Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18ST54 Sotterley Plantation
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Sotterley Plantation site (18ST54) is the location of an early 18th century plantation and a mid-19th century slave and tenant dwelling. This site includes the standing Manor House (built ca. 1717), numerous outbuildings (18th-early 20th centuries), and the slave/tenant cabin (initially constructed between 1830 and 1850). There is also a small prehistoric component. This site is located on the western shore of the Patuxent River, inland about 1 km from Sotterley Point. The plantation is situated on lands immediately surrounding Sotterley Creek, a large tributary of the Patuxent River. Small streams on the property feed into the creek. The soils at the Sotterley Plantation consist of Matapeake Series, Evesboro Series, and Beltsville Series. These soils are generally found along the uplands and terraces adjacent to streams and rivers in St. Mary’s County. Large portions of the property were plowed in the historic past, but today only a few acres are leased to farmers. The standing buildings retain integrity. The main house sits on a terrace overlooking the floodplain of the Patuxent River below. The slave cabin, located about 304 m southeast of the main house, is situated on a flat parcel of land on the edge of a ravine which drains into Sotterley Creek.
Background research revealed little about prehistoric occupation in the immediate area of Sotterley Plantation. John Smith’s 1608 map roughly identified the sites of several Patuxent villages within the general vicinity of Sotterley Point. Archeological research conducted at Sotterley Plantation in 1998 located a Middle Woodland period site (18ST739) in the area just northeast of 18ST54, closer to the water. The camp was probably used intermittently for resource procurement and tool production.
The land that the plantation sits on was part of a 4,000 acre land tract historically known as ‘Resurrection Manor’ which was patented to Captain Thomas Cornwallis in 1651. By 1659, Cornwallis had sold his lands and returned to England. After passing through the hands of several landholders, the Manor was purchased by brothers Edmund and George Plowden in 1684. At that time, Resurrection Manor was described as a working plantation with outbuildings, tobacco houses, barns, and slaves. By 1710, James Bowles had acquired the plantation from the Plowdens. In about 1717, he had the property, then called ‘Bowles’ Separation’, re-patented. Bowles is credited with building the first portion of the Sotterley Manor House sometime between 1710 and 1717. It was a single cell, 1 ½ story structure with a central hall, parlor and end chimneys that measured 13.41 m X 6.096 m (44’X20’). The construction was post-in-ground frame with clapboard siding, a finished wood floor, and large glazed windows. Bowles added a third, formal room, the “new roome”, to the west side of the house sometime before 1727. The New Roome was also of frame construction and sat on a brick cellar, possibly used as a kitchen, of Flemish bond. The ground floor of the new room was divided into a passage that led into the south room of the original house, and a chamber. A door from the new room led into the north room of the original house and doors on the north and south sides of the new room led into the yard. A large chimney was placed at the room’s west end.
Bowles’ widow remarried in 1729 to George Plater II, Esq. George II gained control of the land after his wife’s death (sometime before 1749). It is thought that either George II or his son George III renamed the plantation ‘Sotterley’ as homage to their estate in Britain. George III, who became the 6th governor of Maryland, continued to develop the plantation into a major tobacco enterprise. Governor Plater’s farming operation, as assessed for the Federal Direct Tax of 1798, included a 8.53 m X 24.38 m (28’X80’) dwelling in good repair, 11 outbuildings, a school house, 13 tenant houses, and a slave quarter with central chimney. Having 49 slaves, other quarters must have existed on the property. A dining room, porches, portico, and second story were added to the house under the Platers. Sometime between 1780 and 1792 the partition wall between the passage and the New Roome was removed. The door between the passage and the old hall was removed, leaving a single door leading from the enlarged New Roome into the new stair passage in the original dwelling. Under George IV and George V, however, the wealth and political clout of the Plater family declined.
