By Sullivan McGee//
The Hood College Archaeology Club has been assisting in a cleanup project of a historic African American cemetery in Hagerstown.
The club has been helping to coordinate cleanups of Halfway Cemetery, which include clearing vegetation and managing overgrowth. The club also assisted in the ground-penetrating radar survey of the cemetery in the fall of 2021.
The cleanup project began in 2020. This October, they will be working on mapping and photogrammetry (3-D modeling) of the headstones.
James Locke, president of the Hood College Archaeology Club, said projects like this provide an excellent way for club members to gain experience. Activities like survey collection, recording the site and its artifacts, and helping to “elaborate its context” are all experiences in which Locke hopes the club members will participate.
Locke believes working at Halfway Cemetery in particular has “moral importance.”
“This cemetery is very typical of African American cemeteries, not only in Maryland but also throughout the United States, in that they’ve seen little attention both in archaeological terms but also in media coverage,” Locke said.
The lack of attention that African American cemeteries such as Halfway Cemetery receive “has a lot to say about the history of the United States…as well as the importance of archeology in bringing these issues to light,” Locke said.
Retired Hood professor Emilie Amt worked with Elizabeth Paul, the coordinator of the Halfway Cemetery project, to organize the first cleanup in 2020. Since then, other Hood professors such as David Hixson and Jennifer Ross have helped the club become involved in the cleanup efforts at the cemetery.
The Hood College Archaeology Club has several events planned for October and November.
Saturday, Oct. 15 will be a day dedicated to laying out a grid, mapping, and photogrammetry, as well as cleanup and maintenance.
Saturday, Oct. 22 will be the “Afternoon in the Cemetery,” which will feature light food, drinks, door prizes, a silent auction and the unveiling of Halfway’s new logo. This event will have a $25 entrance fee and will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5 will be an extensive cleanup and maintenance effort to prepare for Veterans Day.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, the Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony will take place at the cemetery.
Locke said that it is not too late for other Hood students to get involved. Students who are interested in joining the club or assisting in the Halfway Cemetery cleanup should contact James Locke at jl33@hood.edu.
“There’s always stuff to be done, and we need as many hands-on-deck as we could possibly get,” Locke said.
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