Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18PR579 Beechwood House
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Beechwood Plantation (18PR579) is the cultural remains of a plantation property that was occupied from the early 19th century (ca. 1810) through the 20th century. A 1913 Classical Revival home is situated on the site, a replacement for the original plantation home which burned down around that time. The site is situated north of Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County. Topography within the site boundaries consists of a relatively flat, natural terrace and three artificial terraces. The area was bounded on the north by a gravel driveway, and on the south by an intermittent streambed. The vegetation around Beechwood varied from natural secondary growth to planted deciduous trees. Secondary growth (located southeast and west of the house, and north and west of the gravel driveway) consisted primarily of herbaceous weedy plants, black raspberry, green briars, and small to medium size deciduous trees. Planted vegetation included boxwood, cedar, and lilies in an ornamental garden. Older trees (70+ years), were located on the northern, western, and southern sides of the house, including beech, bitter orange, cherry, elm, magnolia, maple, oak, and white pine. The large circumference of some of these trees suggests they may have been associated with the original house at Beechwood. Soils of the Marr-Dodon complex predominate at the site.
The standing dwelling at Beechwood (MIHP Number PG:79-60) is an excellent example of the Neo-Classical style. Character-defining features include a two-story portico with Tuscan-style columns, symmetrical fenestration and Colonial Revival interior details including classical mantels and a large stair hall. In addition to the standing residence at Beechwood, a shed and one barn were located nearby.
The site was first examined archeologically in 1998 pursuant to new housing construction, known as the “Beech Tree Development”. Construction of the development, particularly an entrance road, was likely to impact significant portions of the site. The work was conducted pursuant to Condition 15 of Prince George’s County Planning Board Resolution 9706, which stipulates archeological survey and evaluation of the area in anticipation of compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act as well as state preservation codes. The work later progressed to Phase II and eventually a Phase III level of investigation. As part of these investigations, extensive archival research was conducted.
Archival work reveals that Beechwood was originally part of a 475-acre tract patented as “Moore’s Plains” in 1672 by James Moore. Moore sold the property in 1674 to William Milton. Between 1674 and 1699, the property was sold three times. The longest period of ownership was between 1680 and 1689, when Richard Durrain occupied the property. In 1699, Nathan Smith purchased the property. The property then descended through the Smith family, eventually passing down to one Sarah Smith in 1776. Sarah Smith married George Hilleary in 1781. The original Beechwood house is thought to date from the time of George Hilleary’s ownership. In his will dated 1815, George Hilleary bequeathed the plantation whereon he dwelt (the first mention in the historic record of anyone dwelling at the site) jointly to his sons George Washington Hilleary and Henry Hilleary. The brothers continued joint ownership of the property until 1832, when G.W. Hilleary purchased his brother Henry’s interest in the property. After his first wife died, G.W. married Clotilda Gwynn. After the death of G.W. in 1863, Clotilda retained 150 acres of the property and the house as a dower. When she married Benjamin Bowie in 1871, the newlywed couple continued to reside in the house.
In 1913, the original house burned and a new house was built. An article from the March 7, 1913 Prince George’s Esquirer indicated that the fire started as Mr. Bowie was smoking meat in an adjoined outbuilding. This fire spread from the outbuilding to the residence itself. The article also indicated that the couple had lost “a lifetime of treasures”, but that the buildings were insured. The original house was situated in the same location as the currently standing structure, although with a different configuration. Clotilda Gwynn Hilleary Bowie lived on the property until her death in 1928. In her will, she devised the property to her niece Effie Gwynn Bowie who lived in the house until her death in 1950.
During the Phase I survey in 1998, a total of 201 shovel tests (STPs) were excavated on an initial 20 m grid, later retested at a 10 m interval. Cultural material was recovered from 95 shovel tests. Shovel tests measured approximately 35 cm in diameter, and were excavated to 40 cm or 10 cm into sterile subsoil. Soils were removed by natural strata and were screened through hardware mesh. Two loci (A and B) were identified. The majority of the retained artifacts from the Beechwood Site consisted of architectural elements, kitchen-related artifacts, and miscellaneous items.
