We hope to use this site to present the evidence and illuminate some of the ways historical puzzles are solved and new ones generated. Two examples are pertinent. In digging at the site, excavators found unusual specimens of mortar with brick remnants on one side but wood grain impressions on the other. What does this tell us? Careful analysis shows that these mortar impressions were created by masons laying bricks against a clapboard wall. The nature and discovery location of the specimens indicate that Vansweringen added a brick veneer to a standing structure that was covered with wood clapboard. This clue leads to bigger questions. Why did Vansweringen put veneer on the building? What does this tell us about his intentions and cultural frame of reference? Another example asks the purpose of a space that was identified archaeologically and tentatively labeled "the closet." This term does not appear in relevant documents and is a conjecture. Research shows that people rarely used closets in the 17th century and our use of the term reflects present-day cultural perceptions more than those of Garrett Vansweringen. We will pose options for this space-a bedchamber, a place for locking up goods, an office, a closet, or a mixture-and challenge visitors to weigh the possibilities for themselves.

Another directly related subject is reconstruction. A quality reconstruction demands much analytic data about the original structure, such as was provided by the full-scale excavations of the kitchen and cellar house at this site. But the main building, the Council Chamber, is not well enough understood to support a credible full reconstruction. Instead, it will be represented as an architectural simulation using modern materials. We will explain these differences to visitors, review the standards and meaning of reconstruction, and note a few of the many unanswered questions about the Council Chamber. Visitors will be invited to physically compare the two spaces by both sight and touch.

One especially significant fact about the kitchen and cellar reconstructions done in the 1980s is that the original archaeological remains are exhibited beneath them. This includes the 1690s brick floor of the kitchen (Figure 4), the original kitchen chimney base, and the brick walls and floor of the cellar. Their importance is eloquently expressed by New York State archaeologist Paul Huey:

"Here one can see the very bricks that were laid by the 17th-century builders exactly where they placed them, not enhanced by modern means, and not a reconstruction. The floor is a totally real artifact from the 17th century. Where else in this country can one see something structural that is so old and so totally authentic and undisturbed? "

Portuguese from Europeand Angolan, Congolese, and Gambians from Africa, along with Chesapeake Indians of several cultures. Lord Baltimore, the proprietor of Maryland, was eager to attract new settlers and his government was the first English colony to establish a formal naturalization process in the 1660s enabling immigrants to enjoy the full benefits and rights of citizenship. Dutch and French immigrants served on the St. Mary's City council.

Among European nations, the Dutch were especially active in colonization. They established settlements throughout the world, ranging from North and South America to Indonesia and South Africa. They were highly adaptable, outward looking, and focused upon trade and enterprise. This commercial spirit resulted in the richest and most vibrant society in 170'-century Europe. Vansweringen is a good representative of Dutch settlers in America. 

Did Vansweringen maintain his Dutch perspective and cultural practices or did he adopt those of Maryland society? Identity is often expressed in distinctive aspects of material culture but there are few artifacts specifically Dutch in origin found at the Vansweringen site. Certain features, however, such as the addition of brick veneer to the Council Chamber, was a practice widely used by Dutch settlers at other American cities including Albany, New Brunswick, and New York. The planning team for this project suggests that his Dutch heritage and ethnic identity will be more subtly reflected in broader structural aspects of the site and the presence of specific features such as the veneer and an arbor.

Within this theme, the project seeks to demonstrate that a multi-ethnic composition of people has been characteristic of American culture from the earliest decades of settlement rather than starting in the 19th century, as many visitors assume. We also seek to enlighten visitors about the role of the Dutch in colonial America. Outside of New York State, there is relatively little public recognition that immigrants from the Netherlands had an important role in creating American society. Furthermore, we hope to explore some of the ways that identity is expressed and modified in the immigrant experience. Garrett Vansweringen is a person ideally suited for addressing these objectives.

Vansweringen was also an important person in the effort to create the city of St. Mary's. Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, appointed him as an alderman on the new city council in 1667 and later, Vansweringen served as mayor. He helped guide development and provided important urban amenities for the growing capital. During the 17th century, the Dutch were the most urbanized population in Europe, and Vansweringen's hometown of Amsterdam had a population of over 200,000 in 1660. Coming from such a metropolitan culture, it is not surprising that Vansweringen employed an urban approach on his property. The tight spatial clustering and orientation of the buildings and form of the yards expresses this. Vansweringen created a business-the private lodging house-that could only operate in a city, and his coffee house was a distinctly metropolitan institution. Its presence reflects another effort by Vansweringen to enhance urbanity in the growing capital of the colony. These were all steps toward fulfilling Cecil Calvert's desire to create a true city at St. Mary's.

