Albemarle Rowhouse (18BC50)

The Albemarle Rowhouse project was one of the first projects undertaken by the BCUA in 1984 and 1985. Excavations were undertaken in the basements of five 19th-century rowhouses and the rear yards of a middle and upper-class neighborhood in the Jonestown section of Baltimore. This project area is in Baltimore City Block 1358 just east of Jones Falls. This summary discusses the archaeological background of the entire project, which excavated three sites (18BC48, 49 and 50) and then more specifically what was found at 18BC50.

Historical Research

Historical research for the houses at 44-50 Albemarle Street was conducted in advance of archaeological work (Akerson 1989). The first taxable improvements on this block occurred as early as 1795. The rate of improvements increased in the first quarter of the 19th century, with block residents consisting largely of business owners and their families (Akerson 1989:iii). These residents appeared to be wealthy and the archaeological findings reflect this. The second quarter of the 19th century saw increasing density of housing and by the second half of the century, the block residents were largely German, Irish, Russian and Italian immigrants. The rowhouses went from being only residences to serving both commercial and residential functions. Commercial uses of the structures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries included a bar, stores and a plumber.

The lots adjacent to the corner of King George (Lombard) and Albemarle Streets which came to form 44, 46, 48 and 50 Albemarle Street started out as two large lots numbered 196 and 197. Lot 197, at the corner of Lombard and Albemarle was assigned to George Davey in 1782 and was improved by the year 1795 (Akerson 1989). It was listed as 34 Albemarle Street. The lot is shown as having a three-story brick house under construction in George Davey's 1795 will. John Dalrymple purchased the lot at public auction in 1796 and the lot remained in that family until 1829 (Akerson 1989:8). The lot was subdivided in 1834.

Lot 196, directly to the north, was still vacant in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but in the hands of the heirs of Edward Oldham. By 1813, Lot 196 had been subdivided into two equal size lots, which were numbered 32 (44) and 33 (46) Albemarle Street (i.e. 18BC48 and 18BC49 respectively).

Archaeological Investigations (Entire Project)

The BCUA conducted archaeological excavations on this block in the spring and summer of 1984 and August of 1985 (Akerson 1989:1, Weber n.d.). Although archival research was completed on the rowhouses that make up these three sites, there does not appear to be any final archaeological report that has been prepared. An undated and uncredited summary of field findings was prepared, most likely by Carmen Weber, and filed with records of the BCUA.

The investigations were conducted in four phases, but are summarized together here. In the first phase, three 10 x 10 ft units were placed (one in each of the three rowhouse cellars at 44, 46 and 48 Albemarle Streets) in possible chimney areas. The units were subdivided into four 5 x 5 ft units. The goal of digging these units was to discover kitchen activities in each cellar. Additionally, in July of 1984, a series of test trenches were placed through the 3 properties' rear yards in order to discover features and understand stratigraphy. Several pit features at 18BC498 and 18BC49 were excavated, as well as exploration of an arched brick and stone vault discovered at 18BC50. In the third phase of work (August and September of 1984), examination of the yard features at 18BC48, 49 and 50 continued, as well as examination of features (at 18BC50) discovered in association with 802 and 804 East Lombard Street. The fourth phase of work in August of 1985 involved the excavation of Features 15 and 18 at 18BC50. No final report of this work appeared to have been completed and this report has been generated from reading a number of documents contained in the BCUA files for this project.

18BC50 - 48 Albemarle Street

Lot 197, across the street from the Clagett Brewery, was assigned to George Davey in 1782 and was improved by the year 1795 (Akerson 1989:8). It was listed as 34 Albemarle Street. The lot is shown as having a three-story brick house under construction in George Davey’s 1795 will. John Dalrymple purchased the lot at public auction in 1796 and the lot remained in that family until 1829 (Akerson 1989:8). Dalrymple was a carpenter and builder who increased his status to that of gentleman by the time the 1810 tax assessment was completed. Dalrymple's 1817 estate inventory included a number of luxury household goods, including 7 decanters, a dozen fancy chairs, a mahogany sideboard, a picture of Thomas Jefferson and large amount of silver (spoons, sugar dish, cream jug). He was also listed as owning two female slaves, Mary and Ann. Mary Dalrymple's 1829 inventory contained a lot of detailed information on household ceramics and glass.

