Descendant led archaeology at Sotterley 

Historic Sotterley will embark on a first of a kind archaeology project in Southern Maryland.

For the first time, the Sotterley Descendants will work alongside research professionals on an archaeological study, archival analysis, and oral history research on the historic Slave Dwelling.

This work will inform Sotterley’s ongoing efforts to preserve the Slave Dwelling, aid their interpretation of the building’s history for the public, and enrich the dialogue related to the history and legacy of slavery.

The upcoming work will focus on gathering archaeological evidence which is critical for interpreting how the building was used by its generations of occupants, including those families who remained as tenants on Sotterley after 1864. How did these families survive enslavement and how did they adjust to freedom in a racist society?

Led by renowned archaeologist Dr. Julia King and supported by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the project will directly involve members of the Descendant community with developing research questions of importance to them, learning to excavate and process artifacts and interpreting their meaning.

By having true and tangible connections with the project, Sotterley hopes that Descendants will become stewards of the work.

Located within the core of Historic Sotterley’s landscape, the Slave Dwelling is the last surviving building on site which housed the enslaved and is accessible to the public. The Dwelling therefore represents a crucially significant historic resource, and its preservation and study is at the core of the current organizational efforts to offer a dynamic and inclusive interpretive program focused on the ongoing legacy of slavery.

This work is made possible through a grant from the France-Merrick Foundation. Sotterley is only in the beginning stages of the project and expects to be fully underway by fall of 2024. We will give you updates as the work progresses.