Calverton (18CV22)

The Calverton Site (18CV22) is a multi-component site that was first occupied by Native Americans and later served as the first seat of government for Calvert County. The town was established in 1668 on twenty acres of land that had been donated by William Berry. The town was depicted on a 1682 plat map, showing eleven buildings, including a prison, courthouse, chapel and several residences.

The archaeological site, located on Battle Creek, at its confluence with although the Patuxent River, is currently threatened by coastal erosion. The site had been surveyed or examined by archaeologists several times over the years, no extensive archaeological excavation had ever taken place. In 1969, the site was noted as a thin layer of shells that extended for more than one hundred yards along a flat field that is located on the north side of Battle Creek, although no cultural remains were observed along the beach or in the adjacent pasture at that time. In 2005, it was noted that archaeological materials, both prehistoric and historic (including human remains) had long been washing out of the creek banks.

In 2017 and 2018, the Tyler Bastian Annual Field Session, sponsored by the Archeological Society of Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust, continued investigations on portions of the site. Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning also took an active role in the project both years. Excavations spanned a ten-day period each year, on land that is currently owned by Don and Jean McDougal. Geophysical survey was conducted prior to excavation in order to pinpoint areas of potential interest. The shoreline was collected each day during the field season, to recover artifacts washing out of the bank.

During the 2018 season, 13 test units covering 21 square meters were excavated. All but two of these units contained cultural features and those features in Block A appear to have been associated with a dwelling owned by --- Tawny. Several features were located and explored, including a large feature (Feature 3) that appears to be either a single large cellar or a series of smaller, intersecting cellars or subfloor pits. Also discovered was a line of postholes (Features 7, 9 and 11) that appear to be associated with a Tawny outbuilding. Late Woodland period artifacts were recovered in the plowzone during the investigations.

Geophysical survey and the excavations showed that a sizeable portion of the town still exists, although it is seriously threatened by coastal erosion.

(Modified from state site form and Glass et al. (2019) by Patricia Samford)