the Razee and brig opened upon us a brisk fire, which completely covered the schooner and the flying barge, 8c. We must have done considerable damage. "... By information, they suffered much. The large schooner was nearly destroyed, having several shot through her at the water's edge; her deck torn up, gun dismounted, and main-mast nearly cut off about half-way up, and rendered unserviceable. She was otherwise much cut; they ran her ashore to prevent her sinking. The commodore's boat was cut in two; a shot went through the rocket boat; one of the small schooners, carrying two 32 pounders, had a shot which raked her from aft, forward; the boats, generally, suffered; but I have not ascertained what loss they sustained in men." -- Extract of a letter from Commodore Barney to the Secretary of the Navy, William Jones, St. Leonard Creek, June 11, 1814
15. JPATT_150923_143.JPG: June 10: Opening Attack American Advance American Withdrawal First Battle of St. Leonard Creek After encountering superior British naval forces, Commodore Barney retreated into the relative safety of St. Leonard Creek, which was easily defendable because of its narrow entrance and high banks. One June 8th, 9th, and 10th, the British sent wave after wave of gunboats, schooners, and barges into the creek to destroy the Flotilla. In this First Battle of St. Leonard Creek, the British forces were soundly repulsed. They began a campaign of terror, pillaging the plantations along the Patuxent River in an attempt to draw Barney from his lair.
16. JPATT_150923_146.JPG: Letter from Commodore Joshua Barney: "... on the evening of the ninth the enemy moved up with 20 barges, having received more force from the 74 (gun ship-of-the-line) at the mouth of the Patuxent. I met them, and after a short action drove them until dark, and returned to my anchorage. Yesterday they made a bold attempt, about 2 pm they moved up with 21 barges, one rocket barge, and two schooners in tow. On making their appearance, we went down on them; they kept up a smart fire some time seemed determined to something decisive. But they soon gave way and retreated, we pursued them down the creek. At the mouth lay the 18 gun schooner; she attempted to beat out, but our fire was so severe she ran ashore at the entrance and was abandoned. We still pursued until the Razee and brig opened upon us a brisk fire, which completely covered the schooner and the flying barge, 8c. We must have done considerable damage. "... By information, they suffered much. The large schooner was nearly destroyed, having several shot through her at the water's edge; her deck torn up, gun dismounted, and main-mast nearly cut off about half-way up, and rendered unserviceable. She was otherwise much cut; they ran her ashore to prevent her sinking. The commodore's boat was cut in two; a shot went through the rocket boat; one of the small schooners, carrying two 32 pounders, had a shot which raked her from aft, forward; the boats, generally, suffered; but I have not ascertained what loss they sustained in men." -- Extract of a letter from Commodore Barney to the Secretary of the Navy, William Jones, St. Leonard Creek, June 11, 1814
17. JPATT_150923_161.JPG: "The Commodore Can Beat Any…Barges…Sent Against Him" -- Maryland Republican, June 18, 1814 Second Battle of St. Leonard Creek: As dawn approached on June 26th, 1814, the United States Chesapeake Flotilla and American shore batteries launched a poorly-coordinated attack against the British. Under the cover of darkness, U.S. Army and Marine units, aided by 20 flotillamen, had secretly erected two 18-pounders and three 12-pounders on the hill overlooking the mouth of St. Leonard Creek. When these cannons opened fire, the surprised British could not immediately respond, as their ships were anchored with their guns aimed up the creek. After the Royal Navy was repositioned, Commodore Joshua Barney and the Flotilla attacked, further confusing the British. A contingent of British Royal Marines was sent by barge up the Patuxent to attack the American right flank. This threat caused many of the American infantry to flee. With the Flotilla now taking the brunt of the attack, Barney began to retreat up the creek. At the same time, the British withdrew into the Patuxent to repair their damaged ships. Surprised by the turn of events, the Flotilla was able to flee from St. Leonard Creek and escape up the Patuxent River. In the following weeks, the British regrouped and again pursued the Flotilla up the Patuxent. On August 22nd, near where Route 4 crosses the river, the British were astonished to see the United States Chesapeake Flotilla explode and sink. Under orders from the Secretary of the Navy, the Flotilla was scuttled to keep it out of the hands of the British. Benedict Marching on the Capital What happened next? In the sweltering heat of August, British forces landed at Benedict and marched toward Washington, D.C. They defeated the Americans at Bladensburg, and arrived at the capital to find the Washington Navy Yard on fire; the American Navy had destroyed most of what could not be moved. President Madison, members of Congress, and many citizens fled from the city. The British burned the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and other significant government buildings, but they only attacked private residences when they were used as resistance points. By late August, the British returned to Benedict, where they boarded ships bound for Baltimore.