Despite Calvert's wishes, urbanization was not especially successful in the colonial Chesapeake, thanks to the tobacco focus of the economy and the network of rivers and creeks that provided direct access to ships bringing goods from England. In the Chesapeake, unlike New England, only the need for centers of government produced modest urban settings. Nevertheless, significant efforts were made to encourage cities. Maryland's capital featured a formal plan based upon sophisticated European ideas of urban design, and some impressive public buildings.

The exhibit site is located on the grounds of the Historic St. Mary's City museum in St. Mary's City, Maryland. It is on a bluff overlooking the St. Mary's River and lies along one of the main visitor routes of the museum, the recreated Aldermanbury Street (1672). This is a prominent location about halfway between the rebuilt 1676 brick State House and the town center of St. Mary's, and only a short distance from the pathway to the museum's popular 17th-century sailing vessel, the Maryland Dove. A large volume of visitor traffic already comes by the site and we know that this will substantially increase with the installation of a more evocative exhibit. The Vansweringen site is thus in a prime location and will have a significant role in shaping visitors' perceptions of the original city.

Historical investigation of Vansweringen and his site began in the early 1970s by HSMC historian Lois Green Carr. Carr assembled a career file on the man that covered his 33 years in the colony. This included his many appearances in legal records regarding property holdings, lawsuits, and payments for services. The Vansweringen file was later expanded with documents translated by the New Netherlands Project, records in the Delaware State Archives, and genealogical information provided by dozens of Vansweringen descendants. These efforts have produced one of the largest data sets available for any 17"'-century Maryland colonist. Of the many documents identified by this research, one of the most significant is a rare room-by-room inventory of the Council Chamber property taken in 1700. It was analyzed by Barbara Carson in 1983 and studied in relation to the site archaeology by Garry W. Stone.

HSMC began intensive excavations in 1974 and sponsored research at the Council Chamber site for a total of eight seasons, with the last investigation in 1985. These efforts recovered nearly half a million artifacts and much architectural data. Analysis reveals that the site was occupied for nearly 80 years, from ca. 1664 to the early 1740s. The terminal date comes from a bottle seal dated 1741 found in the cellar of a cooling house (Figure 7). Archaeologists located four buildings at the site.

At the site today stands the reconstructions of the 1690s kitchen and cellar house. They are connected by a small, flat-roofed modem structure that permits their archaeological remains, including the original brick floor of the kitchen, to be safely displayed. The brick veneer on the Council Chamber and one of its chimneys are partially rebuilt, as is an H-shaped chimney in the 1690s addition. A wooden ghost frame and partially reconstructed brick chimney defines the site of the brewing and Coffee House. Recreated palisade fences mark the yard area. For the exhibit, we propose to fully integrate these existing interpretive resources with the new elements.

The chief interpretive methods will include the display of original 17th-century architectural remains, graphically rich exhibit panels, and visitor-selected audio presentations. For the Council Chamber, we will build a three-dimensional simulation of that structure in modern materials to interpret its overall form and size to visitors. These elements will be supplemented with a reconstructed arbor, recreation of a small portion of Vansweringen's garden, and outdoor signs. No original artifacts recovered from the site will be exhibited due to security and environmental concerns but we will utilize images of many relevant specimens on the panels. Actual artifacts from the site are on display in a fully secured and climate controlled orientation exhibit building. Due to the archaeologically sensitive nature of this site and the professional responsibility to protect its remains, all exhibit components have been designed to allow maximum preservation of the surviving cultural resources for future generations. Where intrusions are unavoidable, HSMC will first conduct appropriate archaeological mitigation.

ORIENTATION PAVILION: Both the consultants and the focus groups have recommended that visitors receive orientation information before entering the exhibit complex. This will be accomplished with a simple wooden frame, measuring 20 by 20 feet with a roof. Similar devices called "ghost frames" are used elsewhere at St. Mary's City to mark the locations of 17"'-century structures. We suspect that Vansweringen had a stable in the vicinity of the frame we want to erect. This simple open-sided structure is basically a small pavilion. It will hold exhibit panels and give visitors a shaded place to begin their tour.

