Archaeologists Lisa Kraus and Jason Shellenhamer present their research on the two smallest and oldest wooden homes in Fells Point known as the Caulkers' Houses. Located at 612 and 614 South Wolfe Street, the buildings were home to African American ship caulkers who were part of a prolific shipbuilding industry that depended on free and enslaved black labor. Caulking, the process by which a ship is waterproofed and sealed, was dominated by black workers, including Frederick Douglass who was a caulker in Baltimore in the 1830s.

In spring 2019, Fells Point residents assisted the Herring Run Archaeology Project conduct an archaeological investigation of the Caulkers’ Houses. Learn about the hundreds of household objects they recovered that tell the stories of the people who lived in these buildings.

Lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. Doors open 6 p.m. Light refreshments follow. Pre-registration recommended.