The lot was purchased by the John Hutchinson family after widow Dalrymple died around 1829. Their occupation spanned the years 1835-c. 1850. The lot was subdivided in 1834 and 48 Albemarle Street (18BC50) was sold to John Wickes. The Hutchinson family retained ownership of the lot to the south until circa 1850. Wickes quickly (around 1835) built two small brick houses at the west end of the larger lot — these houses faced south onto East Lombard Street (Hartley 1984). Labeled 802 and 804 E. Lombard Street, these homes were used by Wickes as rental properties. Between 1845 and 1853, intelligence officer Lewis F. Scotti rented the house at 802 Lombard Street. Tailor Frederick Entanke and his son, Frederick Junior, a cigar maker, lived at 804 E. Lombard Street in 1886.

Archaeology - Archaeology (48 and 50 Albemarle Rowhouse — excavation only done at 48 Albemarle Street and at 802 and 804 E. Lombard Street) yielded evidence of the basement and back yard of a Baltimore row house built between 1790s and 1815. The 10 x 10 ft unit placed in the cellar revealed the cellar was disturbed with 20th century coal ash, as well as appearing that the basement had been dug out to place a concrete pad.

Archaeological findings elsewhere in the cellar included a brick and stone vault with an arched roof (Feature 6/ER5) in the cellar of the rowhouse (apparently original to the house construction period and enlarged in the late 19th century to serve as a beer storage cellar by beer merchant George Cramer that occupied the property beginning in 1880 [Weeks 1989:5]). Cramer was listed in the 1881-1884 Baltimore City directories as selling beer and in 1885 as a saloon owner. The cellar measured 16 x 8 ft x 8.5 ft deep, with a stone wall underpinned by later brick foundations that had been set in place when the cellar was deepened two feet sometime around the 1880s. The loose fill in the vault appears to have resulted from one episode of filling dating to the 20th century and consisting of large quantities of late 19th to early 20th-century industrial ceramics of unknown origin and function, as well as beer bottles from the same period (Weber 1985).

Also discovered was the Dalrymple Privy (Feature 18/ER47), an oval brick-lined privy. It was fully excavated and the sizeable artifact assemblage (>6,000 artifacts) dated between circa 1800 and 1816 (Weeks 1989:6) and was associated with the Dalrymple occupation of 48 Albemarle Street. The privy contained seven layers of soil, including a clean clay cap (Level A). Level B was listed as rear yard trash. Levels c through E were shown as a circa 1816 deposit, while Levels F&G were deposited around 1801. A total of 233 vessels were found in the privy: 43 bottles, 21 table glass vessels and 169 ceramic vessels. Many of these vessels were creamware, painted pearlware and Chinese porcelain.

Also discovered was a 5.5 x 6.5 x 5 ft deep brick and mortar lined pit (Feature 15) identified as a cistern. Artifacts indicated that it was filled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with almost 8,000 artifacts.

Two smaller lots facing East Lombard Street (802 and 804 E. Lombard) were located on the same block, at the far west end of 48 and 50 Albemarle Streets. The two small brick house that stood there, just east of the Carroll Mansion, were built around 1835 (Hartley 1984). They were built by John Wickes of 48 Albemarle Street as rental properties shortly after he purchased the property in 1834. Some archaeological work was conducted on these lots, including a test trench placed through the cellar at 802 E. Lombard Street (ER37A/38A). A large amount of animal bone was recovered from this cellar. Two additional privies were discovered – one (Feature 13) on the property line between 802 and 804 Lombard Street that appeared to have been used during the late 19th century (Weeks 1989:6; Weeks n.d.). This privy was tested (ER36) and revealed artifacts dating from the mid to the late 19th century. The third privy (Feature 8) was located in the northwest corner of 48 Albemarle or 802 Lombard Street and it was not tested.

BCUA also has a summary of the identification of wood samples taken, and a quantitative comparison of the faunal and floral remains from the features known as the privy, cistern, and stable. I could find no reference to a stable building in any other of the documents in the files.

(Written by Patricia Samford)