Burle's Town Land (18AN826)
Site History
The Burle's Town Land site (18AN826) is a 17th-century plantation and 18th-century cemetery located on Burley Creek in the 17th-century settlement of Providence in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Robert and his wife Mary Burle patented Burle's Town Land in 1662 and Burle lived there from at least 1662 until his death in 1676. Burle served as a government functionary for Providence and Anne Arundel County.
Archaeological Investigations
This site was first identified by an avocational archaeologist who collected and curated artifacts from the site over several decades. He notified the Lost Towns archaeological staff of the site location and in 1991, they visited the site and collected a few artifacts.
They returned the following year to conduct a controlled surface collection and archaeological excavation. In total, 231 5 × 5 ft. units were excavated. This work uncovered over 60,000 artifacts, most associated with the 17th-century occupation at the site. Forty-one features and a sheet midden dated to the 17th century were also recorded. These features revealed a 20 × 60 ft. earthfast structure that had been appointed with yellow Dutch firebrick, glazed windows, a tile roof, and tin glazed earthenware tile fireplace surrounds. Artifacts recovered from the site indicate that the site was occupied from the 1650s through approximately the 1680s.
References
n.d. Unearthing Our Colonial Past: Selected Articles on the Archaeology of Early Anne Arundel County, Maryland. (Lost Towns Project). Articles from Maryland Archaeology reprinted in bound form. MHT # AN 515.
