Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18BC50 Albemarle Row House III
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Site 18BC50, also known as Albemarle Row House III, is the archeological remains associated with a late 18th-late 20th century brick rowhouse, saloon, and brick-lined privy in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The site is the location of the former Baltimore City Life Museum offices at 48/50 Albemarle Street in the Jonestown (or Old Town) section of the city. Most of the area surrounding the site is heavily developed today. Soils mapped for the area are classified as “Urban Land” meaning that 80% of the surface is covered either by buildings or by impervious surfaces such as asphalt or concrete.
Baltimore Towne was laid out on January 12, 1730, consisting of, “sixty acres of Land, in and about the place where one John Flemming now lives”. Just two years later Jones Town was laid out, and in 1745 the two merged to form a new Baltimore. By 1752, twenty-five houses appeared on a map sketched by John Moale, and the population was recorded at 300. Jones Town was represented by a few houses in the upper right portion of the sketch.
Not long after a survey in 1773, lots 196 and 197 (the general location of the site) were sold for development and divided. In 1785, an Edward Oldham bought lots 195 and 196, and in 1794 George Davey purchased lot 197. Edward Oldham’s heirs were listed in the Tax Assessor’s Field Book in 1794 as well. In 1805 Edward Oldham’s heirs were listed as not having paid the pavement tax. Lot 196 probably remained vacant until 1809 when John Simpson leased the property for 99 years. In 1810, Lot 196 was divided and assigned to Mary Haley and John Brenan. A similar story evolved for Lot 197, but improvements were being built by 1795. Special instructions by George Davey in his will included the “brick house when finished” at the corner of Albemarle and King George (today’s Lombard) Streets. The lot was bought at public sale by John Dalrymple in 1796 and remained in the Dalrymple family until 1829. In 1834, Lot 197 was divided.
In 1834, Jacob Daley assigned the parcel “16’8” front on Albemarle X 69’ along Water (Lombard) Street” to John Hutchinson. The 1835-1836 city directory listed John Hutchinson as a Wheelwright at the corner of Fall and Pratt, and dwelling at the corner of Albemarle and Water Streets. Hutchinson was taxed in 1837 for the lot 10’ X 75’, a three storey brick dwelling, a two storey tenement on Water Street, and furniture for a total of $1,550. Hutchinson died in 1840 and in 1846 his wife, Mary Hutchinson, was taxed a total of $2,600 for the lot, a three storey brick dwelling, a note of hand, furniture, and stock.
In 1855, the property was sold to Jacob Williams by the administrators of John Hutchinson’s will (Mary Hutchinson had passed away in 1853). Jacob Williams was listed in the 1847-1848 city directory as a grocer at 25 East Lombard Street and in 1854 as a grocer on the Southeast corner of Lombard and Albemarle Streets. It was not until the 1856-1857 directory that he was listed as a grocer at the Northwest corner of Lombard and Albemarle Streets. Williams was taxed in 1857 for the lot, a three storey brick dwelling, and a two storey brick back building.
In 1866, Abraham S. Miles, Grocer, was taxed for the lot, a three storey brick house, a three storey brick back building, stock in trade, and a gold watch. A tenant upstairs, John Wilson, was assessed for furniture and a piano. In the 1870 census, William Miles, a 30 year old white male hay huckster, was listed at 22 E. Lombard Street (later 48/50 Albemarle Street) along with a 26 year old white female named Cecelia Miles, 9 year old white female Mary E. Miles, 6 year old white male William E. Miles, 4 year old white female Louisa Miles, and 2 month old white male Albert Miles, all of whom were born in Maryland. Also three male laborers from Ireland and a female domestic servant from Breman were listed. In 1876, A.S. Miles, Grocer was taxed for a two storey front and a two storey brick back building. M. Mearschutz, tenant, was assessed for stock in trade, wines and liquors. In 1886, A.S. Miles was taxed for the lot and improvements, and, in 1896 and 1898, for the lot and a three storey brick building.
