Archaeology of the Mysterious Thompson Quarter

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Archaeology of Harriet Tubman's Birthplace", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Maryland Department of Transportation archaeologists discovered a substantial brick house foundation, large cellar, and kitchen fireplace on Harriet Tubman’s Birthplace on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. While a 19th century ceramic and faunal assemblage reflect a family of humble means, the brick foundation and location adjacent to a historically navigable waterway suggests initial occupation by the enslaver or other person of status. By the early 1800s, a West African spirit bundle was placed in front of the kitchen hearth, suggesting a connection to Africa. This paper uses archaeological data to explore how this homeplace evolved over time.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025   •
• The Archaeology of Harriet Tubman's Birthplace

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow