Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18DO58 Horn Point
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Horn Point Site (18DO58) is a late 17th and 18th century house site with evidence of an earlier, prehistoric occupation, possibly a Late Woodland short-term camp. The site is part of a property that is presently part of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science (previously the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies-UMCEES)/Horn Point Laboratory in Dorchester County. It is situated at the apex of a slight mound, inland from the south bank of the Choptank River and overlooking Horn Bay. There is currently no completed report on the site at the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and the information contained in this synopsis comes primarily from the MHT site files. As such there is limited information on the field methods utilized during the site investigations. However, it appears that all of the artifacts have been cataloged from all seasons of work and a complete listing is included here.
The site was originally discovered in 1975 by a farmer plowing on the grounds of the UMCEES. The University of Maryland then called in Mr. P. Flegel, who was the Director of Archeology for the Dorchester Heritage Museum at the time, to investigate the site. Flegel established a grid system using cardinal points and areas within the field (for example “SWC” – southwest corner) and collected artifacts during field walking and possibly excavations (it is unclear just how much digging was performed) in 1976. In 1977, members of the Dorchester Heritage Association, Inc. (DHA) and volunteers continued investigations at the site. They established a numeric grid system (0-106) across the site. During excavations at the site in 1978, Horn Point was visited by archeology staff from the Maryland Geological Survey (MGS). At that time, excavations were halted and recommendations for the site were to map and close out the excavation as the site was in no danger of damage from construction or erosion and the excavation was amateurish. However, it was agreed that excavations would continue as long as a permit application be submitted and that the DHA work with MGS to establish more controlled excavation guidelines (such as re-establishing grid lines and setting standards for unit recording and artifact recovery). A permit was submitted by Mr. Flegel in April of 1978 and accepted in September 1978. From 1978-1984 members of the Dorchester Heritage Association, Inc. (DHA), led principally by Judy Jull (Mr. Flegel having died in the fall of 1979), and volunteers continued investigations at the site.
Archival research revealed a rich history at Horn Point. In 1659 John Horne, a London merchant who had bought property on the Patuxent River the year before, acquired a 600 acre tract along the south bank of the Choptank River. John Horne transferred his 600 acres to Richard Preston of Calvert County. Having emigrated from Virginia in 1649 when Governor Berkeley threw out the Puritans, Richard Preston rose to prominence in Maryland. Richard Preston was not only wealthy but charismatic as well, representing Calvert County as a burgess from 1653 to 1668 and in later life was known as the ‘Great Quaker’. In 1668 he re-patented “Horne” and the next year was elected the first representative to the Maryland Assembly from Dorchester County. Unfortunately, he died just as he moved in to a well-built brick house at “Horne” a couple of hundred yards west of the marsh behind the Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory. In his will, Richard Preston left numerous properties to his children. “Horne” was split between two of his daughters: Sarah and Rebecca. When Sarah Preston married William Ford in January of 1670 the year he emigrated from Bristol, England, the couple made “Horne” their dwelling plantation and built a home there. Some time shortly before 1700 the dwelling was destroyed by fire. A second dwelling was built shortly afterwards on the foundations of the first structure.
Between 1700 and the 1740’s the land passed through at least 3 owners. In the 1740’s a lawyer-legislator by the name of Charles Goldsborough (1707-1767) fancied “Horne” and bought out the then current owners. By 1747 he had consolidated several parcels into an enlarged “Horne” containing 1,020 acres. Charles Goldsborough settled in Dorchester when he married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Ennals in 1730. When his first wife died, Charles Goldsborough married Elizabeth Dickinson daughter of Samuel Dickinson of Kent County Delaware and he eventually rose to take a seat on the Maryland Council in 1760. At his death in 1767, Charles Goldsborough owned over 10,000 acres of land. His son Robert was born at “Horns Point” and became a member of the Council of Maryland and later a delegate to the constitutional convention in Philadelphia after the Revolution. Late in the 18th century (ca. 1780), the brick dwelling plantation house at “Horne” burned and was abandoned.
As near as can be postulated from the field notes and the reports, up to 1980 field work consisted of intensive surface collection and the excavation of 18 test units. A grid was established across the site laying out a series of adjacent 1.524 m² (5X5 ft) squares. Of the units, 15 were not excavated to subsoil and 3 were fully excavated to subsoil. Excavations revealed that the site was disturbed by plowing activity and that artifacts recovered from the plow zone did not vary from the artifacts recovered from below the plow zone. The only exception is a handful of 19th and 20th century items recovered from a portion of the site that appeared to be a later historic occasional dumping ground. It is presumed that the field methods employed up to 1980 were also used during the following 4 seasons of work (although there is no report).
