"The Bolshoi of Barn Dancing" Provides Grand Finale for Riverfront Concert Series July 19

The Footworks dancers kick it up at the 2011 Shrewsbury Folk Festival.

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The internationally acclaimed Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, which The Washington Post called “the Bolshoi of Barn Dancing,” is coming to Chestertown July 19 for the final evening of the popular Washington College Riverfront Concert Series.

As was the case in the first two performances of the 2012 series, this one will include a special birthday tribute to American folk icon Woody Guthrie, who was born 100 years ago on July 14, 1912.

Based in Annapolis and inspired by the old-time buck dancers and flatfooters of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, Footworks has been delighting audiences since 1979 with its explosive performances, “kicking out a dazzling array of hard shoe clogging routines from around the world,” according to The Scotsman, Scotland’s national newspaper.

Known for their innovative choreography and commitment to Southern Appalachian music and dance, they have explored the roots of the genre, collaborating with and enlisting the masters of traditional percussive dance from Irish and Scottish to African American traditions. They performed as guest artists in the London run of Riverdance and were one of eight groups chosen to represent American culture in Japan on a tour with the Smithsonian Institution. They have performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The free public performance, hosted by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, begins at 6:30 p.m. behind the Custom House, corner of High and Water streets in downtown Chestertown. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs and picnic dinners. Lemonade and cookies will be provided free of charge. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place in The Egg, a performance space in Hodson Hall Commons on the main Washington College campus.

Launched by the Starr Center in 2010, the Riverfront Concert Series builds on the Center’s longstanding interest in the musical traditions of the Chesapeake Bay and its rich heritage of storytelling. The series host is the Starr Center’s program manager, Michael Buckley, whose weekly radio program on Annapolis-based WRNR, 103.1 FM (Sundays, 7 to 10 a.m.) includes the acclaimed interview series “Voices of the Chesapeake Bay.” Special assistance for the Concert Series is provided by Yerkes Construction and Washington College’s Dance Program and Student Events Board (SEB), with additional support from the Maryland State Arts Council.

For more information about Footworks, visit their Web site at http://www.footworks.org/. For information about the concert series and other Starr Center programs, visit starrcenter.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7161.

           

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Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in colonial Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The college’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past and present. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

Earthquake Damages College's 18th-Century Chimneys; Main Campus Relatively Unscathed

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Tuesday’s earthquake severely damaged two 18^th-century chimneys on College properties in Chestertown’s historic district — one at Hynson-Ringgold House, and one at the Custom House — but left the buildings on main campus remarkably unscathed.

At Hynson-Ringgold House, the 1740s brick structure at the corner of Water and Cannon streets that is home to the College president, one of five chimneys was severely cracked by the seismic rumbling. The 100 block of Cannon Street was closed as a precaution against falling bricks.

A block away, at Water and High streets, one of the Custom House’s three chimneys (the one on the river side of the building) buckled and is in danger of falling. The building, which also dates to the 1740s, houses the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the Center for Environment & Society, and the College’s public archaeology lab.

On the recommendation of a structural engineer who surveyed the damage, both chimneys will be dismantled and rebuilt. A masonry contractor has been hired to stabilize them and begin repairs.

On the main campus, the quake rattled buildings and nerves but left facilities with little or no damage. Buildings & Grounds staff, accompanied by a structural engineer, inspected all mechanical spaces and the central boiler plant Tuesday night and found no damage or broken lines. A visual inspection of all buildings revealed no significant cracking and no broken windows. Inspectors did find superficial cracks in the Hodson Hall floor slab, but no other damage has been reported.

Meanwhile, the College is bracing for Hurricane Irene’s expected arrival on Sunday, August 28, the day before classes are scheduled to begin. Because of the heavy rains expected on Sunday, the College is asking all upperclassmen to return to campus for check-in a day earlier, on Saturday, August 27.

Photos: The seismic shaking left one of the five chimneys at Hynson-Ringgold House severely cracked, prompting police to block off Cannon Street to protect pedestrians from the possibility of falling bricks.