By 1822, Colonel William Somerville, the brother-in-law of George IV, acquired the plantation. In the same year, he sold the property to Thomas Barber. The portion of the property with the Manor House on it went to one of Barber’s daughters at his death. She had married a man named Briscoe. In the 19th century, the Briscoe’s removed the south portion of the portico and added a kitchen. They also added porches to the south and north sides of the New Roome. The land remained in the extended Barber family until 1904 when it was sold by the great granddaughter of Barber. Herbert Satterlee, who purchased the land, claimed a connection to the property because his ancestors had built the Sotterley Hall in England after which the Platers had named Sotterley Mansion. Satterlee and his wife, Louisa Morgan, restored the main house, including removing the 19th century kitchen addition. They also moved and restored or repaired several of the outbuildings, including the extant Spinning House and slave cabin, but tore down the other remaining slave cabins. Oral history suggested that a former slave was residing at the cabin when the Satterlees acquired that property, and that upgrades to it were made in 1910 for her comfort. It was also suggested that the cabin was used for cutting meat prior to making sausage at the manager’s house after the cabin was no longer tenant occupied. The Satterlees’ daughter inherited the property in 1947 and she undertook repairs and restoration of the slave cabin, removing many of the 19th and 20th century upgrades. In 1961 she created the non-profit Sotterley Mansion Foundation which opened the house and grounds to the public.
Archeological work was conducted at the site in 1972 and a re-analysis of the recovered artifacts was undertaken in 1991. Those reports are on file at the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and not available at Maryland Historical Trust (MHT); however, the results of those projects were summarized in the original report on the 1998 Phase I investigations (below). The 1972 study was undertaken in order to investigate cultural resources on the plantation when a tree fall behind/west of the main house exposed a buried brick wall. Two 3.048 m² test units were excavated in the area of the feature. Material was also surface collected from across the property but the date and methods are currently unknown.
In 1991 the Sotterley Foundation requested a re-analysis of the artifacts recovered in 1972. A total of 1,918 artifacts (excluding brick and daub) retrieved from the 1972 excavations appeared to be labeled with provenience information; however, the soil strata relationships and precise locations on the property were not clear. Of those finds, there were 76 architectural items (20 brick fragments and 20 daub fragments (minimum estimates) and 12 shards of flat glass and 24 unidentified nail fragments). There were 1,877 kitchen related items including 1,490 dark green wine bottle fragments, 6 other bottle fragments, 331 animal bone fragments, and 50 ceramic sherds that dated to the 18th and 19th century occupations of the plantation. There were 5 tobacco items (white clay pipe fragments). Analysis of all the material remains indicated the presence of artifacts that dated from the 18th through the 20th centuries, although the provenience of most of those artifacts is unknown.
The original (1972) interpretation of the brick wall and associated artifacts suggested that they represented a dairy once associated with the Plater occupation in the mid-18th century. The re-assessment of the artifacts indicated a noticeable absence of the earthenware types usually associated with dairy activities. Rather, it was suggested that the high incident of wine bottle fragments represented the presence of a wine cellar at the location.
Phase I/II archeological investigations were conducted at the Sotterley Plantation Slave Cabin during two weeks in October of 1995. No previous archeological testing had been done at the location. The study was done in order to comply with both grant and easement requirements prior to proposed implementation of restoration activities at the site of the Slave Cabin. The slave cabin at Sotterley is one of a handful still standing in the county, and the last one on the property. The goals of the study were to gather information about the construction sequence of the cabin, to determine the presence or absence of intact significant resources adjacent to the cabin that had not been previously identified, to determine whether or not a root cellar existed within the structure, and to gather information about use of the yard space.
Prior to the archeological investigation, an architectural survey of the structure was conducted. That report stated that the original building, built between 1830 and 1850, was constructed of hewn and sawn square notched logs supported by cedar posts that were sunk in the ground along the walls. If the posts are indeed original, then this would be one of the only surviving 19th century earthfast structures in the Chesapeake today. The architectural historians also felt that the brick end chimney was original to the cabin but requested archeological confirmation of that hypothesis if possible. The historians were also interested in the possible existence of root cellar or storage pit within the cabin, which was common in slave quarters and tenant houses of the 18th century but less common in the 19th century. The last question pertained to the use of the adjacent yard given that the dwelling was probably unlit by natural light until the 20th century (when windows were installed).