Mapping of portions of the remaining foundation indicated that the structure was built on a north-south axis and measured about 14 m (46 ft) X 7 m (22.6 ft).The foundation is comprised of 2 brick courses 48 cm wide and was laid in English Bond with oyster shell tempered mortar. There were 2 hearths, one at either end of the dwelling, the one on the southern end being somewhat larger than the one on the northern end. Adjacent to, and abutted against, the western foundation was an exterior brick walkway. The presence of clay daub at the site suggests that the walls were lathed, plastered, and then whitewashed. The remains of a stringer (or horizontal timber) running the length of the house indicates that a wooden floor was probably present.
A root cellar was identified in the southern portion of the dwelling. It measured approximately 2 m X 2 m and was cut into subsoil with roughly vertical walls. It was unlined. There were 2 fills inside the cellar. The top fill had material that was dated to the late 18th century and comprised building material and debris from the fire destruction of the structure. The lowest fill contained late 17th and early 18th century pottery and clay pipes contemporary with the earliest occupation at the dwelling. Below this fill level a concentration of wood suggests a wood floor was present.
Only 2 units are discussed in Jull’s 1980 report. Square 94 was situated at the north end of the structure with its western edge running down the center of the fireplace foundation. Artifacts recovered from the plow zone include large amounts of broken brick, numerous nails, bottle glass fragments, animal bone daub, and window glass, clothing items, tobacco items, and pottery. Below the plow zone, plaster and remnants of charred timber were identified along with large amounts of pottery and melted glass. In a small area along the southern end of the square a small layer was found beneath the plaster and charcoal. In Layer C, the builder’s trench for the chimney was exposed. Also at this level, a collection of 26 pipe fragments were found concentrated in a small area in the northeast corner of the unit. In Level D, below all the historic material (but within the same soil matrix), an assemblage of prehistoric artifacts were recovered including a Late Woodland period Townsend ceramic pot break (45 pieces).
Square 101 was placed in the northeast corner of the house foundation exposing the brick sidewalk and the builder’s trench. Items recovered from the exterior builder’s trench were from the first three quarters of the 18th century. Within Level B, along with architectural materials (mortar, plaster, daub, oyster shell, and window glass) were a scrap of iron, a rib bone, and a North Devon gravel tempered sherd, which dates to the third quarter of the 17th century.
A total of26,825 historic artifacts were collected from the site between 1976 and 1984. A total of 36 activity-related items were recovered (1 clay marble, 1 die, 1 whirligig, 1 slate pencil, 1 fish hook, 1 piece of non-electrical wire, 1 piece of iron chain, 1 iron staple, 2 sickle blade fragments, 2 hoe fragments (one with the initials “JN”), 1 ox shoe fragment and 1 horse shoe fragment, 1 horse bridle and bit and 7 bridle fragments, 1 iron spur and 1 brass spur, 1 clasp for a padlock, 1 chisel 1 saw tooth setter, 1 excise seal, 1 iron wedge, 1 iron clasp fragment, and 2 iron bar fragments.
There were 10, 587 architectural items (33 whole bricks and brick fragments, 6,538 iron nails, 3,607 window glass shards, 1 window shard with attached lead calme, 7 fragments of lead calme, 34 pieces of mortar, 3 stones with attached mortar, 89 pieces of clay daub, 197 pieces of plaster, 1 rectangular cut stone with barnacles, 8 metal spikes, 22 iron hinges, 3 brass hinges, 1 brass hook, 1 iron bolt, 2 iron latches, 4 metal handles, 2 iron gudgeon fragments, 13 iron fireback pieces, 2 metal hooks, 1 rim lock plate, 1 iron washer, 15 pieces of copper sheeting, 1 tin enameled knob, and 1 glass knob.
There were 35 clothing items (4 pewter buttons, 12 brass buttons, 2 other metal buttons, 10 iron buckles, 4 brass buckles, 1 pewter shoe buckle, and 2 iron “eyes” – most likely part of the hook and eye sets). There were 33 furniture-related items (19 upholstery brass tacks, 1 iron cabinet lock, 1 gold gilt drawer pull, 2 brass drawer pulls, 7 brass curtain rings, 2 metal finials, and 1 brass bracket with attached rivet).
