April 12th, 2025 by WCBC Radio
Allegany Museum, in partnership with the City of Cumberland Historic Preservation Commission, is proud to announce that Sara Rivers Cofield, curator of Federal collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, will open the History on Tap Spring Series on April 18th at 6:00 PM in the Allegany Museum Ballroom.
The Presentation, Bits and Pieces, uncovers colonial Maryland's horse culture, using archeological artifacts to reveal the colonists' tastes and interactions.
Join us on April 18th at 6:00 PM in the Allegany Museum Ballroom as artifacts from the MAC Lab, St. Mary’s City, Jamestown, and Colonial Williamsburg are brought to life to illustrate an essential part of social interaction in the colonial Chesapeake.
This presentation will connect fragmentary metal artifacts from collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Historic St. Mary’s City, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to the saddles and bridles they represent, illustrating an essential part of social interaction in the colonial Chesapeake. Horses were rare before 1650, but by the end of the 17th century, saddle horses were abundant and a necessity for socializing across widely dispersed plantations. Just as today, one’s car tends to signal something about identity—wealth, occupation, personal tastes, etc.—in colonial Maryland, the quality of one’s horse and saddle could vary based on one’s role in society. Equestrian artifacts can, therefore, reveal much about the tastes and interactions of Maryland’s colonists.
Sara Rivers Cofield has been the Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum since 2004. She holds a B.A. in History from Murray State University in Kentucky, and a Master of Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland. Her specialty is the study of small finds, especially metal artifacts and anything relating to clothing since she collects historic garments as a hobby.
