Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18ST87 St. Inigoes Manor
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The St. Inigoes Manor Site (18ST87) is the location of a mid-18th century Jesuit manor house, and 18th-20th century occupations including an early 19th century weaver's house. There are also Middle and Late Woodland prehistoric components to the site. It is located in the western portion of the Webster Field Annex Patuxent River Naval Air Station (NAS WFA), at the Naval Electronics Systems Engineering Activity (NESEA). The site is located on the east bank of the St. Mary's River, in an area known as Priests Point. It is bordered on the north by St. Inigoes Creek, on the west by St. Mary’s River, and on the northeast and southeast by roads. A great deal of construction has taken place on the site and several modern structures are present as well as the ruins of the Jesuit manor house. Soil profiles indicated previous agricultural use as well as construction. The major soil type at the site is poorly-drained Mattapex silt loam. In some areas, plowzone was overlain by construction fill. The site covers a U-shaped area measuring approximately 282 m north-south by 213 m east-west.
The NESEA facility is located on the large land tract historically known as St. Inigoes Manor, although occupation at the site dates to the prehistoric period. The 2000-acre Manor had served as a plantation and as a mission operated by the Society of Jesus of the Catholic Church (Jesuits) for more than 300 years. The area known as the Old Chapel Field appears to have served as the main activity area of the Manor from as early as ca. 1638 until the mid-18th century. From ca. 1755 until the Navy’s acquisition of the property in 1942, Priest’s Point (located to the west) served as the main area of activity.
St. Inigoes Manor was patented in 1634, the same year that the Maryland colony was established, to Richard Gerard. In 1637, Gerard sold his property to Father Thomas Copley of the Society of Jesus. By 1638, the manor had a main residence known as St. Inigoes House, a storehouse, a tobacco barn, and other structures. Throughout the rest of the 17th century, the manor consisted of a semi-autonomous plantation with gardens, orchards, stables, barns, a store, a grist mill, and blacksmith shop, with hundreds of acres of cultivated land producing tobacco and grain. It is maintained that in 1705 the brick Catholic Church located in nearby St. Mary’s City was dismantled and the brick was reused to build a new Priest’s house at St. Inigoes. Another, possibly third, St. Inigoes Manor house appears to have been built at Priest’s Point ca. 1755. That the Old Chapel Field Manor house was dismantled and moved to Priest’s Point in the middle of the 18th century is supported by archeological and documentary evidence.
Beginning in 1806, new structures were built on the manor property including a brick barn, a weaver’s house, a windmill, a miller’s house, cow and hen houses, workshops, and slave quarters. A cemetery is also known to have been located near the manor house. A destructive raid was carried by the British in 1814; the dwellings were looted, foodstuffs were confiscated, and the chapel was desecrated but the Priest’s/ St. Inigoes House and all the other structures were spared from being burned, allowing the mission to recover and continue to prosper. In 1872, a fire gutted the brick manor house. Parts of the east wing, the 19th century kitchen, and the connecting hyphen were raised to 2 stories from 1 story and rebuilt into a smaller dwelling. In 1876, a 4-story “Villa House” was built nearby to house mission students. In 1919, the priest’s residence was transferred from St. Inigoes to nearby St. Michael’s Hundred. Operations continued at St. Inigoes Manor on a smaller scale with tenants continuing to occupy various farms located on the property. In 1942, when the US Navy acquired the north 773 acres of manor land, the Villa house and all the Jesuit buildings were removed. The remainder of the original 2000 acres not bought by the Navy or lost to erosion remains in the possession of the Jesuits.
Evaluations of the St. Inigoes Manor House at Priest’s Point were conducted from 1971-1976. It was determined that the surviving portions of the 18th century building, primarily the cellar, the foundation up to the water course, and the first 36 brick courses of the east wall, along with elements of the early 19th century kitchen, had been incorporated into the late 19th century house. A National Register form was filed at that time. In 1978, the Navy decided to remove all portions of the manor house that post-dated the early 19th century (prior to the 1872 fire). The west, north, and south walls of the main house were demolished down to the water course and much of the east wall was left intact. Following the demolition, the kitchen wing was roofed and the exposed walls of the main house were capped with concrete. At some point afterwards, the cellar was filled in.
In 1982, the proposed construction of a new sewage treatment plant at Priest’s Point prompted the archeological survey of the area between the ruins of the manor house and the existing sewage plant to the south. Portions of the study zone were outside the boundaries of site 18ST87 as defined from the survey and as assessed by Maryland Historical Trust personnel. According to those parameters, the portions of the 1982 survey that are included in the synopsis consist of the 3 excavated test units (TU 1-3) and all shovel test pits (STPs) north of the N200 line. During the Phase I/II survey, a total of 329 STPs were excavated. Of those, approximately 196 STPs were within the defined boundaries of 18ST87. Field methodology included placing an arbitrary datum point approximately 7.62 m (25’) north of the north corner of the then existing treatment plants’ sand filtration basin that was assigned grid N100/W100. STPs were excavated at 3.048 m (10’) intervals. All soils were screened through ¼” hardware cloth.
