Digging at Huckleberry

[Dave Taylor]

Today I called the Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, Maryland to ask their permission to visit the Retreat and take some pictures. I'm prepping for a new picture gallery regarding Booth and Herold crossing the Potomac and I need some better shots of Dent's Meadow. I left a message and they called me back this afternoon.

The director of the Retreat House said it was ironic that I called, as just today they had a television production crew at Huckleberry shooting material for the National Geographic show "Diggers". Apparently they are doing archeological digs at various places associated with Booth's route for one of their shows. He said he wasn't sure if they completed their dig today, due to the forecast of on and off rain, and that they may be back tomorrow. If I didn't have a prearranged research date at Ford's Theatre, I'd definitely stop by to see their progress.

Apparently we have a National Geographic channel special to look forward to which, at the various least, includes a dig at Thomas Jones' home of Huckleberry.

P.S. The Boothie gods really smiled on me today. Look forward to a BoothieBarn post later tonight regarding my adventure today.

[L Verge]

I posted about this program here on the forum in May after having turned down Diggers' request to film at Surratt House. They were not happy with me, but professional archaeologists (and a number of them work for the government agency which owns our museum) are not happy with this show and the potential damage that can be done to grounds and to any artifacts that might be found. I also stated that we did not want amateurs encouraged to come on our property when the site is closed.

I understand that, in addition to Huckleberry, they will be shooting a segment at Bryantown Tavern on August 8.

[SSlater]

Laurie. I had a similar problem about 10 years ago, when our local History Society wanted to erect a historical marker for the Spy Camp and put it in the paper. The diggers didn't even wait for the sign. They were here digging, without permission, on Sunday. They blatantly said "they wanted to be first to dig".I charged them with Trespassing. WOW! what a howl, I got. I made a fuss, but eventually dropped the charges. No one (that I know of) has come back and there is no sign.

[Jim Garrett]

As Dave knows, the diggers are also at Tudor Hall trying to find the original location of the log cabin. Sometimes mixing history and entertainment can be a lot of fun, but..............

[L Verge]

Over the years, I have spent a lot of time talking with, explaining to, and denying permission for "experiments" to be done at Surratt House by amateur metal detectors and paranormal investigators. Most have been understanding of our desire to remain a professional institution where our unique history is not overshadowed by "fringe history." However, I have had some get confrontational with me.

One of the producers of Diggers even tried to do an end-run around me by contacting The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, which owns and operates the Surratt House Museum. That didn't work either.

The artifact hunters fail to realize that, in the case of Surratt House, professional archaeologists did extensive examination of the grounds back in the 1970s before restoration began, again in the early-80s when our kitchen wing was added, again in the late-80s when we acquired the property that our visitors' center is on, and again in the mid-90s when we acquired the land that our research center is on. We have found everything from handcut nails, 19th-century china and glass, loads of pieces of clay pipes, to modern beer cans. And oyster shells to beat the band!

[Jim Garrett]

Over the years, I have spent a lot of time talking with, explaining to, and denying permission for "experiments" to be done at Surratt House by amateur metal detectors and paranormal investigators. Most have been understanding of our desire to remain a professional institution where our unique history is not overshadowed by "fringe history." However, I have had some get confrontational with me.

One of the producers of Diggers even tried to do an end-run around me by contacting The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, which owns and operates the Surratt House Museum. That didn't work either.

The artifact hunters fail to realize that, in the case of Surratt House, professional archaeologists did extensive examination of the grounds back in the 1970s before restoration began, again in the early-80s when our kitchen wing was added, again in the late-80s when we acquired the property that our visitors' center is on, and again in the mid-90s when we acquired the land that our research center is on. We have found everything from handcut nails, 19th-century china and glass, loads of pieces of clay pipes, to modern beer cans. And oyster shells to beat the band!

The beer cans were from Jim Page

[L Verge]

Yeah, but he brought some excellent cookies and turnovers along with the beer...

[Jim Garrett]

Always a wonderful guest.

[Dave Taylor]

Well I stopped by Huckleberry today, and if they did some digging over the last few days, they certainly covered their tracks well. I walked around the house and saw nothing (aside from a probable animal hole) that would constitute a dig of any sort. There was some grass that looked a bit different and felt new, so perhaps they replaced the grass on top of their dig when they were done.

Anyway, I took a picture of the house and tried to match Oldroyd's angle as best I could. Here's my attempt:

[J. Beckert]

Very nice, Dave. The chimneys look like the original ones.

[Jim Garrett]

The backhoe will be heading over to Huckleberry just as soon as it's done at the Surratt Tavern.

[L Verge]

Don't even joke about that! Years ago, the State Highway Administration was threatening to build an eastbound lane through Surratt property that would separate the historic house from our visitors' center. My ladies threatened to block the first bulldozer by forming a line in their hoopskirts and refusing to budge. Some of my reenactors declared that they would be the last line of defense with fixed bayonets. Can you imagine the great publicity we would get from that?

[Jim Garrett]

Look what they did to the Key Mansion! For those not familiar with the story.........The Georgetown home of Francis Scott Key once stood on the edge of Georgetown along M St. They dismantled the building to build the Key bridge and were going to re-erect it on adjoining property. They stashed the building materials in a storage room under the bridge and the project languished in bureaucratic limbo for years and years. Meanwhile, the area where the pieces of the mansion were stored was not secured and over the years, it became THE SPOT for free used bricks, windows, doors, etc. (a number of beautiful old brick patios in Georgetown can boast a unique heritage. By the time they finally decided to re-erect the mansion, there was nothing to build. Government at it's finest.

[Dave Taylor]

I'm currently at Huckleberry watching the Digger guys present their artifacts to Mike Kauffman. It's fun watching how they produce the show.

[L Verge]

Where did they conduct the digs? Near Huckleberry itself or elsewhere?