Abstract
Fort Hollingsworth, erected in April 1813 by the citizens of Cecil County, Maryland, was a small breastwork that protected the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay and the “backdoor” to Philadelphia during the War of 1812. Fort Hollingsworth saw brief action in 1814. After the war, it was demolished and the land returned to farming. Geophysical surveying, exploratory soil borings, detailed topographic mapping, and focused excavation conducted by the Archeological Society of Maryland convincingly and economically identified the footprint of Fort Hollingsworth. Methodological considerations are here coupled with a discussion of vernacular fortifications and the implications that unconventional fortifications have for their archaeological discovery and recordation.
Recommended Citation
Gibb, James G.; Stephens, William E.; Quantock, Peter C.; Coates, Daniel G.; and Eshelman, Ralph
(2015)
"Protecting the Upper Chesapeake Bay: Fort Hollingsworth (1813-1815), Elk River, Cecil County, Maryland,"
Northeast Historical Archaeology:
Vol.
44
44, Article 10.
Available at:
https://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol44/iss1/10
