The Van Sweringen Site - St Mary's, MD - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "Nothing survives above ground at this site. We have learned about what was here from archaeological excavations and historical documents, especially an inventory taken in 1700.

1644
William Smith built a two-room structure for Maryland's government in 1664. It was used for official purposes and included a meeting room for the Governor's Council and an office for storing the public records.

ca. 1678
When the government functions were moved to the new brick State House in 1676, Garrett Van Sweringen then took over the Council Chamber. He improved it with new chimneys, brick walls, and a kitchen, and converted it into a private inn.

1690s
Van Sweringen added a wooden extension to the east end of the building. He also rebuilt the kitchen with a brick floor and constructed a cooling house with a brick lined cellar. However, the capital was moved to Annapolis in 1695, and with it went the lodging house business. Van Sweringen died here in 1698.

ca. 1725
By 1700, the Van Sweringen family was living at the Council Chamber and continued to do so until 1721. Garrett Van Sweringen's son, Joseph, died on 1720. Joseph's widow, Mary Neal Van Sweringen, married the royal customs collector, William Deacon, and they resided here for 10 to 15 years. The site was abandoned by the 1740s.

Exploring the Site
Scholars have dug here many times. The first work was in the 1930s by architectural historian H. Chandlee Forman. Historic St. Mary's City archaeologists started excavations here in 1974, with the work continuing until 1985. These excavations produced a wide range of valuable insights. To answer more questions, diggers returned in 2005.

We now understand the Van Sweringen site in a general way. However, despite many years of exploration, this complex site still holds many mysteries that future archaeologists can try to solve.

[Captions:]
Archaeology began at the Van Sweringen site in 1974 and was followed by many more seasons of excavation by Historic St. Mary's City staff.

Thousands of artifacts have been recovered which provide important clues about Garrett Van Sweringen's life and his activities at this site."

Group that erected the marker: Historic St. Mary's City Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: St Mary's, MD URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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