Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18CV84 Kings Castle
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The King’s Reach Quarter or King’s Castle Site (18CV84) is the probable location of a slave or servant’s quarter on a 17th century plantation in Calvert County, Maryland. The site is located on the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum (JPPM) property near St. Leonard in rural Calvert County. The site is situated on a level terrace overlooking a small marshy stream near the center of the JPPM property. The stream flows into the Patuxent River, not far from its confluence with St. Leonard’s Creek. Soils at the site are Woodstown sandy loams.
The site was first identified during the course of a Phase I archeological survey in April of 1981. The survey was undertaken when the property was still under private ownership. However, the property owner had recently begun to recognize the historic significance of numerous archeological sites and historic resources located on the farm (at that time known as “Point Farm”). Not only had several prehistoric deposits been noted in the fields on the property (by local collectors), but the area played a prominent role during the War of 1812 and archival resources revealed that historic occupations relating to the 17th through 19th centuries should be present.
The April 1981 fieldwork entailed a variety of survey techniques employed based on the form of vegetation present in each area of the property and the visibility afforded by that vegetation. Site 18CV84 happened to be located in a freshly plowed field, which had been well rain-washed. The controlled surface collection method employed in this field consisted of spacing archeologists either 5 or 10 meters apart at one end of the field. The archeologists maintained this distance as they paced across the field. Every 30 meters, the artifacts observed by each investigator were recorded. Site 18CV83 was first identified as a scatter of architectural and habitation debris.
The controlled surface collections at 18CV84 in 1981 recovered a large sample of Surrey Ware: a total of 24 sherds. In addition, 2 sherds of German-made Rhenish stoneware were recovered. One sherd exhibited a broken medallion with the letters “WILH” legible on the surface. The name ‘Wilhem’ is occasionally found on jugs dating from as early as 1630 to about 1680. No brick was encountered, however, a “few” pieces of hand-wrought nail were recovered. This suggests a wood (rather than brick) structure, likely a post-in-ground building with riven clapboard siding as was common for the period. Other historic artifacts include kaolin pipe stems and bowls, a terra cotta pipestem, and English flint flakes (counted as arms). Some prehistoric artifacts were also recovered including 1 Kirk stemmed point, 1 Rose Island, 1 Piscataway, 1 Rossville, 1 Rappahannock fabric-impressed sherd, 2 Rappahannock plain sherd, and 2 Potomac Creek plain sherds.
Documentary evidence suggests that 18CV84 may have been part of the plantation of Richard Smith Jr. from the late 17th century until 1711. Richard Smith, Jr. was the son of the first Attorney General of Maryland, Richard Smith, Sr. The elder Richard Smith acquired the 750 acre “St. Leonards” tract (on which the site is located) from Governor William Stone in 1663. Richard Smith Sr. is believed to have established his household at nearby site 18CV92 sometime shortly after acquiring the land. Richard Smith, Jr. may have established his own household to the north of his father’s home at 18CV83, and lived there until he was able to build a more substantial structure. He is thought to have built the manor house at 18CV91 in 1711, shortly before his death in 1715.
Following acquisition of the “Point Farm” by the State of Maryland in 1983, a considerable amount of development work began being undertaken to create what is today known as Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum (JPPM). King’s Reach (18CV83) was selected as the first site to be excavated by JPPM staff archeologists in 1984. Ultimately, that study would reveal the presence of a 17th century dwelling that was the home to quite wealthy occupants (likely Richard Smith, Jr. and his family). Thus, 18CV84, it was thought, might have been an outlying support structure of some sort. Additional field research was necessary to make a firm determination.
