In 2021, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) archaeologists searched for and found the homesite of Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father. Ben was enslaved by Anthony Thompson, an elite farmer who managed a timber operation and grew grains near the Blackwater River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Recent excavations revealed new features and additional artifacts that support this as the location of the Ross homesite where Harriet Tubman lived during her adolescent years. This discovery contributes new data about Tubman, her family, as well as the landscape and social networks that shaped her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad and her immeasurable accomplishments later in life.
Sarah Janesko is an Archaeologist with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), who currently manages the archaeology lab and works on special outreach projects along historic transportation routes. She has been doing archaeology in Maryland for the past 8 years. Before her work at MDOT she spent 6 years with the Veterans Curation Program, training veterans on archaeology lab methods and assisting with career transitioning. She loves seeing how people connect with the past through everyday objects and how archaeology can inform on current issues like environmental and social change.
This meeting will be held online via Zoom. RSVP to get the Zoom link.
Natural History Society of Maryland’s Archaeology Club promotes the value of archaeology in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and surrounding areas. The goal of the Archaeology Club is to educate citizenry in the ethics, methods, and artifact preservation methods of archaeology and how archaeology can be used to document, discover, and promote local history. The Archaeology Club is inclusive to all persons who have an interest in archaeology.
If you are an archaeology enthusiast, please consider joining us. You must be a member of NHSM to join any of its clubs. Follow this link to learn more: https://www.marylandnature.org/club-membership/
The Natural History Society of Maryland is a volunteer-led non-profit organization, so the fee you pay will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.