College's Center for Environment & Society Welcomes Marine Scientist and Educator to Staff

CHESTERTOWN—The Center for Environment & Society at Washington College welcomes veteran marine scientist and educator Douglas R. Levin as Associate Director. Levin, who was selected after a national search, started his new post on July 1. Based at the CES offices in the Custom House, on the waterfront in historic downtown Chestertown, Levin will assist with the day-to-day operations and connect the CES more fully with the science of the Chester River and Chesapeake Bay. He will help Washington College connect students with the water not only through academics and technology, but also through culture, recreation and special programs.

In announcing the hire, CES director John Seidel said Levin brings “a very strong and varied background that includes work in private industry, academia and the federal government, along with an energy and entrepreneurial bent that fits wonderfully into CES and Washington College. Doug’s practical experience and strong scientific background will be a great benefit to the Center and to our students,” he added.

Levin has worked in oceans and waterways domestically (along both coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes) and around the globe, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Congo River and the coast off Cartagena, Colombia. He comes to Washington College after a six-year association with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Most recently, he was with NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), leading an effort to improve the oceanographic models used to predict the onset of coastal flooding and the loss of oxygen from coastal oceans. During the summer of 2010 he was part of the team assessing the fate of the deepwater oil plume that entered the Gulf of Mexico via the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

From 2004 to 2010, Levin was a habitat specialist and education coordinator for NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office. As part of his responsibilities, he worked with the Oyster Recovery Partnership to develop protocols for mapping the Chesapeake Bay bottom and its tributaries to identify the best sites for oyster-bed restoration. As education coordinator, he helped design the building and developed programs for the Environmental Science Training Center (ESTC) at Oxford, Md. At ESTC, he designed and introduced highly regarded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs, including Aquabotz, in which participants can design, build and launch working underwater robots in a little over an hour. His program also involved student-built buoys that collect water-quality data.

Prior to his work with NOAA, Levin founded the Earth Mapping Laboratory at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (2000 to 2004) and spent a decade (1990 to 2000), at Bryant College (now Bryant University) in Smithfield RI, where he chaired the Department of Science and Technology and added courses in geology, oceanography and applied science. While at Bryant, he was named Outstanding Teacher in Liberal Arts, and Student Advisor of the Year. He also was awarded the Community Service Leadership Award and the prestigious Distinguished Faculty Award.

A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he majored in marine biology, Levin earned a master’s degree focused on geology, coastal processes and glaciology at Boston University. He completed his Ph.D. in Marine Sciences and Geology at Louisiana State University.

Levin says he had been keeping his eye on Washington College since his arrival on the Eastern Shore and occasionally visited and guest-lectured in several classes over the past decade. “Since my first visit to the College, I recognized the unique opportunity that was presented with the Chester River right out the back door. We will tangibly connect the student experience to the water,” he says of the CES mission. “I recognize how fortunate I am to be a part of this historic institution, and I look forward to helping move the Center ahead smartly.”

College Hosts Contemporary Folk Duo "Magpie" for Riverfront Concert Thursday, June 30

CHESTERTOWN, MD— Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, who have played together as the contemporary folk duo Magpie for nearly 40 years, will bring their eclectic blend of blues, jazz, country, and swing to Chestertown for the second concert of the Washington College Riverfront Concert Series on Thursday evening, June 30.

Sponsored by the College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the riverside lawn behind the Custom House, located at the corner of High and Water streets. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs, and picnics. Lemonade and cookies will be provided free of charge, and special boxed dinners will be available at Play it Again Sam cafe, 108 S. Cross St., (call for details 410-778-2688). In case of inclement weather, the concert will take place in The Egg, a performance space in Hodson Hall Commons on the main Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

A gifted singer of jazz and blues in the tradition of Connie Boswell and Billie Holiday, Terry Leonino also plays the mandolin, rhythm guitar, harmonica, and fretted dulcimer. Greg Artzner’s fingerstyle approach to the guitar, influenced by legends such as Rolly Brown, Phil Ochs, and Big Bill Broonzy, gives Magpie a unique “core” sound that ties together its work across styles.