18. JPATT_150923_169.JPG: Benedict Marching on the Capital What happened next? In the sweltering heat of August, British forces landed at Benedict and marched toward Washington, D.C. They defeated the Americans at Bladensburg, and arrived at the capital to find the Washington Navy Yard on fire; the American Navy had destroyed most of what could not be moved. President Madison, members of Congress, and many citizens fled from the city. The British burned the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and other significant government buildings, but they only attacked private residences when they were used as resistance points. By late August, the British returned to Benedict, where they boarded ships bound for Baltimore.
19. JPATT_150923_172.JPG: Land Battle Evidence Artifacts Key to Battlefield Possible Site of American Cannon Battery In 2000, archaeologists at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum examined three areas, including the hill directly ahead. The research was funded by the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program. None of the artifacts found on the hill could be positively linked to the War of 1812. However one iron grapeshot, one elongated lead musket ball, one round lead musket ball, and one impacted lead musket ball were recovered nearby, and have been identified as War of 1812 artifacts. They may represent ammunition which was fired but missed its target. By mapping out the locations of military artifacts, the movements and actions of units involved in a battle can be reconstructed. For this reason, uncontrolled metal-detecting and collecting on battlefields is very destructive, as it removes potentially valuable information about the engagements. Objects Found Ornaments & Armaments: Several War of 1812 artifacts found during the excavations. GPS uses signals broadcast by orbiting satellites to triangulate position's longitude and latitude. The receiver was provided by the National Park Service. Military-Objects Found-Ornaments & Armaments-Several War of 1812 artifacts were found during the 2000 archaeological investigations, including lead musket balls (upper left) an iron grapeshot fired by cannons (below center). Other artifacts found in the same area may be related to the war. They include a fragment of a large buckle or box lid decoration (upper right), and pieces of a copper or brass ornament in the shape of a cross with grape leaf clusters (right). The ornament was probably sewn onto a uniform or hat. All artifacts above are shown at actual size.
20. JPATT_150923_178.JPG: Objects Found Ornaments & Armaments: Several War of 1812 artifacts found during the excavations. GPS uses signals broadcast by orbiting satellites to triangulate position's longitude and latitude. The receiver was provided by the National Park Service. Military-Objects Found-Ornaments & Armaments-Several War of 1812 artifacts were found during the 2000 archaeological investigations, including lead musket balls (upper left) an iron grapeshot fired by cannons (below center). Other artifacts found in the same area may be related to the war. They include a fragment of a large buckle or box lid decoration (upper right), and pieces of a copper or brass ornament in the shape of a cross with grape leaf clusters (right). The ornament was probably sewn onto a uniform or hat. All artifacts above are shown at actual size.
21. JPATT_150923_181.JPG: Valor at St. Leonard Creek Letters from Commodore Joshua Barney "One of the enemy's rockets fell on board one of our barges, and, after passing through one of the men (one of only three Americans to die from a British rocket during the entire war in Maryland) set the barge on fire…a barrel of powder and another of musket cartridges, caught fire and exploded, by which several of the men were blown into the water, and one man very severely burned---his face, hands and every uncovered part of his body, being perfectly crisped,. The magazines were both on fire and the commander of the boat, with his officers and crew, believing that she must inevitably blow up, abandoned her, and sought safety among the other barges. At this moment Major (William) Barney (the Commodore's son), who commanded the cutter Scorpion, hailed his father and asked permission to take charge of the burning boat. Major Barney immediately put himself on board, and by dint of active labor of bailing water into the boat and rocking her constantly from side to side, he very soon succeeded in putting out the fire and saving the boat, to the very great delight as well as astonishment of the commodore." -- Commodore Barney on an incident on June 6, 1814. "This morning, at 4 am a combined attack of the artillery, marine corps and flotilla, as made upon the enemy's two frigates, at the mouth of the creek. After two hours engagement, they got under way and made sail down river. They are now warping around Point Patience, and I am now moving up the Patuxent with my flotilla. My floss (loss) is acting midshipman Asquith killed, and ten others killed and wounded. Mr. Blake the bearer of this, was a volunteer in my barge. He will give you every other information. With respect, BC Joshua Barney," -- Extract of a letter from Commodore Barney to Secretary of the Navy William Jones, St. Leonard Creek, June 25, 1814.