THE KITCHEN: The kitchen and cellar house components are museum-quality reconstructions of buildings that were essential parts of Vansweringen's lodging house operation. These reconstructions have no interior finishes so visitors can see how the typical earthfast structures of the early Chesapeake were assembled. We propose to enhance these exhibits with panels along the east wall of the kitchen and in the cellar structure, along with lighting and with a simulation of the kitchen chimney. This lightweight simulation will be suspended over the actual brick chimney base and match it precisely in size and external appearance. It will be hollow and hang from the ceiling down to a point 12 inches above the remains. Lights mounted inside the simulation will dramatically illuminate the original remains. Since the surviving bricks of the kitchen chimney are at ground level and flat, these ruins are hard for people to interpret. With this exhibit approach, that problem will be solved and visitors can also better visualize the massiveness of this chimney within the structure.

THE CELLAR HOUSE: In the cellar house, we will excavate the few remains of the archaeological fill deposits to fully reveal the cellar's original brick walls and floor. A color enlargement of the photo of the original trash-fill stratigraphy found in this cellar will be mounted on one wall of the cellar so that this aspect of the site can be interpreted. Lighting and signage will complete this exhibit component. Some moisture control measures will also be required here and are addressed in the overall exhibit storm water control plan.

THE GALLERY: These reconstructions are connected together by a flat roofed gallery made from modern materials. We will utilize this gallery and extend it about three feet to connect it with the simulation of the Council Chamber. This extension will allow us to secure the facility at night, control rainwater, and provide more needed panel space. It also creates the opportunity for mounting a special exhibit about the arbor on the exterior wall.

THE COUNCIL CHAMBER: The Council Chamber and its 1690s addition will be exhibited as a simulation of the original. Since we do not have enough data for a credible reconstruction, we will depict the general size and form of the structure and indicate original internal room divisions as a simulation made with a modern pressure-treated timber framework. So that audio equipment and lighting can be installed, this architectural exhibit will have a roof and walls covered with planks. This will allow us to provide protection for sensitive equipment, and secure the exhibit at night and on days the museum is closed. The walls of the simulation will not be sealed but left with gaps between the wood planks for natural airflow. In this way, we eliminate the need for a climate control system. The design intent here is to give visitors a sense of the mass of the original building complex when approaching it from a distance, but not lead them to believe that it is a reconstruction. Indeed, having a quality reconstruction side-by-side with this simulation will greatly facilitate teaching people to intellectually distinguish between these two approaches to architectural exhibits. The simulation exhibit will inexpensively allow the public to sense the shape and volume of the original Council Chamber spaces while providing a comfortable area to read panels and listen to audio presentations.

The west end of the Council Chamber will be treated differently. It originally had a brick chimney and brick veneer wall. This wall and chimney are currently rebuilt to a height of five feet. We propose to finish this end of the exhibit by completing the brickwork. In so doing, the simulation will be more securely stabilized (the most serious storms come from the west), and the street side of the Vansweringen complex will more closely resemble its 17"'-century appearance. On the interior, the west wall of the Council Chamber will resemble its 17th-century form but not be fully finished with plaster walls or other refinements. By very selectively adding to the brickwork, we will create a more rugged simulation and allow visitors to better grasp the nature of the original building and its later brick veneer. This new approach to architectural exhibitry necessarily differs from that of a typical indoor gallery exhibit. It will allow us to create a permanent outdoor exhibit that is not a reconstruction but gives people a visual sense of Vansweringen's original lodging house, and is durable enough to withstand storm and rain.

THE ARBOR: One of the most unusual components of Vansweringen's lodging house was the arbor. These were especially popular among the Dutch, although they were used elsewhere. We will reconstruct the arbor in its original location. This will be done with roughly hewn timbers, a special trellis, and the planting of hops as a vegetation cover. A long table and two benches will furnish it. One problem is that the modern gallery wall along the kitchen and cooling house blocks the original view people had in the arbor. We propose to solve this by utilizing the "problem" wall to mount a trompe l'oeil image of the arbor on its exterior. This image will be painted at a small scale with the reconstructed arbor in mind. It will then be digitally enlarged and printed to full scale on durable exterior-grade material. This approach will let visitors see the kitchen and arbor as they may have appeared when Vansweringen was alive.

