Summer programs provide students with the opportunity to work on faculty research projects. In 2019, four students began preparing a preservation plan for Cremona farm. In 2017 and 2018, UMD students participated in a joint field school in archaeology and historic preservation –the Anthracite Heritage Project– at Eckley Miners’ Village in northeast Pennsylvania.
Students participating in the three-week summer program at Cremona farm, located on the western shore of the Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, study the farm’s chronology of changes to the landscape and prepare a preservation plan for the property. In addition to studying on the the Cremona property, the students visit nearby historic properties such as Sotterley Plantation in St. Mary’s County and Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in Calvert County.
Students participating in the Anthracite Heritage Project engage in the history of Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Region coal mining industry while conducting archaeological and preservation projects at the Eckley Miners’ Village. During the course of the 10-week program, students study the cultural landscape of the village, explore local heritage and history, conduct archaeological fieldwork, and carry out architectural documentation while learning innovative research techniques.