Site History

The main occupation of the Angelica Knoll site most likely represents the residence of Richard Johns and his family and descendants. Johns acquired the property at some point between 1677 and 1717. Though the exact date is uncertain, the presence of pipes made by Llewellyn Evans at the site indicates that there must have been an occupation there by 1689. Richard Johns was a successful planter and a member of Maryland’s early Quaker community. The Calvert Cliffs area where Angelica Knoll is located was a center of Quaker activity, as monthly meetings took place there for over 100 years from c. 1672-1771.

When Richard Johns died, the portion of the tract with the plantation home descended to his son Isaac. At Isaac’s death in 1734, a probate inventory taken of his goods describes where they were physically located on the plantation, leading to some hints about the architecture there. The main house had a hall, closet, room, and porch, each with a chamber above. This indicates a probable two-story cruciform structure. Outbuildings mentioned include a milk house and a kitchen, which also had a chamber.

Isaac left the Angelica plantation to his sons Richard and Samuel to be divided equally. Richard got the first choice of land and most likely selected the area with the structures. Since there were so many Johns family members named Richard, Isaac’s son Richard was referred to as “Richard Johns of Angelica” when he witnessed his cousin Richard’s will in 1748.

Archaeology

A geologist studying Calvert Cliffs first brought the Angelica Knoll site to the attention of archaeologists when he took artifacts he had surface collected to the Smithsonian in the early 1950s. Robert Elder and a team of volunteers then undertook systematic excavations there from 1954 to 1959. The study represents a very early example of historical archaeology in Maryland and it took place before current standards for treatment of artifacts had been established. Features were mapped and identified, and many artifacts were retained, but soil was not screened, and certain categories of artifacts were discarded. For example, pipes with marks and decorations were retained, but, “A half bushel of plain stem fragments was not retained” (Elder 1991:28). Additionally, artifacts were not curated by provenience. Elder (1991:8) states, “Originally, materials from the foundation were kept separately, but careful analysis showed them to be the same as from the rest of the site. Therefore they were integrated in the final storage of specimens.”

Despite these problems with the collection, a 1991 reexamination of Elder’s work by Silas Hurry and Julia King determined that the site most likely dates to the occupation by Richard Johns, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s wife Elizabeth c. 1677-1735. An occupation by Isaac’s son Richard is also probable after 1735. The assemblage can therefore be used as a study collection for a late 17th- to mid 18th-century site.

References

The Angelica Knoll archaeological collection is owned by the Maryland Historical Trust and curated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.