22. JPATT_150923_186.JPG: Letters from Commodore Joshua Barney "One of the enemy's rockets fell on board one of our barges, and, after passing through one of the men (one of only three Americans to die from a British rocket during the entire war in Maryland) set the barge on fire…a barrel of powder and another of musket cartridges, caught fire and exploded, by which several of the men were blown into the water, and one man very severely burned---his face, hands and every uncovered part of his body, being perfectly crisped,. The magazines were both on fire and the commander of the boat, with his officers and crew, believing that she must inevitably blow up, abandoned her, and sought safety among the other barges. At this moment Major (William) Barney (the Commodore's son), who commanded the cutter Scorpion, hailed his father and asked permission to take charge of the burning boat. Major Barney immediately put himself on board, and by dint of active labor of bailing water into the boat and rocking her constantly from side to side, he very soon succeeded in putting out the fire and saving the boat, to the very great delight as well as astonishment of the commodore." -- Commodore Barney on an incident on June 6, 1814. "This morning, at 4 am a combined attack of the artillery, marine corps and flotilla, as made upon the enemy's two frigates, at the mouth of the creek. After two hours engagement, they got under way and made sail down river. They are now warping around Point Patience, and I am now moving up the Patuxent with my flotilla. My floss (loss) is acting midshipman Asquith killed, and ten others killed and wounded. Mr. Blake the bearer of this, was a volunteer in my barge. He will give you every other information. With respect, BC Joshua Barney," -- Extract of a letter from Commodore Barney to Secretary of the Navy William Jones, St. Leonard Creek, June 25, 1814.
23. JPATT_150923_189.JPG: John Stuart Skinner Witness to Fort's Bombardment "Ruffian, Patriot, and Philanthropist..." -- John Quincy Adams. Born in Calvert County, by 1813 John Stuart Skinner was a Purser for the U.S. Navy, in charge of purchases and accounts for the United States Chesapeake Flotilla. When the British came up the Patuxent River and threatened Washington, Skinner performed a Paul Revere-like ride from Baltimore to Washington to warn the city of their approach. Because of his actions, Skinner's property -- which is now the site of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum -- was burned by the British. In 1819, Skinner founded The American Farmer, the first agricultural paper published in the United States, and he was also the editor of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine, and the Plough, the Loom and the Anvil. Skinner was also put in charge of exchanging prisoners for the United States during the War. In September 1814, he was assigned to work with the assistance of attorney Francis Scott Key in obtaining the release of Dr. William Beanes, of Upper Marlboro. Several army deserters had plundered farms near Upper Marlboro as the British forces returned from the attack on Washington, and Dr. Beanes, among others, seized these marauders. One prisoner escaped, and returned with a contingent of British marines to secure the release of the others. Beanes was arrested by the British and taken aboard one of their ships during the attack on Baltimore. Key and Skinner were summoned to seek his release. Thus Beanes, Key, and Skinner were present during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, where Key was so moved that he composed a poem. Skinner claimed he took Key's poem to the newspaper where it was published on the evening of September 20, 1814, under the title "Defense of Ft. McHenry." Other accounts suggest that it was actually Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson who took the poem to be published. In 1931, this poem, and the music it was set to in 1814, was officially designated as the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
24. JPATT_150923_197.JPG: N.C. Wyeth painting by the Dawn's Early Light shows Key and Skinner (Looking through spyglass). Image used with permission of New York Life Insurance Company. N.C. Wyeth, most recognized for his children's book illustrations, began his career in 1902 painting America's adventuresome heritage.
25. JPATT_150923_200.JPG: The Poem. Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner One of the early hand written versions of The Star-Spangled Banner written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Maryland.
26. JPATT_150923_212.JPG: Sukeek's Cabin: A Proud Tradition Lives On JPPM archaeologists had long known that a stone house foundation, overgrown with weeds, sat in the woods in front of you. But who had lived there was a mystery. Then in 1996, two former local residents---Daniel and Minnie Octavia Gross Brown---were interviewed by JPPM staff. Daniel described walking through the woods in the 1940s going from the St. Leonard Creek house of Minnie Octavia's mother to his job at the Patterson Farm (now JPPM). Along the way he passed the ruined cabin of his wife's great-great grandmother, a formerly enslaved woman named Sukeek. Armed with this vital piece of family tradition, archaeologists began to study the site in detail. Oral history, like that provided by the Browns, and their relatives, can reveal valuable information that is not available from any other source. According to family tradition, Sukeek had a daughter named Sobeck or Rebecca, and a granddaughter named Jane Dawkins Johnson. Jane reportedly died of a broken heart she was told, in error, that her son had been killed while serving in Europe during World War I. Knowing this, JPPM staff looked for death certificates from that time, and soon found Jane's. On it, he mother was listed as Becky Coats -- giving us Sobeck's full identity, and confirming the accuracy of the family stories.
