Survey results could unlock discoveries at Rackliffe House

BERLIN, Md. – For years the Rackliffe House sat overlooking the Sinepuxent Bay rotting away.   That was until restoration efforts got underway in 2005.   Now, fully finished, it serves as a reminder of some eastern shore Maryland history.

The plantation was built in the 1740s, and many current residents in Worcester County can trace their roots back to this home.

“This is all about the roots.  So you’ve got the roots of African-Americans, Anglo-Americans, there’s Native American component to the archaeology here as well,” said archaeologist Aaron Levinthal.

And it’s that history that archaeologists want to know more about.  That’s why, on Thursday, they were on site surveying the land for clues of what once stood on this property.

“We have some expectations of what’s here.  When you’ve got a large house like this, we know there’s going to be a lot of other houses, structures, potentially slave quarters.  There could be a family cemetery.  And we have no idea where they are in the landscape,” said archaeologist Tim Horsley.

The Rackliffe House has seen plenty of changes over the past decade, and the hope is with this survey they will see more additions in the coming years.

“Hopefully we’ll find some foundations of those buildings and so we’ll know where they were,” said Horsley.

The survey results won’t be in for weeks, maybe months, but once the Rackliffe House Trust gets that report they can move forward with plans on how to continue to restore the historic plantation.

“So that can help maybe plan any future excavations if we want to understand what’s going on,” said Horsley.

The archaeological survey report will be turned over to the Rackliffe House Trust in the near future.  We’re told we should know more about future plans at the Rackliffe House in early spring.