The full Phase I assemblage consisted of 17 activity items, 462 architectural objects, 1 clothing item (a buckle), 1 furniture item (ceramic), 215 kitchen-related artifacts, 4 personal remains (1 metal item, a pocket knife, and a nickel), 1 tobacco-related artifact (a ball clay stem), a arms objects (.22 rimfire cartridge), and 111 miscellaneous objects. The activity items were a tin storage can, a tool, a slate pencil, and 14 flowerpot fragments. Architectural remains were 60 pieces of brick (12 glazed), 15 fragments of mortar, 36 pieces of window glass, 338 nails fragments (137 cut, 102 wire, 3 handwrought rosehead, and 96 unidentified), 1 door lock, 1 hardware handle, 2 tacks, 1 screw, 3 spikes, 1 bolt/bracket, and 4 construction hardware objects. Kitchen-related artifacts include 107 ceramic sherds (1 manganese-mottled, 5 creamware, 25 pearlware, 22 porcelain, 10 ironstone, 15 whiteware, 12 yelloware, 4 redware, 2 domestic brown stoneware, 1 domestic gray stoneware, 1 British Brown stoneware, and 9 unidentified sherds), 52 pieces of glass (2 table glass fragments, 31 machine made bottle fragments, and 19 unidentified bottle glass fragments), a utensil handle, and 55 faunal remains (4 pieces of eggshell, 29 animal bones, 1 fish bone/scale, 17 oyster shells, and 4 clam shells). The miscellaneous objects were 17 pieces of metal, 52 fragments of melted glass, 6 pieces of charcoal, 2 wood fragments, 3 pieces of plastic, 21 pieces of coal, 2 coal slag pieces, a piece of slate, and 7 stones.
For the most part, the temporally diagnostic artifacts ranged in date from the late 18th century through the 20th century. The date of the archeological assemblage, from the late 18th through the 20th centuries, fits well with the historical data. Several subsurface cultural features and activity areas associated with the earlier house were identified. The Phase I archeological survey of the Beechwood house lot and its surrounding outbuildings indicated a high degree of vertical and horizontal integrity. The presence of foundation walls, destruction fill deposits from the house burned in 1913, and the horizontal and vertical separability of earlier historic materials in portions of the site all suggested that archeological study of original house structure, the related outbuildings, and the activities in the inner and outer yards was possible. Therefore, 18PR579 was recommended for Phase II evaluation.
Phase II evaluation of Site 18PR579 included the excavation of 9 test units. Eight of the test units measured 1 X 1 m, while one test unit measured 50 X 50 cm). All soils within the test units were excavated in 10 cm arbitrary levels within natural or cultural stratigraphy and to a depth of 10 cm into culturally sterile soils. Soils from the test units were screened through hardware mesh and one liter soil samples were taken from features for water flotation in the laboratory.
The Phase II efforts focused on the area south and east of the current Beechwood house (Locus B), where yard midden deposits contained artifacts dating back to the earliest occupation of the site and where subsurface features had been indicated by Phase I shovel tests. In addition, the terraces south of the yard were examined.
Phase II investigations indicated that the yard midden deposits were either disturbed or contained a broad mix of materials ranging across the entire gamut of the site’s occupational history, and that no vertical differentiation was possible between earlier and later materials. Nonetheless, a high degree of integrity and research potential was in evidence in certain areas of the site. Four sub-surface cultural features were examined during the evaluation which appeared to have good integrity. These included a complex of granite walls that formed a portion of the cellar underlying what had been the eastern wing of the pre-1913 house, an ashy pit feature, a post hole/mold feature, and a second pit feature further removed from the house.
The cellar appeared to have been filled with destruction debris after the 1913 burning of the original house. The two pit features appeared to date from the early nineteenth century, and the post feature appears to have been filled sometime after the mid0nineteenth century. This range of structural and refuse features from multiple periods in the site’s history suggested that further investigations at the site can provide substantial information concerning the development of the plantation, and the spatial organization of its buildings and activities. As a result of these considerations, avoidance or Phase III data recovery was recommended for the main portion of the site.
The artificial character of the terraces located south of the house was suggested by their relationship to the gradual slope to their north and the more abrupt slope to the south. Phase II investigations indicated that these terraces had been tilled, and that the cultural materials in the tilled deposits represented minimal refuse discard, mainly comprising waste from the house’s coal furnace. Archeologically, the terraces lacked the depositional integrity of the density and variety of artifacts to warrant further investigation.