27. JPATT_150923_216.JPG: According to family tradition, Sukeek had a daughter named Sobeck or Rebecca, and a granddaughter named Jane Dawkins Johnson. Jane reportedly died of a broken heart she was told, in error, that her son had been killed while serving in Europe during World War I. Knowing this, JPPM staff looked for death certificates from that time, and soon found Jane's. On it, he mother was listed as Becky Coats -- giving us Sobeck's full identity, and confirming the accuracy of the family stories. Eliza Gross and her daughter Evelyn and Bessie. Eliza was Jane Johnson's daughter, great-great-granddaughter of Sukeek, and the mother of Minnie Octavia Gross Brown. Jane Johnson's death certificate.
28. JPATT_150923_234.JPG: Smith's St. Leonard Site An Unexpected Discovery Between 1767 and 1773, two neighbors-Thomas Johnson (father of Maryland's first state governor) and Walter Smith-twice went to court to settle a dispute about the boundary of Smith's plantation of St. Leonard. Many local residents were called to testify, and a plat was drawn of the property. The depositions and the plat contain wonderful descriptions of the plantation's buildings, fences, and fields, including old structures that were in ruins by the 1770s. Armed with this landscape information which often is not available to researchers, the JPPM Public Archaeology Program began to investigate the area that was the heart of the Smith plantation in the early 1700s. In the mid-1600s, Richard Smith, Sr., Maryland's first Attorney General, settled at St. Leonard. According to the plot, his home and the family cemetery were located next to the museum buildings that now stand behind you. Archaeologists believe that the Smith family lived in 3 different houses between the 1650s and the 1710s. In the colonial period, people often stayed in a house for only a few decades before moving to a new location on their farm. Because of this, people sometimes assume that any old house standing today dates to when a property was first settled, when in fact it may be much younger. Historical Evidence: "... ye Dwelling House wherein the Plaintiffs' Grandfather lived; on ye Gable end of which is Set, in Brick ‘ye following Figures…1711." -- Detail from the 1773 plot, giving the year the plantation's main house was built. "Joshua Sedwick ... standing in an Old Road Deposeth that when…he was not more than Ten or Twelve years of age a Gate stood there..." -- Deposition of Joshua Sedwick, age 57, on February 11, 1773, showing that detailed landscape information provided by the court case.
29. JPATT_150923_240.JPG: View of the field in front of you, showing the locations of some of the buildings marked within the circle on the 1773 plat at the right.
30. JPATT_150923_250.JPG: Historical Evidence: "... ye Dwelling House wherein the Plaintiffs' Grandfather lived; on ye Gable end of which is Set, in Brick ‘ye following Figures…1711." -- Detail from the 1773 plot, giving the year the plantation's main house was built. "Joshua Sedwick ... standing in an Old Road Deposeth that when…he was not more than Ten or Twelve years of age a Gate stood there..." -- Deposition of Joshua Sedwick, age 57, on February 11, 1773, showing that detailed landscape information provided by the court case.
31. JPATT_150923_275.JPG: Welcome to a Country Retreat: Designed by architect Gertrude Sawyer, as the proper setting for a gentleman farmer, this 10,400 square foot Colonial Revival-style house was enjoyed by the Pattersons as a country retreat. Most often visited by the family at holidays, this house entertained many prominent friends, diplomats and world leaders. Built in 1832-34, this house reflects the traditions of the Chesapeake Tidewater region. These bricks were purchased from the same lot used for the reconstruction of Wakefield, George Washington's birthplace in Virginia. The beautiful gardens were designed by Rose Greely, recognized as a pioneer of American landscape design, and classmate of Gertrude Sawyer. Unique Trees a Bonus: Recording the largest trees in the country, the National Champion Big Tree list got its start in Maryland in 1925 when Frank Beasely, the State Forester, compiled a list of the state's prize specimens. The national list began in 1940, and Maryland continues to have many of the top contenders.
32. JPATT_150923_280.JPG: Adding to the beauty of the property are some special trees. Planted as a grown landscape specimen, the Sand or Pale-Leaved Hickory (Calya pallida) was listed as a National Champion in 1998.
33. JPATT_150923_282.JPG: To the west of the Sand Hickory is an American Linden or Basswood (Tilia americana) tree, a Calvert County Champion.
34. JPATT_150923_285.JPG: In front of this sign, with a brass plaque at its base, stands a White Oak (Quercus alba), grown from an acorn of the Wye Oak, former National Champion and Maryland State Tree. This Wye Oak descendant was planted in 1984.