In order to address those queries, 1.524 m² test units were placed adjacent to the north, east, and west walls outside the cabin. On the east and west walls, the units were positioned below the posts to determine the possible date of construction and any subsequent construction. In order to determine the relationship between the road and the building, the north unit extended partially into the nearby road. A fourth unit was opened within the building itself, near the fireplace, in an attempt to locate a root cellar or storage pit. Three half units were placed by the chimney at the south end of the structure to determine the construction sequence and look for builder’s trenches. A total of 8 shovel test pits (STPs) were dug at 3.048 m intervals along 2 north-south transects within 3.048 m of both the east and west walls. A further 2 STPs were excavated within the interior of the cabin to determine the uniformity of the flooring. The site grid was established parallel to the axis of the east elevation of the slave cabin itself (19.5° east of magnetic north). N8000 E8000 was arbitrarily defined as a point 6.096 m grid west of the northwest corner of the cabin. All excavated soil was screened through ¼” hardware cloth and all artifacts were retained.
Soil profiles revealed during the course of the 1995 excavations exhibited some modifications due to erosion, and rodent and insect activity. No plowzone was encountered, with the exception of one shovel test pit, on the eastern edge of the site in a garden area. The stratigraphy around the building was complex, resulting from occupation of the structure and episodes of restoration. The west wall of the cabin faces a yard that borders the Rolling Road. The road serves as a conduit of storm water run-off and debris from the upper portion of the plantation, and the west wall is most frequently battered by winds and rain during storms. A high bank that separates the slave cabin site from the adjacent farm field lies approximately 4.572 m (15') from the north wall of the cabin. This arrangement has created a channel for rain run-off from the upper portions of the site that runs directly north of the north end of the cabin.
Excavation units located along the west wall of the cabin uncovered shallow topsoil layers (strata 1 and 2) that contained artifacts dated from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In unit N7995/E8015, stratum 3, a shell deposit was identified in a 30.48 cm to 45.72 cm wide rectangular area next to and parallel with the cabin wall and extending the entire length of the unit. It was approximately 15.24 cm deep. The deposit merged with a refuse midden that comprised the remainder of the strata of the western side of the unit. The oyster shell lens and the midden were excavated together because there was no clear boundary between the deposits. Stratum 3 was assigned an occupation date in the early 20th century. The oyster shell layer most likely served to improve the drainage of the western wall of the dwelling. The current foundation of sandstone, conglomerate, and concrete mortar sits above the oyster shell lens and midden. The cedar post pegged into the west wall of the cabin apparently post-dated the oyster shell lens in stratum 3. At 20.72 cm below the ground surface the oyster shell lens appeared to be intact. There was no evidence of a post hole or mold from previous posts that may have occupied the same location, although activities associated with putting in the shell midden may have destroyed evidence of earlier posts. Stratum 4 was dated to the 19th century. Below that, subsoil was encountered.
Excavation units located along the east wall of the cabin revealed a lower density of artifacts than found on the west side and less disturbed strata. A small oyster shell sheet midden and/or artifact clustering around tree roots of non-extant trees was encountered. The cedar post on the east wall of the cabin, which was more intact than the west side post, appeared to rest on the ground surface with less than 3.048 cm of topsoil built-up around the post. Evidence of previous post holes and molds was found in the same location. There was no evidence of a builder’s trench for the foundation on this wall. The findings suggested that the east and west yards were utilized for different purposes.
Unit N8000/E8025 was placed on the north end of the structure and extended partially into the nearby road. The presence of multiple layers of strata and a fairly low artifact count indicated disturbance from water run-off processes that continually sweep the north end of the cabin. Further investigation would be required to determine if the road was used in the 19th century (after the wharf was moved) and its relationship to the cabin.