It was noted during the STP excavations that at approximately the N200 line, there was a marked stratigraphic change with the soils becoming a dark brown loam rather than the disturbed strata found in the more southerly portion of the study area. This coincided with an increase in artifact density. The soils appeared to be unplowed and the field edge was thought to represent the northern edge of a garden area. The area between N200 and the Manor house ruins to the north appeared to be undisturbed. At N350 and extending about 6.09 m (20’) east-west, there was evidence of a large subsurface feature in STP N350/W100. The feature fill was densely packed with oyster shell, structural, and habitation debris. Based on the artifact assemblage, it appeared to be 19th-20th century in origin. The total depth of the feature was not determined but it extended below a depth of 0.33 m (1.1’). The identification of brick foundations in several of the STPs led to the excavation of one 1.524 m² test unit (TU 1) and two 1.524 m X 0.76 m test units (TU 2, TU3). TU 1 revealed the east corner of what was thought to be a 2.43 m² (8’X8’) cellar, TU 2 revealed a brick pier probably from the frame structure overlying the cellar, and TU 3 revealed a line of brick rubble, presumably a line of a robbed foundation. It was speculated that this was the site of a 19th century weaver’s house known to have existed in the area. As a result of the survey, the proposed new sewage treatment plant was moved to an area of low archeological sensitivity.
In 1983, a Phase II investigation was conducted around the area of the Jesuits manor house ruins at Priest’s Point. The study was undertaken in order to aid in the development of a preservation plan for stabilizing, interpreting, and possibly reusing the historic site. The previous investigation (1982) generated an interest in the buried foundations west of the east wing ruins. Goals of the investigations were to attempt to: verify that the east wing and the central portion are of contemporary construction and determine if the central portion had a cellar beneath it, determine if the central portion and the west wing were of contemporaneous construction, determine the overall length, construction details, etc. of the west wing, locate the chimney bases and ascertain their dimensions and configurations, and determine the size and configuration of the porch.
Ten test units were opened, totaling 215 square feet. All units were 1.524 m² except for test unit 9 which was 1.524 m X 0.76 m. Most of the brick, oyster shell, and mortar were collected, counted and discarded, or measured in volume (ml or liters) and discarded. An estimated 10.115 liters of shell was measured, and 577.3 liters of brick, mortar and plaster were measured.
Test units 1, 4, 8, 9, and 10 were all located in the manor house’s interior. A number of artifacts that had burned in the 1872 fire were recovered. Test unit 1 revealed the north wall with an inner wall abutting it (the juncture of the west wing with the central portion) and builder’s trenches along the interior edge of the north wall and both sides of the inner wall. This indicated that the construction of the west wing was contemporaneous with that of the central portion. Test units 4, and 8-10 exposed a hearth foundation that measured 1.05 m wide at the front and was 0.716 m deep. From outside edge to outside edge, the hearth front measured 1.9 m.
Test units 2 and 6 were placed on the exterior (west ) wall of the house where corners of the brick foundation were uncovered. Measurements of the exterior of the wall show that it was 9.35 m (30’7”) long. There was a dense oyster shell stratum that probably represented a single deposit along the west wall as drainage for the roof’s dripline. No cellar was found under the west wing.
Test unit 5 was placed in an area thought to be the front porch. A posthole and post mold was located but did not appear to be associated with a porch. Excavations also revealed remnants of the manor house’s south wall foundation (consisting of 3 courses of brick) and associated builder’s trench.
Test unit 3 was placed at the junction of the east wing with the north wall where the northwest chimney was thought to have been, in the house’s parlor area. Two masonry wall sections were exposed along with a large quantity of burnt materials. It was indicated that the construction of the east wing was contemporaneous with that of the central portion of the house. It was postulated that this was the area where the 1872 fire started. The north wall was found to be 17 courses high suggesting that it may be a wall for a cellar beneath the parlor. The parlor measured about 7.3 m². A sandstone conglomerate/burnt shell mortar wall feature was also encountered in this unit. It measured at 1.524 m long and was 27.9 cm thick and extended into adjoining test unit 7. The scorched nature of the feature indicated that it was in place at the time of the 1872 fire. The actual function of the feature was not possible to ascertain.
Test unit 7 was placed in an area that had been highly disturbed by the 20th century chimney construction. The sandstone feature identified in test unit 3 continued into test unit 7, revealing that the feature was 0.609 m wide. Based on the excavations, dimensions of the house could be roughly determined at 9.35 m X 17.28 m. The walls appeared to be laid in English bond.
In 1996, intensive Phase I/II archeological investigation were conducted at NAS WFA. The project was undertaken to identify and define archeological sites in areas not previously subjected to systematic Phase I survey and to identify and spatially define archeological resources at NAS WFA, building upon previous investigations. The total project area covered approximately 700 acres. The areas to be tested were ranked as ‘high’, ‘medium’, or ‘low’. Lands adjacent to St. Mary’s River or within 60-120 m of a creek or spring were defined as high potential areas. Those areas were tested at 7.62 m intervals. Medium and low potential areas were tested at 15.24 m intervals. The project area was divided into smaller, arbitrary survey areas designated 1-29, and 5 non-systematically tested areas were designated as fields W, X, Y, Z, and 80M. When a field was too large to easily record it was subdivided and designated by the field number and with ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, etc. All artifacts were collected, no attempt was made to separate the artifacts by stratum within the STPs.