35. JPATT_150923_288.JPG: Farmhouse to Mansion: The brick house you see in front of you is at least the third structure to have stood on this hill. Two earlier buildings at this location served as farmhouses, while the Patterson home was the country retreat of a wealthy diplomat. The Petersons -- 1834-1932: Captain John Peterson (d. 1847) purchased this land in 1834 from Joseph W. Reynolds. His son, George Peterson (1815-1870), and grandson, John W. Peterson (1842-1908), raised their families on this hill. John W's son, Dr. George Peterson, began his medical practice here. By 1920 the house and property were leased to the Fowlers. They continued to farm the land after it was sold to Jefferson Patterson in 1932, and they moved into the new Farm Manager's house upon its completion. The Pattersons -- 1932-2002: Jefferson Patterson (1891-1977) was a career Foreign Service officer, originally from Dayton Ohio. The eldest son and heir of Frank Patterson, co-founder of the National Cash Register Co. (NCR), he purchased the Peterson property as a country retreat and to run a model farm. Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson (1905-2002), the granddaughter of BF Goodrich, was from a wealthy and well-connected family. Marvin became a documentary photographer and pioneering journalist before her marriage to Jefferson Patterson. In 1940 they were married in Berlin, where Marvin worked for Edward R Murrow as the only female broadcaster amongst the "Murrow Boys" of CBS Radio. At that time, Patterson was in charge of the Prisoner of War Section (for captured Europeans) at the American Embassy. Landscape architect, Rose Greely designed gardens for many private homes in and around Washington DC. The Patterson's walled garden with a fish pond and fountain is typical of the "garden rooms" she created.
36. JPATT_150923_298.JPG: 1932 aerial view of the farmhouse built by John W. Peterson.
37. JPATT_150923_323.JPG: Pieces of a Puzzle: Who once lived here? "Coming up the river were two larger cabins near the Peterson home. These cabins were occupied by the Straitens." -- Nellie Gross Brown, age 95 years, recounting her childhood on nearby Mackall Cove in a 1999 interview with Shelton M. Brown History is written by only a few, usually the wealthy and powerful, such as the various owners of the Point-Farm property. But many other people played a role in the history of this place over the last 350 years. Archaeology is an effective way to learn about everyone who lived in the area, both rich and poor. The barely visible rock foundations in front of you were recognized by archaeologists as a sign that someone had once lived here. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Federal Census records list the Straiten family next to or near the Petersons and the Fowlers, who later rented the Peterson house. These glimpses of past inhabitants at this site will be enlarged by research through archaeological excavation, oral histories, local African-American genealogy, and archival records.
38. JPATT_150923_330.JPG: Community Connections: Until 1960, the Federal Census was taken by recorders going door to door. Patterns of occupation in a neighborhood can be observed by using census records to see who lived next to or near each other. 1880 Federal Census listing John W. Peterson and his family. The household included a servant, Georgia Anne, and her 2 small children. Next there was Isaac Johnson and his family -- possibly in the house once located here. Then Jane Dawkins and her family are listed, who we know were living nearby at the Sukeek's Cabin site. In 1910, Mrs. JW Peterson resides in the farm house on the hill with a son and daughter. Next, James Straiton and his family are listed. His son Jimmie was 14 years old that year. James Straiten, Jr. and family are listed in 1930 next to Thomas Fowler and his wife, who are still renting the Peterson's house. James' mother-in-law, Georgia A. Gross, lives with the family. She is the same person as Georgia Anne Eggins, who once lived in the Peterson household 50 years earlier.
39. JPATT_150923_352.JPG: Travel and History on the Water: People have been traveling on the Patuxent River for thousands of years. Native Americans plied their dugout canoes, and Colonists arrived from Europe on sailing ships. In the 1600s and 1700s, the waterways continued to be the main mode of travel, communication and trade. Ships, delivering goods and picking up tobacco for market, docked at individual plantations throughout the Chesapeake Bay. In the 1800s, steamboats provided faster and more reliable travel on the Chesapeake's rivers. By 1932, you could reach Annapolis, Baltimore or Washington DC from here in less than a day. With the advent of automobiles and a new orientation towards an interior road system, steamboat travel ended by the 1940s.
40. JPATT_150923_357.JPG: Changes Through Time: Known today as Peterson Point, this spit of land has changed in both name and nature over time. Early colonial records refer to the point as an island.