An additional surface collection was conducted in 1987 to better define the artifact concentrations and attempt to determine the site’s relationship to 18CV83. There is no report of the findings from this survey, but notes at MHT suggest that controlled surface collection was carried out in 3 m grids and that some subsurface investigations may have also been carried out. Between 1996 and 1999, the Public Archeology Program at JPPM conducted excavations at King’s Reach Quarter to further understand the relationship between the multiple buildings of the Smith plantation complex. Testing consisted of a systematic, intensive surface collection in 445 three-meter squares across a plowed agricultural field to define artifact concentrations. In addition, 132 shovel test pits (STPs) and 54 test units (measuring 1.5 X 1.5 meters each) were excavated. All fill was screened through hardware mesh.
Excavations revealed an unusual, trench-set post building measuring approximately 6.1 X 12.2 meters (20 X 40 ft ). Wooden posts, ranging between 7.62 and 15.24 cm (3 and 6 inches) in diameter, were set into the trench approximately 68.6 cm (2.25 ft) apart. Several excavated posts reveal that the trench was deeper than the posts. As no daub or unfired clay was recovered, this building was probably clapboarded. Numerous domestic artifacts were concentrated in and near the remains. The concentration of structural and domestic remains, lack of a hearth, and the building’s central location to surrounding agricultural fields suggests that this structure may have served as a servant’s or slaves’ quarters. A less likely possibility is that it functioned as an agricultural building (like a barn or stable). A single posthole and concentration of nails appears to represent a second structure. However, the function of this building and its size are unknown. A fence line ran between the two buildings, in the general direction of the main house at King’s Reach (18CV83). A large number of artifacts suggest the location of a refuse midden between the two structures.
Archeological investigations at King’s Reach Quarter recovered 191,683 artifacts, which includes 185,590 oyster shell fragments. This site appears to have been occupied at the same time as 18CV83, but its assemblage contains a greater percentage of utilitarian artifacts and less diversity in artifact types. Unlike the adjacent 18CV83, there were few artifacts at 18CV84 that reflected wealth, supporting the idea that this was a quarter for servants or slaves.
A full site report and catalog for 18CV84 has never been produced, however an analysis of the site assemblage was conducted in 2007 as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant awarded to JPPM to analyze samples from their collections and create online capsule summaries of representative sites from the State of Maryland. Site 18CV84 was one of the sites selected and tallies for certain artifact classes are available and were used for the collection description provided here and in the table above.
Recovered ceramics included Border ware, tin-glazed earthenwares (40 sherds), Rhenish blue and gray stoneware, English brown stoneware, and unidentified lead-glazed earthenwares (147 sherds). Border ware sherds exhibited both clear and green lead glazes on interior surfaces, and Red Border ware was also recovered. Other kitchen-related objects were 138 pieces of container glass, 5 pieces of table glass, and a ‘WC’ bottle seal. The initials may have stood for William Chapline, a landowner on the opposite side of St. Leonard’s Creek. Six other pieces of glass were recovered, including 2 pieces of window glass (possibly modern).The vast majority of architectural items were iron nails (2,110). Personal items included 3 glass beads. Two of the beads were blue glass, which held social and spiritual significance for certain groups of Africans. Other historic objects included 7 pieces of lead shot and a copper alloy hardware piece.
In addition, the presence of Native American ceramics and lithic artifacts confirms a small Woodland component at this site. It was likley a prehistoric camp, but little has been reported about the prehistoric component at 18CV84. Most lithic objects were manufactured from quartz, quartzite, rhyolite, chert, and sandstone, and include two Calvert and one Potomac projectile points, four unidentified projectile points, four bifaces, one hammerstone, 613 pieces of debitage, and 241 fire-cracked rocks. Identified ceramic sherds include Accokeek (3), Potomac Creek (6), Rappahannock (3), and other Townsend series sherds (27).
The evidence seems to suggest that 18CV84 served as a slave quarter during the latter part of the 17th century at Richard Smith, Jr.’s St. Leonard plantation. The site is closely related to the main house complex at 18CV83 and also a nearby 17th century tobacco barn (18CV85). Studying these three sites in concert offers unprecedented access to past lifeways and plantation organization in southern Maryland. The site is a significant resource, capable of addressing ongoing research questions related to Maryland history.
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