The 1975 Orr Excavation of the Garden
In the spring of 1975, Historic Annapolis, Inc. sought to conduct further archaeological testing on the William Paca Garden. Historic Annapolis thought additional testing in and around the reconstructed springhouse and summerhouse sites would provide information regarding their design. Previous excavations conducted by Glenn Little provided Historic Annapolis with the location of the springhouse; however, they remained uncertain about the interior design of the structure. In addition, Historic Annapolis was not convinced of the exact location of the summerhouse seen in the 1772 Charles Willson Peale portrait of William Paca. Historic Annapolis, Inc. contracted with Dr. Kenneth Orr and Ronald Orr to carry out the fourth phase of garden excavation in order to answer these questions. The archaeological investigations by the Orrs included excavation of the lower garden area, analysis of previous digs, and consultation with Orin M. Bullock, Jr., the architect in charge of reconstructing the garden outbuildings (Orr 1975). The excavations were carried out from March 19th through April 15th 1975.
The purpose of the 1975 excavation was to uncover the remains of the springhouse interior prior to its reconstruction (Orr and Orr 1975). The exterior of the structure had already been reconstructed following the Glenn Little excavations. The reconstructed springhouse consisted of a 9-foot square structure with a pyramidal roof, similar to appearance of the bathhouse in the Peale portrait.
The Orrs located the historic interior surface of the structure (identified by the Orrs in their report as floor 1). According to their report, the basin and trough feature were clearly identifiable as outlined pools of mud. While none of the wood lining described by Little was present, the wooden stakes used to support the boards were still visible.
Close examination of the trough, basin, and surrounding bricks led Kenneth and Ronald Orr to determine initially that the trough and basin feature were not constructed with the historic, or Paca period, floor. According to their report, the bricks immediately
surrounding the trough and basin were aligned in a non-conforming manner, suggesting the features cut through the historic floor rather than having been built contemporary with it (Orr and Orr 1975). Their excavation also found that the bricks to the east of the trough were set in a uniform manner to run to a drain located in the northeastern side of the springhouse. Their resulting interpretation was that while the trough and basin features may not have been contemporary with the Paca period, the northeastern drain was, keeping the spring water below the level of the historic surface.
The brick floor found during the excavation of the 19th century level was constructed when Paca occupied the site. According to the Orrs, the bricks making up the historic floor were identical to those that were used in construction of the original walls of the springhouse (Orr and Orr 1975). Directly below the same area, the Orrs unearthed a level of fieldstones directly below the bricks, possibly used to serve as the building’s base. A level of mud was identified to the north of the fieldstones. Excavation of this strata revealed a second catchment basin constructed of brick and foundation stones located at an elevation of 3.17 feet. During the process of excavating the basin, the Orrs unearthed a bottle base fragment made of dark glass with a conical hollow base and globular body (Orr and Orr 1975). Examination of the artifact dated it to the 18th century. According to their report, the Orrs determined that this lower basin was constructed and utilized during the William Paca period. Further investigation shows water from the natural spring ran into the basin from the north of the feature. Once collected, water then flowed out of the springhouse through the drain at the south east of the structure.
Directly below the same area, the Orrs unearthed a level of fieldstones directly below the bricks, possibly used to serve as the building’s base. A level of mud was identified to the north of the fieldstones. Excavation of this strata revealed a second catchment basin constructed of brick and foundation stones located at an elevation of 3.17 feet. During the process of excavating the basin, the Orrs unearthed a bottle base fragment made of dark glass with a conical hollow base and globular body (Orr and Orr 1975). Examination of the artifact dated it to the 18th century. According to their report, the Orrs determined that this lower basin was constructed and utilized during the William Paca period. Further investigation shows water from the natural spring ran into the basin from the north of the feature. Once collected, water then flowed out of the springhouse through the drain at the south east of the structure.
The Orrs first goal was to locate the feature Powell called Structure 2. Once the Orrs rediscovered Structure 2, they noticed the feature had been reduced from 5-6 brick courses down to three, with some bricks dislodged in the structure and others scattered around the base of the trench. The base of structure 2 was found to be at an elevation of 6.31 feet above sea level. Examination of structure 2 revealed additional information not identified during Bruce Powell’s excavation in 1966. According to Powell’s report, structure 2 was a rectangular feature composed of mortared brick. Additionally, on the northern area of the structure, an 8-½ inch semicircular hole was found to run through the feature originating at the top of the structure and running down through the base. During the examination of the feature, the Orrs found an unexcavated posthole at the base of the semicircular hole. The hole was rectangular in shape roughly two to three inches in length. Inside the post, several pieces of wood, 3-5 inches in length, were recovered. Kenneth and Ronald Orr suggest that the pole would have served as a supporting timber for the summerhouse.
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