Digging for the War of 1812 in Patterson Park, Baltimore

Summary

When the British threatened Baltimore in 1814, the citizens did not panic or surrender. Instead, with the help of militia from all over Maryland and beyond, they rushed to reinforce their city’s defenses with earthworks and whatever artillery could be scavenged. The anchor of the defense was high ground known as Hampstead Hill. While most of the city’s defenses have disappeared under its expanding neighborhoods, a section on Hampstead Hill survived because it was preserved in what became Patterson Park. As the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore approached, Baltimore Heritage, Inc. put together a research program and funding, and Louis Berger with the help of ASM and the MHT was able to undertake several weeks of archaeological investigation of the park. In this talk the history of Hampstead Hill will be reviewed, along with the results of the archaeological  investigation in 2014.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In the Land of Pleasant Living: Archaeology and its Role in 21st-Century Baltimore   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 215