Ghost Walls: Story of a 17th Century Colonial Homestead

Reviewed by: Kathy George - Gray Public Library, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 11, 2014

Review

In 1638, John Lewger made a home in what is now Maryland. He called this home St. Johns and it stood for some 80 years. It was his home, his place of business, and a center point of the new community that was somewhat unique for its time. All men and women lived and worked together, the first African-American man voted inside its walls. It was gone 100 years later and no plans or sketches of the home have ever been found. In 1962, the archaeologists arrived and have been putting together the physical attributes of the house and surrounding land and buildings ever since. Author Walker takes the reader on the journey of these first Americans, their hopes, dreams, how their society worked and how they lived and died. She also explains to the scientist in us how one goes about putting the bits and pieces of a past life together through fragments buried in the dirt. The layers of dirt tell a story, they even found where the outhouse was and it told a lot! The book includes drawings of what St. Johns looked like , actual artifacts and what their use was,why it was built where it was, what each room was used for, and a few mysteries that were solved and some not yet solved. It gives the reader a peek at what 1600 Maryland was like, how it was colonized, who lived there and why and the impact a single dwelling had then and now. Well written, lots of information easily understood, lots of source notes, a timeline, further reading and index.

Overall Book Score: excellent