The unit located inside the cabin was situated in front of the fireplace. A series of 3 floors were encountered: a clay floor placed in the 1950’s at the surface, an earlier wooden floor placed by Satterlee in the early 20th century (stratum 2), and a third hard compact surface (stratum 3). At stratum 3 (the compact floor), in the south half of the unit, a rectangular feature of less compacted soil was identified approximately 18.28 cm below ground level. The feature had all the characteristics of a root cellar. It was not excavated but instead backfilled and preserved for future study. The density of bone recovered from inside the structure (and outside) seemed to support the notion that the cabin was used for cutting meat prior to making sausage at the manager’s house after it was no longer tenant occupied.
The 3 half units placed on the east side of the chimney at the south end of the cabin revealed a large chimney foundation of sandstone rocks set in the ground and mortared together. The red brick chimney stands above the foundation and is laid in American bond with lime mortar. It has been postulated that the foundation was so large due to its tenuous position along the edge of the ravine. The builder’s trench was identified in stratum 3. Stratum 8 was identified in all three units and appeared to be an intact early 19th century deposit. This stratum most likely coincides with the construction and early occupation of the cabin. A post hole was discovered in stratum 9 approximately 60.96 cm east from the east wall of the cabin. The small post hole, about 15.24 cm in diameter, possibly indicated the presence of a gate or a fence dating to the early- to mid-19th century. The presence of strata 8 and 9 below the stratum 3 builder’s trench suggests that the slave cabin (or possibly some other structure) was occupied before the construction of the chimney and south foundation. A wooden chimney may have been attached to the cabin during the initial phase of occupation. Another possibility was that the cabin was moved sometime during the mid-19th to the late 20th centuries (the date assigned to stratum 3), although the former alternative is more likely.
The STP investigations indicated that intact, stratified deposits exist in the yard surrounding the slave cabin. Artifacts recovered from the east side of the cabin confirmed the presence of 19th century deposits. Two potentially 20th century features (an oyster shell lens and a small cultivated bed) were possibly related to the renovation of the cabin. Artifacts dating from the 19th and 20th centuries were recovered from STPs in the west yard. In addition, a substantial stratified midden (strata 2 and 3) was encountered in the northwest portion of the west yard, adjacent to the west wall. Stratum 2 appeared to date to the late 19th/early 20th century and stratum 3 to the early to late 19th century.
The artifacts recovered from the 1995 excavation at the slave cabin were combined with the artifacts recovered from the 1997 excavation of the cabin (below). The Slave Cabin represents a discrete area on the plantation and the artifact types were consistent for the 2 investigations and were therefore considered together.
A Phase II mitigative study was conducted at the Sotterley slave cabin in 1997 ahead of proposed construction of sand filled trenches along the east and west walls of the cabin to improve drainage, and of a v-shaped retaining wall south of the cabin about 3.048 m down into the ravine. The retaining wall was intended to stabilize the south/rear wall and chimney, which are threatened by the downslope movement of soils into the ravine. The mitigation of resources was limited to those areas that were to be directly impacted by the proposed construction.
The 1997 field work was conducted in a fashion consistent with the 1995 investigation. Two partial excavation units (TU1, TU2) measuring 0.762 m x 1.524 m (2.5’X5’) were placed side-by-side along the south end of the east wall, and two partial units (TU3, TU4) were placed side-by-side on the southwest side of the cabin in areas not previously tested. Those units bracketed both east and west entrances, and a cedar post pegged into the west wall. Three additional partial excavation units (TU5, TU6, TU8) were placed side-by-side approximately 3.048 m from the south wall of the building. A large walnut tree stood at the location of TU7 therefore it was not excavated.
