HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Maryland's Highway Administration is researching a log cabin in Hagerstown with historic African American ties.
Archaeologists are set to study artifacts from the estimated 180-year-old cabin, which is located at 417 Jonathan Street.
The nonprofit, Preservation Maryland, recently purchased the formerly condemned cabin with plans to refurbish it.
Historians believe the cabin may have once belonged to the founder of Hagerstown, Jonathan Hager.
“We want to know what these artifacts can tell us about the first citizens of Hagerstown,” said SHA Chief Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky. “The cabin is in the center of an African American neighborhood that was once the main street through Hagerstown. We’re looking at the evolution of Jonathan Street, the cabin and how moving a major transportation route away from that space impacted the neighborhood.”
Some businesses along Jonathan Street were listed in the Green Book, a guide for African American travelers during segregation.
Once the research is complete, archaeologists will conduct lab studies and analysis on the cabin to determine its provenance.