41. JPATT_150923_359.JPG: In 1814, Commodore Barney's map of St. Leonard Creek referred to "Old House Point."
42. JPATT_150923_362.JPG: In 1907, the Point had become an island once again
43. JPATT_150923_365.JPG: Richard Smith Jr. had a landing and boathouse here on "Beachy Point" in the early 1700s.
44. JPATT_150923_368.JPG: A Place in Chesapeake History: Here, where St. Leonard Creek meets the Patuxent River, people lived and events took place that helped shape the region's -- and America's -- history. Look downriver towards Solomons and see the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge in the distance. Upstream on the right you can see the town of Broomes Island. Or look out across the river, towards St. Mary's County, to Sotterley Plantation. St. Leonard Creek contains several historic landmarks. Thomas Johnson III, first governor of the state of Maryland, was born in 1733 at the Brewhouse. This property was bought by the Mackalls in 1840s. Mackalls Wharf was one of two steamboat landings on the creek until the early 1900s. The 2nd landing, Sollers Wharf, was located across the creek.
45. JPATT_150923_373.JPG: The Brewhouse, standing since the late 1700s, witnessed the 1814 Battle of St. Leonard Creek.
46. JPATT_150923_375.JPG: Built around 1714, Sotterley is where American troops gathered in June 1814 to support Commodore Barney's Chesapeake Flotilla, which was trapped in St. Leonard Creek.
47. JPATT_150923_378.JPG: Before he purchased the Point Farm property in 1834, Captain John Peterson owned Spout Farm. This farm was given to his daughter, Elizabeth Peterson Sollers.
48. JPATT_150923_381.JPG: Warren Denton & Co. Oyster Packing House at Broomes Island in 1954.
49. JPATT_150923_388.JPG: Capital Punishment on the Point: John Dandy -- Rogue, gunsmith, executioner, murderer, executed. A blacksmith and gunsmith, Dandy's skills were more important to early Maryland than was his reputation for violence. Convicted of killing an Indian servant, Dandy's sentence was commuted to performing 7 years of public service, including acting as the colony's executioner. In 1657 he was found guilty of murdering a second servant, after the corpse bled when he touched it. He was hung on an "Island" at the mouth of St. Leonard Creek, which was probably the point where you are standing.
50. JPATT_150923_390.JPG: June 1814 -- War Visits the Patuxent: Battle at the Mouth of St. Leonard Creek: Instead of this peaceful scene in front of you, imagine the air hazy with smoke brightened by the flare of gunfire and rockets. Hear booming cannons, screaming rockets, yelling and shouting. Right here at the mouth of St. Leonard Creek is where the Americans battled the mightier British Navy in June 1814. After encountering superior British forces near the mouth of the Patuxent in the Battle of Cedar Point, Commodore Barney and his Chesapeake Flotilla escaped up river to the safety of St. Leonard Creek. For three days, starting June 8th, the Americans successfully held the British at bay despite wave after wave of bombardment. A British ship, the HMS St. Lawrence, was hit so badly it was temporarily abandoned on the shore at this Point. In the following weeks, while Barney's flotilla stayed in St. Leonard's Creek, the British waved a campaign of destruction against both shores of the Patuxent, confiscating supplies, demanding information and burning many houses and barns, including John Stuart Skinners' barns here on what is now Park property. Finally on June 26th, the British again attacked the Chesapeake Flotilla, trying to draw it out of its hiding place. This 2nd battle ended in a draw, with the Americans slipping out of the creek and sailing up the Patuxent River. In his memoir, Charles Ball describes himself as a seaman and a cook on a barge in Commodore Barney's flotilla. Ball was working at a fishery near the mouth of the Patuxent River when the British came to the Chesapeake in the Spring of 1813. "I did not enlist with Commodore Barney until the month of December, 1813: but as I resided in Calvert county, in the summer of 1813, I had an opportunity of witnessing many of the evils that followed in the train of war, before I assumed the profession of arms myself." -- Charles Ball, 1837
51. JPATT_150923_395.JPG: First Battle
52. JPATT_150923_399.JPG: Second Battle
53. JPATT_150923_402.JPG: Congreve Rocket
54. JPATT_150923_408.JPG: In his memoir, Charles Ball describes himself as a seaman and a cook on a barge in Commodore Barney's flotilla. Ball was working at a fishery near the mouth of the Patuxent River when the British came to the Chesapeake in the Spring of 1813. "I did not enlist with Commodore Barney until the month of December, 1813: but as I resided in Calvert county, in the summer of 1813, I had an opportunity of witnessing many of the evils that followed in the train of war, before I assumed the profession of arms myself." -- Charles Ball, 1837
55. JPATT_150923_409.JPG: Idyllic Retreat -- Beach House on the Point: The Chesapeake has long been a place to enjoy. This small waterside bath house came complete with men's and ladies' changing rooms, electricity and plumbing, unusual for any structure in this part of Calvert County in the early 1930s. This was Mr. Patterson's first building at Point Farm, and he stayed here on his visits while the main house was under construction.