Leonino and Artzner have performed at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. They are master artists with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, and spend several weeks a year working to help teachers find new ways to incorporate music into early childhood education. They have also created, and regularly perform, several thematic school programs on historical topics such as the Great Depression, the Underground Railroad, and the civil rights movement.

In 2000, Magpie collaborated with scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to create a “museum musical” about the life cycle of the Chesapeake Bay’s most famous resident, the blue crab. “Tales of the Blue Crab” premiered at the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre and is now a traveling show performed in schools around the country. It visited Rock Hall Elementary this past January.

Over the last 35 years, Magpie has recorded 11 albums, including In This World (2008), Raise Your Voice (2005), and Circle of Life (1992), which folk legend Tom Paxton praised as “a challenge to any of us who aspire to putting out music with depth and relevance.” The group has recorded with Pete Seeger, contributed songs to tribute albums such as Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger (1998) and What’s That I Hear?: The Songs of Phil Ochs (1998) and collaborated with duo Kim & Reggie Harris on two albums. For more on Magpie, see http://www.magpiemusic.com.

The concert sponsor, the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College, explores our nation's history, particularly the legacy of its Founding era, in innovative ways. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large. For more information on the Center, visit http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu

Riverfront Concert Series Kicks Off Thursday, June 16, with Carribean Trio in the Egg

DUE TO THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING, TONIGHT'S CONCERT WILL TAKE PLACE AT HODSON HALL COMMONS, IN "THE EGG." START TIME IS STILL 6:30 PM.

CHESTERTOWN, MD— The popular Washington College Riverfront Concert Series, hosted by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, returns for a second year with a stellar lineup of free Thursday evening concerts on the riverfront lawn of the Custom House. The series will kick off June 16 with Caribbean trio Sweet Lime and Passion, continue June 30 with folk duo Magpie, and conclude July 21 with blues/hot jazz duo The Blue Rhythm Boys.

All three events will begin at 6:30 p.m. behind the Custom House, corner of High and Water streets in downtown Chestertown. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs and picnic dinners. Lemonade and cookies will be provided free of charge. In case of inclement weather, the concerts will take place in The Egg, a performance space in Hodson Hall Commons on the main Washington College campus.

Launched by the Starr Center in 2010, the Riverfront Concert Series builds on the Center’s longstanding interest in the musical traditions of the Chesapeake Bay and its rich heritage of storytelling. The series host is the Starr Center’s program manager, Michael Buckley, whose weekly radio program on Annapolis-based WRNR, 103.1 FM (Sundays, 7 to 10 a.m.) includes the widely acclaimed interview series “Voices of the Chesapeake Bay.” Special assistance is provided by Yerkes Construction.

“We were happy that last summer’s concerts drew such an enthusiastic response from the community,” says Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center. “We’re delighted to be able to expand the series this year, from two concerts to three, and provide more opportunities for our friends and neighbors to enjoy great music here on the beautiful Chester River waterfront.”

The trio opening the Riverfront Concert Series on June 16, Sweet Lime and Passion, is one of the capital region’s premier arts and education groups. Trio members David Boothman, Major Boyd, and Elizabeth Melvin offer audiences a “Caribbean cornucopia” of musical styles, including calypso, reggae, soca, and zouk (French Caribbean dance music).

A native of Trinidad, keyboardist Boothman has worked with artists and producers from Derek Walcott to Andre Tanker to Scofield Pilgrim, and has toured extensively with the group Kysofusion. Marimba player Melvin has worked for the Smithsonian Institution and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and has studied ethnomusicology at the University of Maryland. Together, Boothman and Melvin serve as artistic directors of the Annapolis-based Caribbean Arts Central. A 13-year veteran of the Caribbean Arts Jazz Ensemble (CAJE), Major Boyd is one of Baltimore’s top saxophone players. The group’s first album, Sweet Lime and Passion, was released in 2008. For more on the group, visit http://www.caribbean-artscentral.com/.

