 In 1983, Mrs. Jefferson Patterson gave
her riverside St Leonard property to the state of Maryland. Jefferson
Patterson Park and Museum is the largest historic property ever given to
the state. The facilities include archeological sites, walking trails and
serene beaches, as well as working farmland, preserved and restored farm
and museum exhibits, and educational programs for individuals, groups, and
the area public school systems. After 20 years, the Park still yields new
archeological discoveries. According to George Logan, who develops and
manages the educational programs at Jefferson Patterson Park, the vast
majority of those sites have not been fully explored.
"Most are only identified, a few are partially excavated. In June of 2003
we just discovered three new sites, including speckled tinware from the
early 20th century," says Logan. "It was just lying there, as if the
workers had just walked away that morning."
That spirit of constant discovery pervades the Park, making each program
vital-and each inch of ground a mystery.
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and its companion facility, the
Maryland Archeological Conservation (MAC) Lab, contain a wealth of
archeological finds. The MAC Lab is Maryland's repository for most
artifacts owned by the state, even those not found at one of the more than
75 sites catalogued to date on the grounds of Jefferson Patterson Park.
From prehistoric Native American artifacts more than nine thousand years
old, remnants of America's Colonial period and the site of the largest
naval engagement in Maryland history, the 1814 Battle of St Leonard Creek,
the Park holds the lessons of our land, ready for the curious and
scholarly alike. The history of Southern Maryland and of our country can
be found in bits of old English crockery and prehistoric stone tools,
their wooden handles consumed by the passage of time. Even our more modern
history has left its mark at Jefferson Patterson Park, as evidenced by the
late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century African American site,
Sukeek's Cabin.
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum is, at its heart, an "archeological
preserve," notes Mr. Logan. "Maryland has many threatened sites. Those
become the highest priority. Here, we preserve (what we find) and do some
limited research work."
Beyond that research, Jefferson Patterson Park serves as a gateway for
Marylanders curious about our history-and the history of the cultures that
came before us. The Park has on-site programs for all ages, including
tours of the MAC Lab and the Museum buildings. This year, the Park is
adding a restored blacksmith's shop to the facility, as well as a
traditional wigwam. Future plans are also in place to display the offices
of Maryland's late Comptroller, the Honorable Lewis Goldstein.
Should your family be looking for more than a tour, Jefferson Patterson
Park and Museum has a series of educational programs for groups. Each
inexpensive program takes just a few hours, and teaches about Maryland
farming or Native American and Colonial lifeways. There is even a mock
archeological dig site for children to discover artifacts and learn from
them about our Maryland heritage.
During the school year, Calvert County Schools visit the Park, in
partnership with the Chespax environmental education program. Other groups
are also welcome to schedule a program on site, or to take advantage of
the Park's outreach programs: small-scale hands-on learning experiences
brought to locations across Southern Maryland.
For teachers and others interested in resources for learning more about
our area's history, the Park offers free videotape loans and a teacher's
resource library.
Of course, for many, the best way to learn is to volunteer. The Park is
always on the lookout for volunteers, from experienced blacksmiths to
willing workers of every stripe. Students can count their volunteer hours
at the Park towards the Maryland Community Service requirements.
At Jefferson Patterson Park, elementary aged children can often learn a
lot by playing amongst the reproductions of artifacts found in the
Visitor's Center Discovery Room. Make a clay pot, shoot an arrow, grind
corn or try your hand at flintknapping or building a fire. There is always
someone on hand to explain how things work, to guide little hands, and to
share their enthusiasm with young children. The staff is patient with
children, and every bit as excited as the child who first learns to use a
traditional spear-throwing stick. And since there is no set schedule for
the Discovery Room, your family can drop in, try a few things, and then
discuss them as you stroll along the trails. There's no line to follow or
heavy-handed lecture to sit through, just the joy of discovery and the fun
of a day in the outdoors.
For information on Jefferson Patterson's rich history, educational and
volunteer programs, or special events like the annual War of 1812
Reenactment, visit the Park's extensive web site at
www.jefpat.org. |
