From when we discovered a few years ago that Groome UMC was putting our family’s former farm, Tower Hill Farm (aka the Groome property), up for sale, members of the Prettyman family have backed efforts advocating for its preservation. We certainly understand and appreciate the concerns by local residents regarding the impact development may have on New Road, surrounding parcels and neighborhoods, and the Great Marsh watershed.
Faced with almost certainty that the parcel will be developed, we have had to adjust our role moving forward. We believe the preservation advocacy by the local community helped stimulate the developer to support an archaeological investigation of the property. That said, since it is a private initiative, the developer was not required nor obligated to do this. However, Dan McGreevy (the lead for the developer, D2 Organization) hired Ed Otter Inc. to do a full Phase One study of the entire property. This has been followed by phases two and three, works now nearly completed.
Although our preference was for the parcel to have remained open space and in agricultural use, unfortunately, archaeology has revealed that modern agricultural equipment actually damaged cultural resources, although not all.
The archaeological work has guided preservation and conservation of significant portions of the tract along the branch that otherwise would have been disturbed. It has revealed our family’s colonial house site which has been analyzed and documented. Prehistoric features of indigenous occupants have been found and artifacts were recovered where appropriate. The family burial ground has been delineated. Ed Otter and his crew have dug over 160 five-by-five units and have been very thorough in their approach - certainly impressive to us. Short of digging up the whole farm, the effort was to focus on upfront research and data gathering as to where sensitive areas may have been.
Artifacts recovered will be subject to intense study and reported upon. When fully processed, they will be donated to an appropriate institution repository.
Dan McGreevy has engaged in face-to-face discussions with Prettyman family members and we have completed positive negotiations on sensitive items. We greatly appreciate his outreach and willingness to work with us.
We like to advocate for open space and maintaining lands in agricultural use when it makes sense. Keeping land open can be a challenge as shown by recent Delaware history. Knowing that development will continue, the process of involving archaeology initiated by this developer could be a successful model for responsible development of potentially sensitive areas.
Burial grounds can be avoided, the historical record will be contributed to with findings, and society will gain from information that would have otherwise been lost - a benefit to all.
Ralph Prettyman
Milford
Michael Prettyman
Chevy Chase, Md.
Keith Prettyman
Indiana, Pa.
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