Our excellent volunteers hard at work hunting for artifacts! A wisdom tooth from the backyard midden. The original western foundation of 612 Wolfe Street Early 19th-century slip-decorated vessel and a small copper alloy spoon from beneath the floors of 612 Wolfe Street Locally-made Baltimore stoneware 2-gallon jug In a storage pit beneath the floors of the house, we discovered a trove of locally-produced stoneware storage vessels. Pipe bowls! Large kitchen knife with bone handle Remains of a mid-to-late 19th-century outbuilding Large ceramic marble Early German-made caged solid core swirl marble. A flake of flint from Dover, England, possibly used as a strike-a-light Part of a tranfer-printed saucer in the University pattern by John RIdgway (Staffordshire) An assortment of 19th-century buttons The head of a German porcelain doll!

The Spring field season is off to a great start at the Caulkers’ Houses in Fells Point! This weekend, we discovered a dazzling array of 19th-century material culture, and have begun to explore the ways in which the families who lived in these homes made the most of limited indoor and outdoor space. We’ve found several children’s toys, including marbles and porcelain dolls, imported and locally-made ceramics, everyday items such as kitchen knives and teaspoons, and even two human teeth – one baby tooth and a wisdom tooth (home dentistry was an unfortunate fact of 19th-century life).

Although a portion of the rear yard appears to be disturbed, likely due to privy digging in the 20th century, there are many areas that have enormous potential to provide meaningful insights into the lives of the African-American ship caulkers and the various immigrant families who lived in these modest homes. We’ll be back again next week with new questions and new discoveries!