The series continues on June 30 with acclaimed contemporary folk duo Magpie. Blending blues, jazz, country, and swing with contemporary folk music, Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner have been performing together for nearly 40 years, using music to bring people together, teach schoolchildren about history and ecology, and encourage commitment to social and environmental justice.



Leonino and Artzner are master artists with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, and have created several thematic school programs on topics such as the Great Depression, the Underground Railroad, and the civil rights movement. In 2000, Magpie collaborated with scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to create a “museum musical” about the life cycle of the Chesapeake Bay’s most famous resident, the blue crab. “Tales of the Blue Crab” premiered at the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre, and is now a traveling show performed in schools around the country. For more on Magpie, visit http://www.magpiemusic.com/.

The Blue Rhythm Boys will round out the 2011 series with a performance on July 21. Blending the blues à la Mississippi John Hurt with the “hot club” swing of Django Reinhardt, the Blue Rhythm Boys have delighted audiences with their tight vocals and hot guitar playing since 1997. Duo members Tom Mitchell and Jim Stephanson’s smoky mix of jazz and blues has won the group a wide following. For more on the Blue Rhythm Boys, visit http://www.bluerhythmboys.com/.




Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in colonial Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The college’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past and present. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large. For more information on the Center, visit http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.

Washington College Announces 2003 Summer Field School In Archaeology

Chestertown, MD, April 23, 2003 — The Washington College Department of Sociology and Anthropology is offering a six-week summer archaeological field school from June 2 to July 11, 2003. The eight-credit program—open to both college students and adults—will teach excavation and lab techniques; remote sensing; artifact identification, dating and analysis; and mapping and surveying of archaeological sites using both theodolite and GPS. Hands-on fieldwork at local colonial-era sites will be augmented by lectures and special presentations, laboratory work, and trips to regional sites and museums.
The course will be taught by Dr. John Seidel, assistant professor of anthropology and environmental studies and an expert on Maryland archaeology, underwater archaeology and historic preservation. Activities will be split between the excavation site and the Washington College Public Archaeology Laboratory housed in the College's restored colonial-era Custom House on the Chester River.
Interested students are encouraged to apply early. Limited housing on the Washington College campus may be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Students must enroll in ANT 296 Section 10 and 11, Archaeological Field School. Each section carries four credits. Tuition for the eight-credit program is $2,080, excluding housing costs. Other costs include approximately $45 for texts and $20 for tools. For more information and registration forms, contact Dr. John Seidel at 410-778-7756, or via e-mail jseidel2@washcoll.edu.

College To Honor Author William Warner, April 18

Scholarship in His Name Recognizes Student Environmental Writing

Chestertown, MD, April 15, 2003 — Washington College will honor William W. Warner, acclaimed author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Beautiful Swimmers, on Friday, April 18 at 5 p.m. with the dedication in the College's Custom House of a plaque recognizing recipients of the William Warner Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship was established by friends of the College to be presented to a Washington College junior in recognition of an aptitude for writing about nature and the environment.
“William Warner is one of the nation's most distinguished environmental writers, and he is a great inspiration to our students who aspire in their lives, through word and deed, to protect our world's natural resources,” said Dr. John S. Toll, president of the College. “The William Warner Prize will assist those worthy students who may one day follow in his footsteps.”
Warner has been a Senior Fellow of Washington College since 1985, when he was honored by the College for his classic work on the environment and people of the Chesapeake, Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, originally published in 1976. Warner went on to write Distant Water: The Fate of the North Atlantic Fisherman, in which he studied the environmental impact of ocean-going factory fishing ships in the North Atlantic. In 1999, Warner published Into the Porcupine Cave and Other Odysseys, a book of 10 essays recounting life-shaping events in his growth as a naturalist, from wanderings in the wild with his step-grandfather to adventures in Patagonia and Hawaii. For this he received the Washington College Literary Prize in April of that year. Warner has also written many articles on nature for such journals as The Wilson Quarterly, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, and Atlantic Naturalist.

