Since 2021, Tara Tetrault and her archaeology team from Montgomery College have been uncovering the homestead of Basil and Nancy Dorsey, who bought their property on Sugarland Road in the 1870s. The Dorseys were one of the earliest freedman families in Sugarland.
The archaeological team from Montgomery College is about to begin its third season of work in the woods near the Sugarland church. So far, only a relatively small part of the farmstead has been explored. The team is preparing to continue this delicate work through the hot, buggy summer and they’re asking for the community’s help to get the site ready.
The team needs to clear overgrowth and brush around areas they’re planning to explore in the months ahead. If you’d like to lend a very important hand, they would be grateful for your help on Saturday, March 25, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., clearing brush, and hauling limbs and debris a short distance. Meet at the Sugarland church, 14730 Sugarland Lane, right next to the wooded lot where the dig is taking place. Please bring your own tools—clippers, rakes, chainsaws if you have one, and definitely gloves. (If you can haul away brush or debris with a truck or trailer, that would be great too.)
If you’d like to help, please contact the head of the team, Tara Tetrault, via email at Tara.Tetrault@montgomerycollege.edu.