TU1 and TU2 revealed the stone foundation and a concrete block which underlay the door lintel. The foundation underpinning the east wall showed evidence of multiple episodes of repair and replacement. A shallow trench in stratum 3 marked the water run-off from the roof eave. Soils encountered directly under the door tended to be more compacted than the rest of stratum 3. At stratum 5, an oyster shell lens (Feature 1) was located in TU1 and another (Feature 5) was located in TU2. Recovered artifacts date that stratum to the mid- to late 19th century. Stratum 8 (TU2) contained the remains of a possible post hole and mold (Feature 16) that may have stood along the southeast portion of the east cabin wall before the wall was cut into during the 20th century for window installation.
A continuation of the shell drainage feature (Feature 3) first identified in 1995 was located in TU3 and TU4. Approximately 1,221 oyster shells and shell fragments were recovered from Feature 3. Feature 25 appears to have been a continuation of Feature 3, which was bisected by Feature 26. Features 6 and 7 were created by the planting of bulbs in the vicinity of the west doorway. Feature 26 was found in both units and the balk between them. The feature was a round, wooden object, about 83.4 cm (2.8’) in diameter that appeared to have been intentionally buried under the door. Large fragments of corroded metal were found in association with the feature. Feature 26 cut into Feature 3. Associated artifacts tentatively date the feature to the mid to late 19th century. A shallow trench (Feature 18) in stratum 4 formed by the water run-off from the roof eave was found in TU4. This was similar to the trench identified in TU1 and TU2 on the east side of the cabin. Stratum 4 dates to the mid- to late 19th century. Feature 24 was found in TU4, stratum 9, and was situated directly under the existing cedar post. The feature was thought to be a post hole from an earlier post, or the decayed remains of the cedar post in the ground. Feature 24 appeared to cut into Feature 3.
TU5 and TU6, located on the southeast side of the cabin, displayed strata disturbed by soil erosion and contained non-stratified artifacts. TU8, located on the southwest side of the cabin, also had disturbed strata. Feature 14, located in stratum 2, was shell layer that appeared to be either a trash scatter or wash from an up-slope trash pit. The feature cuts into other strata indicating that it may have been a deliberate deposition. Artifacts found in the three units consistently represented a wide span of time.
Given the archeological evidence, a proposed sequence for the construction of the slave cabin was suggested. The cabin was built between 1830 and 1850, perhaps with a wooden chimney. Following emancipation (possibly at some point in the 1870’s), when the cabin was occupied by tenants, a stone and brick chimney was added to the south wall. Evidence of trash disposal, exterior yard use, and repair and modification of the structure itself was found in all excavation units and STPs. However, the west side of the cabin seemed to be used primarily for disposal while the east side seemed to have been for recreation or was a ‘clean space’. No 17th or 18th century materials were recovered from undisturbed contexts although a few such artifacts were found in units on the south side of the cabin. An 18th century component exists at the Sotterley Plantation site and years of erosion have moved soils and artifacts from around the main house, garden, and yard down to the ravine.
The artifact inventories from the two excavations at the slave cabin were consistent and are therefore considered together. A total of 19,362 historic artifacts were recovered from the 1995 and 1997 excavations at the Sotterley slave cabin. Of those, 55.76% is comprised of oyster shell and shell fragments. There were 26 activity items (2 flower pot sherds, 2 slate pencil fragments, 1 push pin, 6 lamp glass fragments, 4 pieces of non-architectural hardware, 1 leather strap fragment, 1 metal harness part, 1 horseshoe fragment, 6 metal staples, 2 metal stakes).
There were 6,289 architectural items (1,222 brick fragments, 947 shards of window glass, 315 cut nails, 222 wire nails, 4 roofing nails, 1,677 unidentified nails, 1,462 pieces of mortar, 1 spike, 7 screws, 3 pieces of plaster, 3 fragments of daub, 14 clay floor fragments (4 w/ imbedded twigs and 2 w/sawn wood), 58 sandstone foundation stone fragments, 332 sandstone and shell conglomerate, 4 pieces of asphalt/concrete, 9 pieces of roofing material, 5 asbestos tile fragments, 1 cinder block fragment, 3 tacks).