Custom House Exhibit: Camera Paintings Of Home April 4-18

Chestertown, MD, April 8, 2003 — Washington College's Center for the Environment and Society presents “SENSE OF PLACE: CAMERA PAINTINGS OF HOME,” a photography exhibit by artist Penny Knobel-Besa, at the Custom House, 101 S. Water Street, Chestertown. The exhibit is free and open to the public daily Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., April 4 to April 18. A closing reception will be held Friday, April 18 at 4 p.m.
Knobel-Besa is a freelance photojournalist, playwright, and director. In 1991 she was named Maryland Photographer of the Year. Her photos often appear in the national award-winning literary magazine, The Antietam Review. She has been a press photographer for the Cumberland Theatre, and her photos regularly appear in the Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News. From 1994 until 1998 she worked as a playwright-director producing a children's musical and establishing a theatre arts academy. She also has written and filmed several short independent films. Since May 1998, she has focused on photography, pursuing projects as diverse as an 18,000-mile road trip across North America to shooting social commentary photos in Vienna, Austria. One specialty that Knobel-Besa has developed is shooting photographs that look like paintings, the subject of the exhibit “SENSE OF PLACE: CAMERA PAINTINGS OF HOME.”
“I shoot candid shots with fast film, rarely use a tripod, and sometimes shoot from a moving vehicle,” she said. “A consistent comment is, ‘These look like paintings,' yet none of the photos are computer enhanced or manipulated in any way. I don't use filters. Rather, I look for those natural effects of light. Photography is all about catching the light in a dynamic way.”
Her recent solo exhibitions include the Maryland Ornithological Society at Wisp Resort, the Cumberland Theatre Arts Lobby, and St. Paul in Lavantial, Austria.
To learn more about events and programs sponsored by the Washington College Center for the Environment and Society, visit the center online at http://ces.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7151.

Washington College Campaign Reaches $70.5 Million

Chestertown, MD, October 18, 2001 — Three bequests combined with many fiscal year-end gifts have pushed the Campaign for Washington's College to $70.5 million just three years into a five-year, $72 million drive, according to Campaign Chair Jack S. Griswold. The estate of the late Eleanor Gross of Baltimore is expected to provide more than $400,000. The estate of Nancy Gordon Nicewarner '51 of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is expected to generate $100,000. The late Mary Louise Moore '35 of Cheswold, Delaware bequeathed $100,000 to the College.

The renovated Custom House, home of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Center for Environment and Society, will be formally dedicated on October 30. An important part of the Campaign and the future of the College, the two centers have attracted more than $10.2 million for faculty chairs, endowment, and program support. To date, the C.V. Starr Center has drawn $7 million; the Center for Environment and Society has attracted $4.2 million.

In September, the Baltimore Cabinet, co-chaired by Craig Lewis and Doug Hoffberger '94, celebrated the success of its regional effort with a party at the home of Robert C. "Bo" Lewis '79, Craig's son, on September 15. The Baltimore effort raised more than $7.6 million against a $6.5 million goal. A similar effort in the Greater Washington Region has also exceeded its $5 million goal and a celebration is in the planning stages.

The Development Office fully expects to meet and exceed the Campaign's $72 million goal by the end of this calendar year. The Board of Visitors and Governors will meet on November 1 and 3 to discuss future goals. The Development Office wishes to extend its gratitude to all who have contributed to the impressive success to date.

Grasses for the Masses Workshop Set for April 17

Learn How to Help Protect and Restore the Bay's Underwater Grasses

Chestertown, MD, March 29, 2001 — On Tuesday, April 17, 2001, the Washington College Center for the Environment and Society and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will host a "Grasses for the Masses" workshop at 6 p.m. at the Custom House, 100 Water Street, Chestertown, Maryland. The workshop will teach volunteers how to grow underwater grasses in a special system at home that will be used to help restore historic underwater grass beds in local rivers.