The property passed through several transactions during the first half of the 20th century until 1957 when old Lot 197 was once again owned by a single owner, Vincenzo and Margaret Paolini. The 1948 Sanborn Insurance Map of Baltimore showed the property as a store, and a ca. 1960 photograph illustrated it as Harry’s Sandwich Shop. Eventually the property would become the site of the Baltimore City Life Museum (BCLM) offices.
The only documented archeological work at 18BC50 occurred in 1984 and 1985. The work was undertaken in preparation for construction of new office facilities for the BCLM and restoration of the still standing townhouse for interpretive purposes, and associated landscaping. The work was mandated by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
The investigation occurred in three stages. The first stage entailed investigation in the basement of the structure at 48 Albemarle and examination of a stone and brick vault at the same address. A 3.05 m (10 ft ) square excavation unit was located in the basement area. The unit was then further divided into four smaller units. Two 1.524 m (5 ft) square units that were placed upon an elevated area between the dug-out basement of 48 Albemarle Street and against the wall of 50 Albemarle. This originally was thought to consist of fill material but was shown to cover a brick and lime mortared vault. The vault was subsequently excavated as a separate unit. Soil samples and screened fill material were collected for laboratory analysis.
The second stage of excavation entailed further investigation of the vault and excavation of specific features revealed during the first stage of work. A series of six test units and trenches were dug in the rear yard to locate additional features and to attempt to define soil stratigraphy. The final stage of fieldwork involved the excavation of the interior of a previously identified cistern in the north-central portion of 48 Albemarle, and a brick-lined privy to the east of the cistern. Excavation was conducted in arbitrary levels with all soils being screened through hardware cloth.
The excavations of 1984 and 1985 revealed both the commercial and residential uses of the site. A vault which functioned as beer storage for a local merchant was also revealed. According to ceramic dates and the opinions of architectural historians who were called in to examine the feature, the vault was believed to have been built in the late 18th century as a root cellar, with later re-use for the beer cellar in the mid-late 19th century. A brick structure recognized as a potential cistern may have also functioned in a commercial capacity. Two privies were also identified: one of early 19th century origin and a second of mid 19th century origin. A brick-lined pit of mid 19th century origin was identified and functioned as a trash pit. A wooden floor was also excavated. Many of the features, when fully excavated, cross-cut boundaries with 802 and 804 Lombard Street. Further research on these properties would better clarify associations between the features and the historic properties.
A total of 21,421 artifacts were recovered from the site, including 2 porcelain doll heads, 3 other doll parts, 19 pieces of kiln furniture, 202 brick fragments, 45 mortar fragments, 35 pieces of burned wood, 10 other pieces of wood, 8 square cut nails, 195 other nails, 952 pieces of window glass, 13 porcelain buttons, 16 other buttons, 31 pieces of shoe leather, 22 other pieces of leather, 2 Jackfield sherds, 551 creamware sherds, 2 pearlware sherds, 64 Chinese porcelain sherds, 16 other porcelain sherds, 442 whiteware sherds, 113 redware sherds, 12 yelloware sherds, 12 white salt-glazed stoneware sherds, 102 Albany slipped stoneware sherds, 1,813 other ceramic sherds, 1,028 pieces of bottle glass, 115 oyster shell fragments, 73 other shells, 2,539 pieces of animal bone (much of it burned), a ca. 1868 copper medallion, an Indian Head nickel, an 1890 penny, a 1921 penny, 54 pieces of charcoal, and 512 pieces of coal.
No additional documentation is available from the 1984 and 1985 excavations at 18BC50. Based on the limited reporting, the site would appear to have subsurface integrity. In the mid 1990s much of this area was altered to construct a new exhibit center for the BCLM. No additional work appears to have been conducted at 18BC50 and the impact of the new exhibit center on the archeological deposits is unknown.
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