Archeology Maryland

When the last of three Colonial coffins unearthed here was finally opened Friday, there were no quick and easy answers. The initials or date that scientists expected to find spelled out in brass tacks on the inner coffin lid simply weren't there. Nor was there a flesh-bearing skull. They, apparently, were optical illusions produced by high-tech fiber-optic and gamma-ray examinations.

Black and white pebbles, bent pins and other artifacts found at an 18th century home help prove African slaves maintained their religious practices despite efforts to convert them to Christianity. The items are believed to be the remains of bundles hidden by slaves who served the white occupants of the five-level Slayton House beginning in the late 1700s.

Black and white pebbles, bent pins and other artifacts found at an 18th century home help prove African slaves maintained their religious practices despite efforts to convert them to Christianity. The items are believed to be the remains of bundles hidden by slaves who served the white occupants of the five-level Slayton House beginning in the late 1700s.

Scientists identified on Tuesday the remains inside 17th-Century lead coffins that were unearthed in Maryland in 1992 as members of the state's founding family: Colonial Gov. Philip Calvert and his wife, Anne Wolsley. Scientists had suspected as much ever since opening the coffins two years ago. They proved the identifications through intricate research that paints a vivid picture, down to the food they ate and the illnesses they suffered.

The second of three 17th-Century lead coffins unearthed here was found Wednesday to contain the well-preserved remains of a woman who officials speculated may have been the wife of Philip Calvert, a member of Maryland's founding family. "It's in excellent condition, considering the length of time," said Ned Brinsfield, an undertaker whose hearse will carry the body to the Smithsonian Institution next week for months of scientific analysis.

Mortuary facilities at Dover Air Force Base, Del., used since the Vietnam War to process the remains of America's war dead, may soon be pressed into the service of colonial archeology. Henry Miller, chief archeologist for Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland's first colonial capital, said that, pending final approvals, three 300-year-old lead coffins thought to contain the remains of members of Maryland's founding Calvert family will probably be opened at Dover as early as next spring.

Scientists identified on Tuesday the remains inside 17th-Century lead coffins that were unearthed in Maryland in 1992 as members of the state's founding family: Colonial Gov. Philip Calvert and his wife, Anne Wolsley. Scientists had suspected as much ever since opening the coffins two years ago. They proved the identifications through intricate research that paints a vivid picture, down to the food they ate and the illnesses they suffered.

When the last of three Colonial coffins unearthed here was finally opened Friday, there were no quick and easy answers. The initials or date that scientists expected to find spelled out in brass tacks on the inner coffin lid simply weren't there. Nor was there a flesh-bearing skull. They, apparently, were optical illusions produced by high-tech fiber-optic and gamma-ray examinations.

The second of three 17th-Century lead coffins unearthed here was found Wednesday to contain the well-preserved remains of a woman who officials speculated may have been the wife of Philip Calvert, a member of Maryland's founding family. "It's in excellent condition, considering the length of time," said Ned Brinsfield, an undertaker whose hearse will carry the body to the Smithsonian Institution next week for months of scientific analysis.

Mortuary facilities at Dover Air Force Base, Del., used since the Vietnam War to process the remains of America's war dead, may soon be pressed into the service of colonial archeology. Henry Miller, chief archeologist for Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland's first colonial capital, said that, pending final approvals, three 300-year-old lead coffins thought to contain the remains of members of Maryland's founding Calvert family will probably be opened at Dover as early as next spring.