"Once, submerged aquatic vegetation was abundant in the shallower areas of the Chesapeake Bay," said Dr. Wayne H. Bell, director of the Center for the Environment and Society. "These grasses are essential in the ecosystem of the Bay, but today only a small percentage of the original beds remain. This workshop will teach citizens about the value and functions of the grass beds and give them a way to help restore the Bay's underwater grasses."

CBF staff will teach volunteers to grow redhead grass, a type of underwater grass native to the Bay. CBF will provide all necessary materials, plants and instruction at no cost. Later this spring, the grasses grown by volunteers will be planted at a designated local restoration site as part of a larger effort to restore underwater grasses in the Bay's watershed.

Underwater grasses are key indicators of the health of the Bay and its tributaries because underwater grass growth depends on good water quality. Underwater grasses filter polluted runoff and sediment, provide food for waterfowl, and provide habitat for crabs and many species of fish. According to CBF's 2000 State of the Bay Report, underwater grasses remain at only 12 percent of their historic levels. Many factors contribute to the decline of underwater grasses, including nutrient pollution, poor water clarity, and sediments from erosion.

To bring back the Bay's underwater grass beds, CBF is working to protect existing underwater grass beds, improve water quality, and restore grasses in areas where water quality is good enough to support survival. CBF's goal is to have 225,000 acres of underwater grasses cover the Bay and its tributaries by 2010.

Equipment is limited, so registration is required if you would like to participate, however, everyone is welcomed to attend the lecture. Contact Kim Donahue at 443-482-2155 or via email at kdonahue@cbf.org to register.

Archaeologists Dig Behind Chestertown's Colonial Custom House

Chestertown, April 12—Archaeologists from Washington College recently began a two-week archaeological investigation at Chestertown's Custom House, at the foot of High Street. The excavations were prompted by the College's plans for a substantial renovation of the old building, a restoration that might disturb centuries-old archaeological remains.

The original section of the Custom House was built around 1745 by local innkeeper and merchant Samuel Massey. The distinctive brickwork of the house's facade, a style that uses glazed brick in a decorative pattern, marks it as a prominent building for its time. It was acquired from Massey in 1749 and enlarged substantially by another of Kent County's most prominent citizens, Thomas Ringgold. Ringgold, an attorney and member of the House of Burgesses, had extensive mercantile connections, interests in shipbuilding yards, and large landholdings.

Ringgold supervised his holdings from the Custom House, located at the corner of High and Front Streets. The house overlooked Chestertown's main wharf at the foot of High Street. Vaults and cellars beneath the house were used for storage, and the grounds held a wide variety of buildings over the years. Historical documents refer to a dry goods store, a cooper's shop (barrel and cask maker), granaries, storehouses, and wharves.

The location of the house also made it ideal for watching the comings and goings of ships and cargos from Chestertown's busy colonial harbor. Prior to the American Revolution, the District Customs Collector used at least one room in the house as an office, giving the building the name it has retained ever since, the Custom House.

During the 1800s, the Custom House saw a variety of owners and changes in the uses of both the house and its grounds. Outbuildings for the residence included a carriage house, a meat house, and privies, and commercial structures included warehouses and canning factories. For many years, the house was divided into apartments. In 1909 the property was purchased by the Hubbard family, who remained the owners until the property recently was given to Washington College. Much of the historic fabric of the Custom House has deteriorated and the building requires substantial renovation before it can be used effectively. The College plans to rehabilitate the building, paying special attention to historical details and keeping intact as much as possible of the original building.

Part of the renovation work includes construction of new mechanical and storage rooms in the rear of the building. Because this will disturb the ground, archaeologists from Washington College are excavating these areas in advance of construction to ensure that no important evidence of the earlier history of the site is destroyed.

During the two-week excavation phase of the project, which began on April 10, archaeologists will excavate inside the planned construction area. Digging one layer at a time, the students and staff members hope to uncover artifacts and the remains of old foundations from outbuildings. John Seidel, assistant professor of archaeology, said, "The materials we recover during this dig may reveal important insights into the construction phases and history of the Custom House and the everyday life of its occupants."