Archaeological Dig Unearths Hopes for a Civil War Museum

Other Montgomery Civil War sites, at Sandy Spring and elsewhere, commemorate safe houses and other significant places where escaping slaves sought safe harbor as they journeyed north along the Underground Railroad.

The proposed Civil War museum and interpretive center would display artifacts uncovered at the encampment along with hands-on, educational displays.

The numerous artifacts collected so far are being catalogued and studied by Sorenson.

"We found a .30 caliber rimfire cartridge, one of the first cartridges that was made by the Remington company," he said. "We found a percussion cap and a lot of nails and things like that, and the clay pipes and a horseshoe."

Sorensen and his volunteers have uncovered the outlines of the cliff-top bunker and the crude earthen soldiers' shelter. Old chunks of charred wood have raised speculation that the encampment might have been torched in one of the many raids Confederate troops staged on Union encampments along the C&O.

"We've found a lot of things related to the camp," said Sorensen. "It really is a fantastic Civil War camp."

While the museum is still just a proposal, Housely and other amateur historians and dig volunteers are trying to learn everything they can about the Blockhouse Point fort. Housely began his retirement last winter by starting to research a history of Montgomery's blockhouses. He is combing archives for soldiers' diaries and letters that tell about their interaction with other military units and local residents.

Other history buffs have found letters and archival materials relating to Muddy Branch fort, not far from Blockhouse Point park, that describe slaves coming to the fort for safe harbor, and slave owners coming to find them, Housely said.

Robert Gould Shaw, colonel of the all-black 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which was portrayed in the movie "Glory," was with the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry stationed at Muddy Branch fort before his promotion to the 54th. Studying Shaw's letters from Muddy Branch has inspired Housely to keep looking for similar materials from Blockhouse Point.

Ultimately, he wants to see a greater acknowledgment of Montgomery County's role in the Civil War.

"It seems natural that we had a role, since we're on the border with Virginia, and the Potomac is a natural crossing place," said Housely, a lifelong county resident. "There's a lot of stuff around here that you don't think about that is actually connected with the Civil War."