Artifacts found at Bayly House, questions remain

CAMBRIDGE, Md. –  Archaeologists presented their most recent findings on the historic Bayly house Thursday evening at the Dorchester Center for the Arts.

Unfortunately, as it stands, they still came back inconclusive on whether former slaves lived in the building.

During the excavation hundred of items were found that dated back to at least the mid 1800s, including cups and plates.

The chief archaeologist tells us that while these are exciting discoveries they still haven’t been able to prove slaves lived in the house. But we’re told the story told here can go a long way in telling the history of Cambridge.

“If this turns out to be a place where enslaved African Americans lived, it’s really going to give us a chance to look at how people from Cambridge lived 150 years ago. And we don’t always get that chance to look at such a complete artifact collection,” said Chief Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky.

The plan now is to return and do more excavation in May.