Oxon Hill/Addison Plantation (18PR175)
Oxon Hill Manor, historically known as Addison Plantation, is located along the Potomac River just outside of the District
of Columbia’s border with Maryland. John Addison began acquiring property in the area in 1685 and he was living
there by 1689. At the time, the site was far enough inland to be considered the “frontier” of European settlement. John
Addison was a merchant and planter, and one of the first to settle in the area. In 1696 his holdings became part
of Prince George’s County (previously the area had been a part of Charles County), and Addison became involved in
protecting the fledgling County. He was appointed a colonel of the county militia and housed the arms the militia
used when needed to protect against Indian unrest.
John’s son Thomas inherited the property in 1705 and built a two-story Georgian-style manor house in 1710-1711.
Thomas Addison became colonel of the militia in 1714 and held the position until his death in 1727. The manor
house and property remained in the Addison family until 1810, when it was purchased by Zacariah Berry whose
family inhabited the site until the 1880s. A series of speculators then owned the estate, renting it
to tenants, until it was purchased and inhabited by the Welles family who built a new main dwelling on
another area of the property in 1927. The Addison house had burned in 1895, but the Welles dwelling,
Oxon Hill Manor, remains extant and is now part of a county-owned public park.
Because of its location in the path of development projects, a great deal of archaeological work has taken place
at 18PR175, including two different Phase III data recoveries. The first Phase III was conducted by
Garrow & Associates, Inc. on the northern portion of the property in 1985. This project exposed occupation
areas dating from the early 18th century through the late 19th century. Features indentified include a
well, cellar, a probable meat house, a probable potato house, a possible slave quarter, and numerous
post holes. Most notable for the artifact analysis was the assemblage from the stratified well. Four distinct
fill episodes were identified, and the lower waterlogged layers exhibited preservation that allowed for
the discovery of a leather saddle, shoes, textiles, wood, and grass clippings. The lower three fill
episodes in the well point to its use for disposal c. 1720-1750.
The second Phase III was conducted by John Milner & Associates in 1988 on the southern portion of the property.
One of the main areas of excavation was a c. 1680s earthfast structure with a cellar and passageway. This storage cellar
was apparently the magazine used by the Addisons to store the local militia’s arms. The building burned around
1730, providing a closed date range for the debris in the cellar and passageway features.
References
Cheek, Charles D.
1989 Interim Report. Stage 1 Data Recovery. The Addison Plantation site, 18PR175,
Beltway Parcel, Portamerica Development, Oxon Hill, Prince George's County, Maryland John Milner Associates,
West Chester, PA.
Field Records
n.d. Original Field Records Milner & Associates 1987 for 18PR175.
Garrow, Patrick, and Thomas Wheaton, Jr.
1986 Oxon Hill Manor Archaeological Site Mitigation Project. 2 vols.
Garrow and Associates, Altanta, GA.
Hurry, Silas D., and Maureen Kavanagh
1985 Additional Intensive Archeological Testing at the Oxon Hill Manor
Site: an 18th Through 19th Century Plantation in Maryland. MGS File Report No. 189.
(Written by MAC Lab staff)
Associated Artifacts
Bridle Bits
Bridle Bits
Bridle Bits
Bridle Bits
Bridle Bits
Bridle Bits
Curb Bit Bosses
Curb Bit Bosses
Curb Bit Bosses
Curb Bit Bosses
Curb Bit Bosses
Horse Care
Horse Care
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Leather Ornaments
Saddles
Saddles
Saddles
Saddles
Saddles
Spurs
Stirrups
Stirrups
Stirrups
Alphabet Ware
Astbury Type
Buckley Type
Buckley Type
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Chinese Hard-Paste Porcelain
Clouded or Tortoiseshell Glazed
Clouded or Tortoiseshell Glazed
Creamware
Creamware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Brown Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
English Dry-Bodied Stoneware
European Hard-Paste Porcelain
Manganese Mottled
North American Stoneware
North American Stoneware
North American Stoneware
North American Stoneware
North American Stoneware
North Midlands (Staffordshire Type)
North Midlands (Staffordshire Type)
North Midlands (Staffordshire Type)
North Midlands (Staffordshire Type)
North Midlands (Staffordshire Type)
Nottingham Type
Nottingham Type
Rhenish Stoneware
Rhenish Stoneware
Rhenish Stoneware
Soft-Paste Porcelain
Soft-Paste Porcelain
Soft-Paste Porcelain
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
Tin Glazed
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware
Moyaone
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Bottle Seals
Forks
Forks
Forks
Forks
Forks
Forks
Jaw Harps
Jaw Harps
Jaw Harps
Knives
Knives
Knives
Knives
Knives
Knives
Knives
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Linked Buttons
Smokers Companions
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Thimbles
Toothbrushes
Toothbrushes
Toys and Games
Toys and Games
Toys and Games
Toys and Games
Toys and Games
Other Beverage
Other Forms
Other Forms
Stemmed Glasses
Stemmed Glasses
Stemmed Glasses
Stemmed Glasses
Stemmed Glasses
Stemmed Glasses