Conclusions
Today the William Paca Garden has emerged from its past. Although once thought to be one of the grandest gardens in all of 18th century Annapolis, neglect and progress wiped the landscape from history. Historic Annapolis Foundation, recognizing the need to save the William Paca Garden, turned to the only resource capable of determining its original design, archaeology. Much of what is known of the William Paca Garden today is based on the excavations conducted from 1966 to 1975.
The archaeology conducted by Bruce Powell, Glenn Little, Kenneth and Ronald Orr, Anne Yentsch and Laura Galke revealed a landscape previously unknown to contemporary Annapolis. Prior to the work they did, little was known about Paca’s garden landscape save a small number of historical documents alluding to its existence. The 1966 Powell excavations provided evidence of the brick wall surrounding the garden. Following Powell, Glenn Little was able to determine how the garden landscape was designed during Paca’s time. From 1967 to 1968 Little found evidence of the original grade as well as a number of structures and features that Paca had constructed on the property such as the springhouse, pond, brick stream, and underground drainage.
Additional excavations conducted by the Orrs in 1975 revealed the existence of a summerhouse located in the rear of the garden as well as the interior design of the property’s springhouse. Anne Yentsch and Laura Galke’s excavations in 1983 and 1990, respectively, aided in corroborating the previous excavations as well as supplied additional archaeological information regarding Paca’s historic garden.
Using the information provided by the archaeologists in conjunction with a variety of 18th century gardening dictionaries, historical portraits, photographs, and archival records, Laurance Brigham and Orin Bullock restored the garden to the landscape Paca originally built two centuries before. The carefully executed restoration of the William Paca Garden is of great historical and cultural importance to the City of Annapolis. Although several historic gardens remain in Annapolis to this day, the William Paca Garden is the only landscape resembling its original design. As a result, the garden serves as an important example of the city’s past to all who view it.