There were 12,183 kitchen-related items. This includes 2,201 pieces of bottle glass and whole bottles, and 121 pieces of table glass including 2 crystal stoppers. There were 4,398 ceramic sherds (14 yellow slipware, 55 lead glazed earthenware, 15 Buckley earthenware, 97 North Devon gravel-tempered earthenware, 1 Metropolitan slipware, 964 combed earthenware, 227 other earthenware, 12 creamware, 83 porcelain, 461 tin-glazed enameled ware, 75 brown stoneware and 9 gray stoneware (it is not clear whether they are domestic or imported), 299 white salt-glazed stoneware, 173 Rhenish stoneware, 5 Tigerware, 25 other stoneware, 1,857 redware, and 26 unidentified ceramics). There was also 1 glass funnel, 1 bottle seal, 49 cooling pot fragments, 1 fork, 1 silver spoon with the initials “R.P.” (Richard Preston) on the handle, 1 brass mote spoon, 5 other spoons, 16 iron knife fragments, and 1 pair of brass tea tongs. There were 5,387 floral and faunal remains (2,061 fragments of carbonized grain, 7 seeds and pits including 3 fruit pits, 31 carbonized beans, 1 fish bone, 3 fish scales, 2 crab pincers, 1 oval ‘carved’ bone, 3,047 animal bone fragments, 148 oyster shell fragments, 4 snail shells, 79 eggshell fragments, and 2 unidentified shell fragments.
There were 445 miscellaneous items in the assemblage. This includes 2 pieces of unidentified glass, pieces of silver with a hole punched into each, 118 pieces of unidentified iron metal, 76 pieces of other unidentified metal, 33 various cobbles and pebbles of an unknown purpose, 4 wood fragments, 10 pieces of slate, 2 unidentified ceramic objects, 106 pieces of charcoal, 1 piece of bog iron, 1 unidentified object with brass tacks, 4 pieces of ivory, 3 fragments of unidentified ?bakelite objects, 1 unidentified object, 27 mud dauber nests, and 55 piece of rat scat.
There were 176 personal items in the collection. This includes 2 black beads, 1 worked shell sequin, 5 iron keys, 1 brass ornament, 2 George II copper halfpennies, 1 Charles I silver coin, 1 brass token ca. 1640, 1 ‘Wood’ George I 1723 halfpenny, 154 straight pins, 1 pair of tailor’s scissors, 2 scissor parts, and 5 brass thimbles. The straight pins, thimbles, and scissors were included in the personal items category because in the 17th and 18th centuries sewing (and especially needlework) was a common activity of middle and upper class ladies. These items most likely belonged to the lady of the house.
Of the 3,329 tobacco-related objects, 2,838 were clay pipe stem fragments. The other 491 objects were clay pipe bowl fragments (1 was whole). Some of the pipes have maker’s marks: "RS", "LE", and "WIL EVANS" (17th-18th). The only arms-related item was a piece of lead shot.
A total of 126 prehistoric artifacts were recovered from the site. There were 33 chipped stone objects including 7 pieces of debitage, 13 worked stone (possibly meaning modified flake tools),1 rhyolite quarry blank/ cache stone (possibly Late Archaic), 1 argillite drill with a broken tip, and 15 projectile points including 3 stemmed points (which could date from the Middle Archaic through the Middle Woodland periods), 2 jasper Jack’s Reef corner notched points (Middle Woodland), and 3 Late Woodland jasper triangular points. Ceramics include a Townsend (Late Woodland) cord decorated pot (reconstructed from 45 sherds), 3 Townsend rim sherds, and 22 unidentified sherds. There was 1 red clay pipe stem fragment (which may also have been used by servants during the historic period). The two groundstone objects are 1 axe and 1 other celt. Fifteen piece of “flint” were recovered from the site. These were distinguished by the excavators from other ‘pebbles’ and ‘cobbles’ and likely relate to lithic production.
Note: the quarry blank/cache stone may be related to a cache of about 50 blades included in a collector’s collection in Dorchester County. All of the cache blades were marked by the collector as having come from “Horne’s Point, DO County”. The “cache stone” was included in the catalog of artifacts recovered in 1976 by Flegel during his work at the site but unfortunately he died before he could complete a report of these early finds.
While excavating in 1980 a large amount of carbonized grain, probably either bread wheat or club wheat, was located. In 1982 samples were taken for C14. The sample was from a large concentration of 2 or 3 gallons included in an ashy band that was apparently deposited when the house was burned (the second time). The wheat was thought to be stored in the house above the floor level. Analysis in 1984 of charred kernels provided a date of 205±65 (uncalibrated), which corresponds to a calibrated calendrical date range of AD 1625-1895. The sample is associated with a single event, destruction of the dwelling by fire, and the age of the wheat is relatively contemporaneous to that event.
The Horn Point Site (18DO58) is an important 17th and 18th century site for understanding life in Colonial Dorchester, Maryland. Very few colonial tracts have managed to survive intact in about the same size anywhere on the Chesapeake and this structure is an important part of the Horn Point heritage. The site is not confined to the plowzone and does have subsurface integrity. While the majority of the artifacts were not found in a datable context, they did help to establish by their mere presence the patterns of early domestic life on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. In terms of its prehistoric component, excavations at the Horn Point Site have barely touched upon the full extent and depth of these deposits and this site has the potential to answer research question related to the Late Archaic through the Late Woodland time period. However, as the site is under no immediate threat of destruction and is an important cultural feature, no further work is recommended at the site.
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