Rose Hill Manor (18FR82)

Rose Hill Manor (18FR82) is a National Register listed site located on the north edge of Frederick, Maryland. Originally built as a residence in the late 18th century (ca. 1790-1795), Rose Hill Manor is currently operated as a children’s museum. The manor house and ground occupy an area of approximately 40 acres. The house was built by the daughter and son-in-law of Thomas Johnson, Maryland's first elected governor. Johnson retired to Rose Hill Manor during the last years of his life. The main block of the brick structure is five bays wide, 2 1/2-stories high, with a 2-story pedimented portico covering the central three bays of the south elevation. A three-bay-wide wing is attached to the west side of the house.

A Phase I identification survey was carried out by personnel from Frederick Community College from 1970 until 1973. Students carried out the investigations under the direction of anthropology professors Carle P. Graffunder and Marguerite H. Smith. Unfortunately, nearly all documentation from this work has been lost.

The first documented excavations were conducted in 2000, when the Frederick County Bureau of Parks and Recreation planned to improve aspects of the current maintenance system at the site. It was determined that an appropriate strategy for conducting the investigation would consist of the excavation of seven 1.2192 X 1.2192 meter (4 ft X 4 ft) test units around the foundation and the excavation of shovel test pits at 4.572 meter (15 foot) intervals or less in the area of the drain discharge line trench. All soils were screened. A total of 3,626 historic artifacts were recovered during testing.

Nine subsurface features were recorded. Of particular significance are Features 3 and 6, the remains of entrances that allowed access to the full cellar beneath the main block of the house. These two doorways were located on the east and west sides of the house. The doors were subsequently converted to windows and the areaways were filled with brick rubble.

In 2005 the site was again revisited as part of a Phase I survey prior to planned improvement. The survey consisted of 54 shovel test pits, excavated at 15 meter intervals with 7.5 meter retests. A rectangular artifact scatter was identified in Area A. The artifacts recovered in Area A were a mixture of 18th, 19th, and 20th century artifacts (with the exception of one prehistoric jasper flake). Area B consisted of a single transect of shovel tests on the north part of the property. Of the 12 shovel tests placed in Area B, only two were positive for artifacts. In addition, a circular brick feature was observed between the easternmost positive shovel test and the door to an adjacent barn. No additional archaeological investigations were recommended for these areas of the site.

The more extensive excavations conducted at 18FR82 (the Phase II work) resulted in the recovery of small amounts of historic period artifacts dating from the late 18th century to the present. The artifact types were of a limited functional diversity, the majority representing architectural functions. Furthermore, a large number of the artifacts recovered came from soil horizons that exhibit characteristics of disturbance. Only the lower strata from a single excavation unit were found to be undisturbed and these deposits yielded low densities of historic period artifacts. While some broad interpretations of the site may be drawn from what remains, the testing of specific hypotheses dependent upon unaltered contexts and provenience cannot be accomplished.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)