THE GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE: The landscape data from the site will also be used in the exhibit. We know that Vansweringen had a garden with vegetables because sailors from a "Man of Warr" broke through his garden fence and stole cabbages and other food in 1686. The listing of a pair of garden shears in the inventory suggests to historical horticulture experts that Vansweringen also had ornamental plants that required trimming. Ornamental plants were very rare in early Maryland and these shears give us another clue to the quality of the establishment Vansweringen operated. We will recreate six raised beds in one location of the site to help interpret this garden, a number that can be efficiently maintained. It will have vegetables, medicinal plants and a few tulips. Four ornamental plants (boxwood or yew) will be planted and interpreted with a sign. Planting of eight crabapple trees is also planned to represent fruit trees at the site. Fences that defined the yards are already reconstructed and we will only do minor additions to them to complete the landscape interpretation.

EXHIBIT PANELS AND AUDIO: Within the exhibit, there will be two basic methods of interpretation. The first are traditional exhibit panels. All exhibit panels will be exterior grade for durability. While most of these panels will be under a roof, we have found that less rugged signage tends to decay over time with uncontrolled temperature and humidity. Good graphics are essential for capturing visitor attention and we will utilize numerous images. Panels will vary in size and be either mounted at an angle of 55 degrees on an exhibit rail or hung vertically from walls. The second type of interpretation will be audio. We will have push button activated presentations of no more than 90 seconds in duration. These will be installed on exhibit rails in three locations-the kitchen, the Council Chamber, and the Lodging Room, later called Mrs. Vansweringen's Room. Voices will include those of modern scholars and period characters including Garrett Vansweringen, Mary Vansweringen, a servant, and Governor Charles Calvert. On the exterior, signs will be installed in four locations to interpret the arbor, the garden landscape, and other features.

ARTWORK: Given the nature of this site, it is important to synthesize the archaeology, architecture, and history in a way that is evocative for the public. One powerful means of achieving this is to create conjectural paintings. We proposed to execute six paintings in the style of the Dutch Masters genre artists. There will be three interior and three exterior views. The interior views will be of the kitchen, the Council Chamber, and the Lodging Room. Furnishings listed in the inventory will be relied upon here and Barbara Carson has identified surviving examples of furniture that can guide the artist. The exteriors will be of the arbor in a trompe l'oeil style, the garden landscape, and an overall view of the complex. We have selected a specific moment in time for these pieces-the visit by Royal Governor Sir Lionel Copley in 1692.

THE COFFEE HOUSE: This structure has been fully excavated and is currently marked with a ghost frame and partially rebuilt chimney. It will be temporarily interpreted with two signs about brewing/baking and the coffee house. As an independent later phase of this project, we intend to raise funds to reconstruct this building. It was box-framed and supported on wooden blocks set into shallow holes. Although an outbuilding, it was finished expensively with plaster walls, wood floors, glass windows, and decorative Dutch tile. Representing both brewing and the coffee house, this structure is intimately connected with Vansweringen's entrepreneurial efforts and the appearance of a distinctly metropolitan institution in the Maryland capital. When rebuilt, this structure will complement and expand upon the interpretation of the overall Vansweringen exhibit.

ADA COMPLIANCE: HSMC has installed ADA-approved pathways throughout the museum. We will continue this approach for the Vansweringen project by consolidating the soil of the paths and the interior of the orientation pavilion to form a hard and stable surface. The interior of the exhibit will have rough sawn wooden floors. For the garden area, paths will be made wider than is historically appropriate to leave room for wheelchairs. All signage will also conform to the ADA and Smithsonian Institution standards for text size and mounting heights, as is the procedure for all exhibits at HSMC.

The plan for this exhibit includes up to six images that will provide valuable interpretation of the site that cannot be obtained in any another way. These are to be color images painted in a style that is inspired by the Dutch genre paintings of the 17th century. All are planned to depict the site on one day in 1692 to capture an important event that documents reveal occurred here - the first Royal Governor of Maryland taking charge of the government and meeting with his council.

Evidence for this artwork includes archaeological data about the buildings, objects and landscape, the documents regarding the meeting that occurred here, and background data regarding Van Sweringen and his family. Of special significance is an inventory of the estate taken in January of 1700 that describes objects in the rooms of the council chamber structure. Other date comes from genre art of the period, furniture of the period and decorative arts studies.

Date Depicted: 10 May 1692 Time: Mid-day.

Conditions: The weather is seasonal, temperature around 65 degrees f. and sunny, with a few puffy white clouds. A light breeze blows from the northeast.