56. JPATT_150923_415.JPG: The Beach house is vulnerable to high tides and storms
57. JPATT_150923_650.JPG: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum Welcome to Another World Enter another world -- one that had existed in the Chesapeake Bay region long before Europeans came to settle here. Follow this trail to a re-created Native American Village, where you will learn about the Eastern Woodland people who lived here when Europeans settlers first arrived. Leave behind the image of Indians you may have from watching Hollywood Westerns. There were no horses in the Chesapeake Bay region then, and no one wore big feather headdresses. This trail will take you back to that time. Along the way you will see how the landscape has changed. Step into the past. Imagine that you are a Patuxent Indian. Just a few hundred yards ahead of you is home. When Captain John Smith sailed up the Patuxent River in August 1608, he recorded his impressions: "The fifth river is called Pawtuxant…Upon this river dwell the people called Acquintanacsuck, Pawtuxant, and Matiapament... they inhabite together, and not so dispersed as the rest..."
58. JPATT_150923_659.JPG: Landscape Changes Through Time: These fields have been cultivated for over 350 years. Before that time, virtually all this land within the Chesapeake watershed was covered with vast forests. As the Europeans began to settle in this region, they cleared large expanses of forest to meet their needs. Through time, the forests were removed to accommodate increasing population and the expansion of intensive agriculture. When the Europeans first arrived in the Chesapeake Bay region, they saw the land as wild and untamed. In reality, Native peoples had been managing their environment for generations. They burned out forest underbrush for better hunting, encouraged groves of fruit and nut trees near their villages, and practiced agriculture.
59. JPATT_150923_664.JPG: Computer visualization of JPPM's shoreline as it would have looked 400 years ago.
60. JPATT_150923_669.JPG: Living with Natural Cycles: Native peoples understood that when left alone, nature would reclaim areas that were once disturbed. They knew that places in transition are richest in natural resources. This process of reclamation, called "succession," is visible here. The first plants to sprout in bare soil are annual herbs and grasses. Within a year or two, plants like milkweed, pokeweed, and goldenrod follow, attracting butterflies, insects, and birds. Blackberries and grape vines spread out from nearby woods, creating dense cover for more birds and small game. These thickets are also prime habitat for deer. Tree seeds, such as pines, sweet gum, black locust, black cherry, persimmon, sassafras, maples and nut-bearing trees, such as hickories and oaks, begin to take root and slowly shade out the plants that began the process. Freshwater wetlands, like this man-made pond, also provide rich habitat for plants and animals that were used by the Native people. Women collected tuckahoe tubers from the marshes in the spring and early summer. This was an important food source when stored winter supplies were low and before the golden crops had ripened.
61. JPATT_150923_675.JPG: A Good Place to Live... Archaeologists have found evidence of many Native American sites on what is now Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. Like other native peoples, groups in the Chesapeake Bay region built their villages in areas rich in the natural resources they needed to survive. Of primary importance to the local inhabitants were the freshwater springs that fed the marshes and streams. These waterways provided an abundance of fish, crabs and shellfish. Game animals and plants for food, tool-making, firewood, and house construction were available in the surrounding forests and fields. Later European settlers tended to place their homes in these same locations. Early accounts by European colonists noted that Native people were not only hunting and gathering, they were farming as well. Today the soils in this area are still considered to be among the best for corn agriculture.
62. JPATT_150923_681.JPG: Paradise: "I will end therefore with the soyle, which is excellent, so that we cannot sett downe a foot, but tread on Strawberries, raspires, fallen mulberrie vines, acchorns, walnutts, saxafras etc: and those in the wildest woods. The ground is commonly a blacke mould above, and a foot within ground of a readish colour. All is high woods except where the Indians have cleared for corne. It abounds with delicate springs which are our best drinke. Birds diversely feathered there are infinite, as eagles, swans, hernes, geese, bitters, duckes, partridge read, blew, partie coloured, and the like, by which will appeare, the place abounds not alone with profit, but also with pleasure." -- Father Andrew White, 1634
63. JPATT_150923_684.JPG: Living Here for Thousands of Years: People have been living in Maryland for at least the last 12,000 years. Archaeologists found a 9,000-year old stone spear point right here at the park. The "first people" in this long history of human occupation are known as the Paleoindians. A nomadic people who traveled in small family groups, they carried their belongings with them as they hunted game, gathered plant foods, and visited locations of high quality stone from which they made their distinctive fluted spear points. By about 10,000 years ago, people adapted to the warming climate and developing hardwood forests, and populations gradually increased. During this period, known as the Archaic, people continued hunting and gathering, but they also began to occupy large base camps on a regular seasonal basis. Tribal organizations began to develop, based on an orientation to specific river drainages. The introduction of pottery manufacture marks the beginning of the Woodland period. Tribal groups became more sedentary and began cultivating several types of starchy of oil-rich seeds. The re-created village ahead represents life during this period.
