Site G-1 (18ST668)

Site G-1 (18ST668) is a 19th-century dwelling located on an intermittent drainage of Breton Bay in Leonardtown, in St. Mary’s County.

In the early 1740s, Abraham Barnes acquired the lands that became known as Tudor Hall Plantation, including the location of 18ST668. The site area was used for agriculture, with no known structures. Philip Key purchased the property in 1813 and it remained with his family throughout the 19th century. An 1830 map depicts a building called the “Over Seers House” in the general area, but no other structures are known nearby until the 20th century.

Phase I archaeological investigations were conducted at the site in 1996 for the proposed Tudor Hall Village housing development. Of the 480 acres that were part of the development, 271 acres were subject to Phase I study. 18ST668 was located on the western edge of the central portion of the study area. The site was surface collected, and approximately 41 shovel test pits were excavated across it. A tight clustering of artifacts suggested that a dwelling may have been located there for a relatively short time during the early part of the 19th century.

Phase II investigations of 18ST668 occurred in 1997, and consisted of 9 shovel test pits and 6 test units. The units were placed in locations where historic artifacts had been found. No sub-surface cultural features were identified, and only 99 historic period artifacts were recovered. They suggested an occupation lasting throughout the 19th century, and perhaps into the 20th. 18ST668 appeared to be a residence associated with a low-intensity occupation, but there is no archival evidence for such a structure in the immediate area. The site was not considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and no further work was recommended.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)