Context: Following the 1689 Revolution, King William and Queen Mary appointed a royal governor for the colony - Sir Lionel Copley. He has finally arrived and is taking charge. His first meeting with the Governor's Council and the Lower House of Assembly occurred on 10 May. At Van Sweringen's Council Chamber, he gives a speech addressing the assembled legislators and meets with the smaller council. Van Sweringen is trying to make a good impression on Copley so that he and the Council will continue to use the facility. Copley is anti-Catholic but under orders to not molest Maryland residents of that religion; Van Sweringen is Catholic. He recognizes that the Council Chamber is the finest and most comfortable meeting place available. There is tension because the people do not know each other, and some political animosities are already developing. Copley is not feeling well but attempting to both make a good impression and exert his authority. Everyone is on their best behavior, dressed nicely, and trying to appeal to the governor. Van Sweringen is especially eager to make a favorable impression because his income is in part dependent upon the patronage of Copley.

1. The Kitchen: Mrs. Van Sweringen, one of her young daughters, an English female servant and an enslaved African female are working to prepare the main meal. Mrs. Van Sweringen is making every effort to produce a memorable dinner for the Governor and his Council and carefully supervising all the activities. Pots and kettles are in the large fireplace, a spit holds a roasting leg of lamb, a table contains other food items in wooden bowls, and the wall is lined with shelves and a rack that contains pewter plates. Ceramic vessels and other items are in the room and a small cat rests in a corner. If it is feasible, one glimpses out the doorway a enslaved African named William carrying firewood.

2. The Council Chamber: The viewer is standing at the far east end of this room, looking across it toward the large chimney at the west end. Governor Copley and his seven councilors are meeting around a large table that is covered with an elegant turkey work carpet. Governor Copley and four of the councilors sit on wooden chairs covered with a turkey work fabric, the others are on leather covered chairs. One may be standing up. At a small table to the side is the clerk, John Llewellin, writing notes. Garrett Van Sweringen is standing, refilling the silver vessel of Governor Copley from an elegant Rhenish stoneware jug. Copley is drinking cider. The other men have glasses of alcohol as well, a common practice for the council meetings at this time. Some are drinking wine while others are partaking of Van Sweringen's beer. Beside Van Sweringen, a female servant is standing holding a pitcher of beer and wine bottle. Over the fireplace is a large, elegantly decorated plaque displaying the Royal arms of William and Mary. A colorful landscape picture hangs on the wall.

3. The Lodging Room: This bedroom contains several curtained beds and is where some of the council members sleep when they reside with Van Sweringen. Mrs. Van Sweringen is removing napkins and a fine table cloth from a large chest while one of her older daughters is making the beds. A table is in the room with a candle stick and a ceramic mug on it and travel gear is scattered about the room from the lodgers. A pewter chamber pot rests on the floor. The large chest is in the closet and contains the extra linen and other items used in the Lodging house. This closet has a lockable door. Later, after Garrett's death, this room becomes the bedroom of Mrs. Van Sweringen; it is labeled her room in the inventory.

4. The Arbor: One of the unique features of the Van Sweringen Council Chamber is that it had an arbor. It is believed to have stood along the north wall of the building. This painting will depict the arbor in a trompe l'oeil manner. Several men are sitting at a rough wooden table on benches. Garrett has just brought them drinks, and is engaging them is conversation. The viewer is standing to the east of the arbor, looking westward along its full length. In the background is the kitchen. The men are councilors who are lodging at Van Sweringen's. They might be taking a break while the large table in the Council Chamber is prepared for their meal or it could be later in the day, after the meeting has ended.

5. The Site Overview: An aerial overview of the site is provided by this image. It is looking southward from an elevated position (birds eye view). It includes the kitchen and Council Chamber, the cooling house, a stable, the garden, a few fruit and shade trees and the coffee house. This image gives the visitor their best sense of the overall layout of the site. It shows people working in the garden and tending horses and sheep in the paddock. Ewes of the flock are in the paddock area for lambing, so they can be protected and assisted. Pathways, garbage middens, piles of firewood and other items and activities might fill the spaces.

6. The Arrival Scene: A view of the Council Chamber looking from the south, showing Governor Copley arriving on his impressive white steed named Dragon. His servant accompanies him on a smaller horse. Van Sweringen is greeting him, several councilors have come out to do the same and Van Sweringen's young son, Joseph, is taking hold of the bridle of Copley's horse. He will care for their horses during the meeting. The brick facade of the Council Chamber and the chimney of the kitchen behind it are visible. In the distance, looking up Aldermanbury Street, one may just glimpse the mass of the brick Statehouse.