The Phase II artifacts assemblage consisted of 73 activity items, 2,425 architectural objects, 6 clothing-related artifacts, 1,087 kitchen artifacts, 3 personal items, 14 tobacco-related artifacts, 2 arms objects, and 475 miscellaneous objects. In addition to these historic remains, 4 prehistoric artifacts were recovered (3 flakes and 1 pieces of shatter). The activity items were a ceramic doll part, a piece of lamp glass, a piece of lightbulb glass, 10 fragments of non-electrical wire, 1 washer, 3 parts form a plow, a scythe/sickle, 54 flowerpot fragments, and a horseshoe nail. The architectural artifacts included 211 brick pieces (9 glazed), 9 pieces of cut marble, 3 roofing slate fragments, 27 pieces of stone, 106 fragments of mortar, 16 pieces of plaster, 189 window glass fragments, 1,819 nails (1,609 cut, 112 wire, 47 handwrought rosehead, and 51 unidentified), 2 sewerage/drain pipe fragments, a ceramic electrical insulator, 3 pieces of ceramic tile, a plumbing fixture, a hinge, 2 hooks, and 4 staple fragments, 5 screws, 9 spikes, 8 bolt/bracket fragments, and 9 miscellaneous pieces of construction hardware. The clothing remains were 4 buttons (1 shell, 2 porcelain, 1 brass), a belt buckle, and scissors. The kitchen-related artifacts were 454 ceramics sherds (4 tin-enameled earthenware, 10 creamware, 57 pearlware, 4 Chinese export porcelain, 73 later porcelain, 78 ironstone, 6 domestic brown stoneware, 14 domestic gray stoneware, 5 miscellaneous stoneware, 126 whiteware, 9 yelloware, 13 redware, and 55 unidentified ceramics), 193 pieces of kitchen glass (5 dip-molded, 16 table glass, 158 machine-made container shards, 12 other container shards), 2 tin cans, 6 screw caps, 1 crown cap, 13 kitchen pot pieces, 3 utensils, 411 faunal remains (7 eggshell pieces, 1 cut/butchered bone, 300 animal bones, 10 fish scales/bones, 91 oysters shell fragments, 2 other shell pieces), and 4 nut/seed/pit fragments. The personal items include a bone toothbrush, a key, and a Bakelite comb/brush. The tobacco-related remains were all ball clay pipe fragments (8 stems and 6 bowls). The arms objects were a .22 rimfire cartridge and a shotgun shell. And finally, the miscellaneous objects were 153 metal objects, 106 melted glass pieces, a wood fragment, 5 pieces of plastic, 83 fragments of coal, 126 pieces of charcoal, and 1 other item.
Archeologists returned to 18PR579 in 2001 to conduct Phase III data recovery in an area identified as “Locus A”. Locus A represented a yard midden area, measuring 35 X 67.5 m in area and was located west of the Beechwood house, in an area of associated outbuildings. A proposed entrance road for the new housing development was going to impact approximately 90% of Locus A. The construction of the new road would disturb buried cultural deposits to a depth of up to 1.83 m (6 ft). Therefore, it was not practical to preserve this portion of the site in place.
Phase III field investigations included visual inspection and mapping of the locus, systematic shovel testing at 7.5 m intervals, the excavation of eight 1 X 1 m test units, the excavation of five mechanical strip trenches, and the sampling of identified cultural features with hand excavation units. A total of 43 STPs were excavated within Locus A. All shovel tests measured 35 cm in diameter and were excavated to a minimum depth of 40 cm below ground surface or 10 cm into culturally sterile subsoil. Soils were removed according to natural stratigraphic horizons and screened through hardware cloth. The 1 X 1 m units were situated based on the results of the shovel testing program in areas with the best potential for archeological features. These test units were excavated in 10 cm arbitrary levels within natural strata. All soils were screened through hardware cloth. The strip trenches were mechanically excavated by a rubber-tired backhoe with a clean-out bucket. Disturbed plowzone soils were mechanically removed until the surface of subsoil was exposed. Upon removal of the plowzone soils, the Ap/B horizon interface was shovel scraped, hoed, and trowelled clean (when necessary) to examine soil anomalies as possible cultural features. When such anomalies were identified, a detailed trench profile was drawn. Each anomaly/feature was recorded in the field, drawn to scale, and photographed. A sample of these anomalies was excavated in an effort to help define the nature of the locus.
