Site History

NAVAIR is a small dwelling site associated with the Mattapany-Sewall plantation c. 1740-1800. Nicholas Lewis Sewall inherited the plantation in 1722, but he was a child at the time so the land was held in trust for him until he came of age in 1742. At that time, he constructed a new brick dwelling, replacing the previous brick dwelling that was at least 70 years old. Shortly thereafter, the NAVAIR site was settled about a mile away, probably by some of the slaves who labored in the Mattapany-Sewall fields. It was abandoned and left to fall into ruin by 1800.

Archaeology

The planned construction of the NAVAIR Headquarters Facility at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River prompted a Phase I survey of the region around the NAVAIR site in 1993. Phase II and III excavations followed in 1994 and 1995. Phase III excavations included plow zone sampling, chemical analyses, mechanical excavation to expose subsoil, and hand excavation of features. A hearth constructed of re-used brick flanked on either side by sub-floor pits marked the location of the dwelling. The dimensions of the structure remain unknown, however, because it most likely rested on ground-laid sills which left no evidence below the plow zone. The majority of personal items discovered at the site came from the bottommost layer of a rectangular subfloor pit next to the hearth, Feature 16, which was filled c. 1780-1800.

References

The NAVAIR archaeological collection is owned by the Naval District Washington, Naval Air Station Patuxent River and curated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.