Jenkins 3 (18PR981)
Site History
The Jenkins 3 site (18PR981) is a multi-component site consisting of a mid-19th- to early 20th- century African-American house site and a Woodland located between Baden and Aquasco on an unnamed tributary of Black Swamp Creek in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The site is defined as a scatter of late 19th- and early 20th-century artifacts from an area measuring approximately 120 by 95 meters.
Jenkins Site 3 seems to represent the remains of a late 19th- or early 20th-century structure that may correspond to a dwelling shown on an 1878 map of Prince George's County. The parcel of land on which the site is located was traced to the sale of four acres of land from the Connick family to Sarah A. Edelen in 1867. Edelin, a formerly enslaved woman, was listed as a "House Keeper" in the 1870 census. Edelen appears to have resided on the property until approximately 1880. She sold the property to Jefferson Davis in 1885. In 1888 Davis sold the property to Martha Waters and a review of available census data indicates that the most likely tenant of the Edelen structure during the early 1900s was Elizabeth Bowen. She appears to have left the property somewhere between 1910 and 1920 after which it likely remained unoccupied. Thus, documentary evidence places the likely range of habitation of Jenkins Site 3 between 1867 and 1920.
Archaeological Investigations
Phase I archaeological testing was conducted at the site in 2008 by Applied Archaeology and History Associates. A total of 24 domestic and architectural artifacts, all from the plowzone, were recovered from the Phase I testing. Two precontact artifacts (quartz flake fragments) were also recovered from within the site area.
Phase II testing was conducted by Applied Archaeology and History Associates in February of 2011. Fieldwork consisted of 72 radial STPs at 7.5-meter intervals around the ten positive Phase I shovel tests. The shovel tests, of which 16 were positive, recovered 69 artifacts. The greatest concentration of artifacts was recovered from the northwest corner of the site where 59 artifacts were recovered from 11 STPs. Artifacts recovered from this area included architectural items such as handmade brick and cut nails, as well as ceramics with production dates spanning the late 18th through early 20th centuries, and likely representing the primary area of the site.
The artifact assemblage recovered indicates that there was some limited activity during the precontact period, with the more substantial occupation occurring in the historic period. The ceramic wares recovered from the plowzone contexts of the site span a production period that extends from the last quarter of the 18th century through to the first quarter of the 20th century. Artifacts recovered from Feature 2, a circular stain that was likely a cellar hole, included a number of firmly datable items, including a round-handled Rockingham pitcher (1850s), maker's marks dating from 1867 to 1889, and a bottle dating to ca. 1882.
The artifact assemblage recovered from Jenkins Site 3 indicates that there was some limited activity during the prehistoric period with the more substantial occupation occurring in the historic period. The ceramic wares recovered from the plowzone contexts of the site span a production period that extends from the last quarter of the 18th century through to the first quarter of the 20th century, with most wares being produced in the mid- to late-19th century. Artifacts recovered from Feature 2 include firmly datable items including the round-handled Rockingham pitcher (1850s), maker's marks dating from 1867 to 1889, and a bottle dating to ca. 1882. Also included are amethyst glass which predates World War I, and pressed glass which post-dates the Great Depression.
References
2009 A Phase I Archaeological Investigation of the Jenkins Property, Prince George's County, Maryland. (Applied Archaeology and History Associates, Inc.).
2012 A Phase II Archaeological Evaluation of Jenkins Sites 1 and 3 (18PR979 and 981) Within the Jenkins Property (Gobbler Land), Prince George's County, Maryland. (Applied Archaeology and History Associates, Inc.) MHT # PR 694.
Associated Artifacts
Rockingham Ware