Phase III data recovery investigations indicated that cultural activity at Locus A dated from both the 19th and 20th centuries. This date range matched well with archival research that indicates the original Beechwood Plantation house was constructed in the early 19th century. Field investigations identified 5 archeological features associated with the post-1913 Beechwood House. These included a line of yellow pine post/post mold features (Feature 1), a brick lined well (Feature 2), a ca. 1929 gas pump (Feature 3), a collapsed loading structure (Feature 4), and a series of concrete piers (Feature 5). The majority of artifacts recovered from Locus A also dated to this period, and represented agricultural and transportation activities. Landscape features, including a wire fence and several old two-track roads, and a standing carriage house supported the functional interpretation of transportation and agricultural activities at the locus. Based upon extant structures and landscape features observable around the post-1913 Beechwood house, Locus A appeared to have served as the primary facility for the movement of agricultural products to vehicles for transportation to market. The presence of deteriorated fencing and farm equipment suggested the locus may have also served as a storage location for animals. Unfortunately, the 20th century artifact assemblage was limited in quantity and diversity; it could not greatly expand upon the information gained through visual identification of landscape elements and features.
The 19th century artifact assemblage recovered during Phase III work at Locus A was likely associated with the pre-1913 Beechwood Plantation house. This assemblage included bottle glass and ceramic artifacts from domestic contexts and cut nails from architectural contexts. Unfortunately, no archeological features could be associated with the 19th century artifact assemblage. The landform on which Locus A is located appears to have been an extension of the flower and fruit garden terraces identified south of the Beechwood house during Phase II investigation. The presence of artificial filling, a stone retaining wall, and old Osage (bitter) orange trees supported this interpretation. If Locus A had been cultivated during the 19th century as part of these gardens, domestic refuse may have been added to the soil to increase fertility. It also is possible that 19th century artifacts had been deposited into Locus A during clean-up activities after the 1913 fire at the Beechwood Plantation house. This could have explained the presence of mixed domestic artifacts and architectural elements.
The full artifacts assemblage encountered during Phase III work in Locus A at 18PR579 consists of 5 activity items (a glass marble, a piece of lamp glass, 1 tool and 2 pieces of miscellaneous hardware), 289 architectural objects, a clothing item (a snap), 79 kitchen-related artifacts, 2 tobacco-related artifacts (a ball clay stem and bowl), and 57 miscellaneous objects (47 metal objects, 2 melted pieces of glass, a wood fragment, 3 pieces of leather, and 4 pieces of coal). The architectural objects were 56 bricks (7 glazed), 14 fencepost fragments, 21 wooden architectural elements, 3 pieces of mortar, 2 pieces of window glass, 185 nails (13 cut, 70 wire, and 102 unidentified), 1 sewerage/drain pipe, 3 spikes, 1 pintle, and 3 other construction hardware objects. The kitchen assemblage consisted of 18 ceramic sherds (3 pearlware, 1 domestic brown stoneware, 11 whiteware, 1 redware, and 2 miscellaneous stoneware), 35 glass kitchen objects (2 dip molded, 7 machine-molded containers, and 26 miscellaneous container glass shards), 22 faunal objects (2 burnt bones, 18 animal bones, 2 shells), and 4 nut/shell/pit fragments.
Data recovery investigations within Locus A of Site 18PR579 have added to our understanding of agricultural and transportation-related activities during this period of significance of the Beechwood house (early 20th century). These investigations have also added additional information to the description of flower and vegetable garden terraces associated with the 19th century Beechwood Plantation house. Although this information may have been limited by the nature of the garden terraces and their potentially limited archeological expression, their presence on the west side of the house suggested extensive garden activity in the 19th century.
Archival data indicates that Locus A at Site 18PR579 was owned by the Hillery and Bowie families who lived in the nearby Beechwood house during the period of the use of the locus. Both of these families, related through marriage, were of high socio-economic status. The sparse archeological data in Locus A do not provide direct artifact evidence to illustrate this status. However, the archeological features are consistent with outer yard activities associated with these high status occupations of the Beechwood house, including landscaping for gardening, and farmstead operation (such as transport facilities for moving goods to market). The presence of the nearby carriage house also is consistent with the outer yard area of a manor house.
Phase II and Phase III work at 18PR579 suggests the possibility that intact features remain preserved at the site. While Locus A has now been disturbed by construction activities, the area closer to the extant structure (tested during Phase II work) has been preserved in place. Future investigations of the Beechwood house inner yard areas, if undertaken, may provide more extensive socio-economic data, and may provide a more complete picture of the relationship of outer and inner yard activities. As such, 18PR579 should continue to be recognized as a significant archeological resource.
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