Site P-1 (18ST673)

Site P-1 (18ST673) is a late 18th- through mid-19th-century refuse discard site with and a small prehistoric component. It is located 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 18ST673. 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. 18ST673 was situated in the western portion of the project area. The site was surface collected, and 199 shovel test pits were excavated across it. This revealed two clusters of artifacts dating to the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries, and a light, fairly even distribution of prehistoric materials.

Phase II investigations commenced in 1997, focusing on the historic artifact clusters. A total of 26 shovel test pits and 12 test units were excavated. No sub-surface cultural features were identified. Only 141 historic period artifacts were recovered during the Phase II work. The relative lack of architectural material and the low domestic artifact density suggested the site was produced by dumping trash into active agricultural fields.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)