64. JPATT_150923_689.JPG: Embayment of the Chesapeake: When the Paleoindians lived in this area, the Chesapeake Bay did not exist. At the end of the Pleisitocene, over 10,000 years ago, the melting of ice age glaciers caused ocean levels to rise worldwide. As sea levels rose, water gradually submerged the ancient Susquehanna River valley and created the present Chesapeake Bay. It has been estimated that the water rose as fast as 4 feet per century, then gradually slowed to today's rate. The Bay as we know it today was formed by 6,000 years ago.
65. JPATT_150923_692.JPG: Pleistocene: 15,000 -- End of Ice Age. As glaciers melt, sea level rises and begins to inundate the Susquehanna River channel. Holocene: Paleoindian: 11,000 -- Distinctive fluted points were made and used by the Paleoindians. Archaic: 8,000 -- Groundstone axes and celts indicate an increased use of wood in the Middle Archaic. 6,000 -- Chesapeake Bay formed by 6,000 years ago. Woodland: 3,000 -- Introduction of pottery manufacture. 2,000 -- Beginnings of horticulture. Sunflowers and gourds are domesticated in North America. 1,000 -- Bows & arrows become preferred hunting tools. Corn agriculture marks the beginning of the Late Woodland. Captain John Smith explores the Chesapeake Bay in 1608 AD. English establish the colony of Maryland in 1634 AD.
66. JPATT_150923_695.JPG: Coastal Algonguians -- The Patuxent Indians
67. JPATT_150923_708.JPG: How Do We Know What We Know?
68. JPATT_150923_720.JPG: We Are Still Here! American Indians in Maryland Today
69. JPATT_150923_728.JPG: "... they conducted us to their pallizadoed towne..." -- Captain John Smith
70. JPATT_150923_737.JPG: Family, Customs & Beliefs
71. JPATT_150923_748.JPG: How Do You Build a Village?
72. JPATT_150923_755.JPG: Village Life
73. JPATT_150923_809.JPG: "The greatest labour they take, is in planting their corn..." -- Captain John Smith
74. JPATT_150923_822.JPG: Not Just for Food...
75. JPATT_150923_831.JPG: Deep Forests, Wood Aplenty
Wikipedia Description: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum (JPPM) is a 560 acre state park and museum located along the Patuxent River in St. Leonard, Calvert County, Maryland. The property of JPPM was given to the state of Maryland by Mary Marvin Patterson in 1983 in honor of her husband Jefferson Patterson, a U.S. diplomat. Many of its buildings were designed by Gertrude Sawyer starting in the 1930s, and some landscaping was done by Rose Greely.

The property has more than 70 identified archaeological sites, with current excavation and research being done. The land features 9,000 years of documented human occupation.

The park has hiking, walking, and bike trails, a canoe and kayak launch, a visitor's center with exhibits and a gift shop, an exhibit barn, a pavilion for event rental, a recreated Indian village, and a historic house. JPPM has several annual events as well as educational programs and summer camps. Admission is free.

The visitor center, located in a former cattle barn, features displays about the science of archaeology and the work being done on the property. The barn features a War of 1812 exhibit, displays of antique farm equipment and displays about the site's archaeological and cultural history.

The Indian Village was created in 2007 for the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of John Smith’s exploration of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It provides a glimpse into life as it might have been when John Smith visited the people who lived along the Patuxent River. The village features four longhouses, a central fire pit, racks for smoking fish and meat, and a working garden outside the palisade where a variety of plants represent the crops Native people were growing.

Archaeology

JPPM is also the home of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab), which houses over 8 million artifacts. The MAC Lab serves as a clearinghouse for archaeological collections recovered from land-based and underwater projects conducted by State and Federal agencies throughout Maryland. All of these collections are available for research, education, and exhibit purposes to students, scholars, museum curators, and educators.
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