Site History

Fort Garrison (18BA27) is the site of a 48’ x 18’ stone building that was identified by H. Chandlee Forman in 1963 as a late 17th-century garrison for the Maryland Rangers. The structure was later adapted for plantation life by Robert Carnan, who added a second story half-floor around 1800 and used the stone building as a slave quarter. The 1798 tax records list 22 slaves living at Garrison Plantation. In the late 19th century, the structure was repurposed again as a slaughterhouse. In the 1960s a housing development threatened the site, prompting architectural and archaeological studies. The Baltimore County Historical Trust subsequently convinced the developer to leave the stone building intact, so it survives today within a neighborhood of split-level homes.

Archaeology

Members of the Archaeological Society of Maryland conducted excavations at Ft. Garrison in 1964 and 1965 under the direction of John Sprinkle. At the time the structure was still slated for demolition, so salvaging the archaeological resources was a priority. Some excavations took place within the structure, revealing a few intact 19th century features.  Earlier military-related floor surfaces were poorly preserved, however, because of the later use of the structure as a slaughterhouse and an abundance rodent disturbance. Nearby 19th-century refuse pits were also targeted by the volunteer excavation team. Unfortunately, the field records were lost, leaving archaeologists with only a preliminary site map. The artifacts were retained, however, including modified pewter spoons, and wood, ceramic, and glass made into polygonal objects. These have been interpreted as possibly representing reuse by slaves.

Summary by Sara Rivers Cofield

References

Archaeological collections from the Fort Garrison site are owned by the Maryland Historical Trust and curated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.