There were 26 clothing items (2 bone buttons, 12 Prosser buttons, 6 metal buttons, 1 porcelain shank button, 1 wood button, 1 metal shank button, 1 possible belt buckle fragment, 1 leather shoe last strip with holes, 1 clothing string).
There were 11,890 kitchen-related items (175 bottle glass fragments, 18 shards of table glass, 3 pieces of milk glass, 3 refined white earthenware, 1 tin-glazed earthenware, 2 buff-bodied earthenware, 1 lead-glazed earthenware, 1 creamware, 27 pearlware, 25 porcelain, 1 English Brown, 1 Rhenish brown, 3 ironstone, 4 unidentified stoneware, 6 buff-bodied stoneware, 10 gray stoneware, 1 white salt-glazed stoneware, 3 yelloware, 1 semi-porcelain, 146 whiteware, 6 redware, 1 unidentified ceramic, 1 potato masher, 3 tin can fragments, 1 metal jar top, 2 lead bottle caps, 1 metal spoon handle, 10,797 oyster shells and shell fragments, 2 scallop shells, 3 snail shells, 15 clam shells, 4 egg shell fragments, 7 unidentified shell pieces, 515 animal bone fragments, 66 walnut shells and fragments, 1 pecan fragment, 5 pumpkin seeds, 2 corn cob fragments, 4 peach pits, 3 acorn shell fragments, 1 brazil nut piece, 6 chestnut fragments, 12 unidentified seed/nut fragments).
There were 1,093 miscellaneous items (12 unidentified glass pieces, 533 unidentified metal objects-mostly corroded iron, 2 iron oval disk fragments, 168 wood fragments, 47 pieces of burnt wood, 1 wooden peg fragment, 59 pieces of coal, 3 pieces of coal ash, 219 fragments of charcoal, 2 brass rings/disks, 2 metal rings, 4 metal strips, 2 unidentified sandstone objects, 3 pieces of plastic, 1 sticker, 1 dried paint fragment, 34 unidentified miscellaneous-some possible dried paint pieces).
There were 7 personal items (2 pieces of plastic combs, 1 bone toothbrush fragment, 1-1992 dime, 1 church key, 1 beveled amethyst glass bead, 1 pair of tweezers). There were 27 tobacco items (21 white clay pipe stem fragments, 5 white clay pipe bowl fragments, 1 cigarette filter). There were 3 arm-related items (1 European gunflint flake, 2 - .22 caliber shell casings, 1 - .38 cartridge).
Two prehistoric artifacts were also recovered (a possible Middle Woodland projectile point fragment and 1 flake).
In January of 1998, archeological monitoring of impacts to cultural deposits occurred during trenching for security light installation around the main house at the Sotterley Plantation. The report is on file at the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and not available at MHT; however, the results of the monitoring were summarized in the original report on the 1998 Phase I investigations (below). Three trenches were excavated during the monitoring. The trench excavated on the west side of the house (Trench 1), which measured 47.24 m (155’) long, revealed a brick feature thought to possibly represent a foundation for a no longer extant structure/outbuilding. The brick feature was adjacent to the extant brick walkway leading away from the current dining room of the house, and about 14.32 m (47’) west of the house. Trenches 2 and 3 were located on the east side of the house. Fewer artifacts and no significant features were identified in the two eastern trenches.
From August of 1997 to January of 1998, an intensive Phase I survey of Sotterley Plantation was undertaken. The project was funded by a Maryland Historical Trust Non-Capital Grant. The purpose of the project was to conduct archeological and historical research to support the Sotterley Foundation’s interpretive programs at the Sotterley Plantation. A second goal was the completion of a cultural resources inventory of the property to be used in planning changes of land use. The same grid system that was employed around the slave cabin was utilized across the entire project area for purposes of uniformity and comparison. Two permanent datums were placed at arbitrary points N7850/E7550 and N7850/E7650. During the course of the survey, a series of discrete loci associated with the site were discovered. Thus, the early site boundaries that included the main house and the slave cabin were expanded.
