Site History

The Melon Field site was most likely the mid-late 17th century residence of Mary and Robert Taylor, Jr. and their daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Robert Taylor inherited the tract, known as Taylor’s Disposal, when his father died in 1661. The site appears to have been abandoned after the death of Robert Taylor Jr. in 1682. Melon Field is located within a quartermile of the King’s Reach site, though it was most likely abandoned a few years before King’s Reach was built.

Archaeology

Melon Field was identified when plowing turned up artifacts in 1982. In 1987, archaeologists at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum began investigating the integrity of the site through systematic surface collection and chemical analysis to locate the main occupation area. Once these studies had identified the primary area of activity, archaeologists excavated a block of test units to expose intact features for mapping. Although several post holes were identified that indicated the presence of an earthfast structure, the area excavated was not large enough to define its dimensions. No features were excavated, and the site was taken out of cultivation to protect its integrity.

References

The Melon Field Site archaeological collection is owned by the Maryland Historical Trust and curated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.