The large project area was divided into 3 smaller testing areas: the East Field, the West Field, and the Historic Core. A total of 1,078 STPs were excavated in the project area. The East Field Area included portions of the property located east of the fenced yard around the main house and northeast of the Sotterley Creek drainage (426 STPs). The West Field Area consisted of all portions of the property located west of the north-south access road that serves the main house yard and current parking areas (279 STPs). The Historic Core Area of the property was defined as all yard and garden areas within the fence surrounding the main house (373 STPs). In high probability areas STPs were excavated at 7.62 m intervals. Moderate probability areas were excavated at 15.24 m intervals. Paved areas and areas with slopes greater than 15% were excluded from testing. All excavated soils were screened and all artifacts were retained.
Several distinct loci, as well as 70 isolated finds, were identified in the East Field as a result of the shovel testing. One new area in the eastern portion of the field was identified as a Middle Woodland prehistoric site which was assigned a separate site number (18ST739). Prehistoric artifacts encountered within areas of historic concentrations were likely related to that site. The Barn Locus, the most easterly area of the Sotterley Plantation site, revealed archeological evidence of a previous structure at the location. A total of 673 historic and prehistoric artifacts were recovered from the area, primarily brick fragments (n=578). There was a low incident of domestic debris. Diagnostic artifacts indicated that the Barn Locus was utilized during the 19th, and possibly the 20th, century. The paucity of domestic material suggested that the function of the structure may have been agricultural but the possibly of the presence of a tenant or slave dwelling cannot be precluded.
A total of 666 historic artifacts were collected from the Barn Locus. There were 597 architectural items (578 brick fragments, 8 flat glass pieces, 9 nails, 2 other building material). There were 59 kitchen-related items (9 vessel glass fragments-mostly bottle, 9 whiteware, 5 porcelain, 3 creamware, 1 buff-bodied stoneware, 2 tin-glazed earthenware, 1 pearlware, 29 oyster shells and shell fragments). There were 9 miscellaneous items (6 pieces of coal, 3 unidentified metal objects). There was 1 tobacco item (white clay pipe stem fragment).
A total of 7 prehistoric items were also recovered from the Barn Locus. There were 3 flakes and 4 shell-tempered ceramic sherds.
The Slave Cabin Locus, situated directly west of the Barn Locus, was defined during the excavation of 99 STPs in areas around the cabin not previously tested. A 3.81 m (12.5’) interval was used in an effort to identify features and different activity locals in the area immediately around the structure. Additional testing was conducted at 7.62 m intervals. The locus assemblage consisted primarily of whole shells and shells fragments (n=1,282or 68%) as well as artifacts consistent with those previously identified in association with the slave cabin. A shell drainage feature, similar to Feature 3 described above, was encountered in STP N8000/E8087.5 just below the ground surface. It measured about 33 cm (13”) deep. In total, the feature contained 24.73% of all the artifacts recovered from the 99 STPs in the locus. Several large, partially buried pieces of the marl stone material used in the construction of the cabin’s foundation were located on the ground surface within a cleared area east of the structure. This was in close proximity to the shell feature. This suggests the possibility that another structure existed at the location at one time. A second feature, consisting of a high density trash or midden deposit, was located west of the cabin at STP N7975/E8000. The pit was located over the edge of the terrace on the steep slope leading to Sotterley Creek; however, the material appeared to be in a primary context. The deposit consisted primarily of shell fragments with other architectural and domestic debris.
A total of 1,882 historic artifacts were collected from the Slave Cabin Locus. There were 6 activity items (1 iron saw blade, 1 clay pigeon fragment, 4 corroded staples). There were 377 architectural items (310 brick fragments, 6 flat glass pieces, 41 nails, 20 other building material). There was 1 clothing item (a ceramic button). There were 1,382 kitchen-related items (41 vessel glas
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