18ST87 was located within Field 9a, in the northwest portion of the study area. Approximately 213 STPs were excavated within the site at 7.62 m intervals, and 2 test units were excavated. Due to the fact that oyster shell and animal bone were scattered across both the historic and prehistoric components of the site, they could not be assigned to a specific component. The site was divided into 5 components based on location within the site boundaries: 2 prehistoric components (1 in the northeast portion and 1 in the western portion), historic component 1 which partially overlaps the prehistoric component in the northeast portion, historic component 2 which partially overlaps the prehistoric component in the central portion, and historic component 3 located on the western tip of the site. In the original text, the artifacts recovered from 18ST87 were distinguished from those recovered from other parts of the field that were not within the boundaries of the site.
Three features were identified in historic component 1 during the shovel testing. STP N13825/E8200 revealed articulated bricks. Test unit 1 was placed over this feature and provided evidence of a possible fireplace or furnace base, including 69 coal slag fragments and 88 charcoal fragments. STP N13850/E8300 also revealed articulated bricks and was interpreted to be the base of a fireplace. A third feature was found in STP N13900/E8375. The feature was filled with brick rubble (140 brick fragments), and small amounts of mortar, domestic objects, and oyster shell. A number of nails were also recovered that suggested a frame structure once stood on the site.
One feature was identified in historic component 2 that contained disarticulated brick. It was interpreted as possibly representing the demolition of a structure dated to the 19th or 20th century. The small number of domestic artifacts suggests that it was an outbuilding of some sort.
Four STPs that were clustered in a 7.6 m area around the manor house ruins contained several features including a shell-filled trash midden, two brick rubble features, and an articulated brick feature. The brick rubble lenses sat on top of what appeared to be a buried plowzone. The articulated brick feature may be the remains of a floor or foundation. A buried topsoil or plowzone was also identified below the trash midden.
In the spring of 2002, Phase I/II excavations were again undertaken at 18ST87. The study was conducted ahead of proposed bankline stabilization activities. The impact area started at the southern edge of the site and extended along the river frontage of the St. Mary’s River and St. Inigoes Creek to the northeastern edge of the site for a distance of approximately 487.6 m (1,600’). The proposed impacts were to be confined to a 6.09 m wide zone inland from the shoreline. The goals of the investigations were to verify the presence of archeological features within the impact zone and to evaluate the contribution of those features to the eligibility of the site for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
A total of 65 STPs were excavated at 7.62 m intervals across the area of potential impact. Remote sensing was conducted to provide data on possible sub-surface feature locations. Conductivity and magnetic susceptibility surveys were undertaken in 3 areas within the site boundaries. The results of the shovel testing and remote sensing activities determined the placement of test units. Thirteen 3.048 m² test blocks, excavated in four 1.524 m² test units, were dug. Of those, 11 units were subjected to 100% plowzone screening and 2 to 25% plowzone screening. Soils from the STPs were screened through ¼” mesh. Artifacts from the surface of any archeological feature were sampled but no features were investigated. Features were planned, photographed, and a detailed description of dimensions, soil color, texture, and inclusive material were recorded. Several features were identified during the 2002 study included 20 (possible) postholes/ post molds, 5 pits, 3 trenches (2 historic trenches, 1 modern utility trench), and 2 fill layers. As these features were not excavated, it was not possible to determine their exact nature. The majority of the artifacts were collected from the Ao/Ap horizon. Oyster shell was weighed in grams, and over 20,000 g were recovered. A sample of 282 shells and shell fragments were collected from the 589 total listed in Appendix I, the artifact inventory. Of the ceramics collected from the site, 111 were cataloged as “transitional Pearl/Whiteware”. These were counted as whiteware in the table above.
Artifacts from site 18ST87: The artifact totals were tallied from all of the original reports stated above. The total counts were condensed in order to save space in the file, prevent confusion on the reader’s part, and provide a comprehensive overview of the artifact assemblage from the St. Inigoes Manor site.
A total of 239 prehistoric items were recovered from 18ST87. There were 199 pieces of debitage including 11 cores. There were 11 tools (1 Potomac point, 1 Piscataway point, 2 triangular points, 3 other biface tools, 2 uniface quartz tools, and 2 utilized flakes). There were 10 fire-cracked rocks. ‘Other lithics’ included 3 unidentified cobbles and 1 hammerstone. Quartz was the predominate raw material in the lithic assemblage followed by quartzite, chert, jasper, rhyolite, and sandstone. There were 15 ceramic sherds (5 Mockley sherds, 1 Pope’s Creek sherd, 2 Yeocomico sherds, 2 Townsend sherds, 2 shell-tempered sherds, 1 sand-tempered sherd, and 2 unidentified sherds). The artifacts suggest short-term occupation periods during the Middle- to Late Woodland periods with a possible Late Archaic occupation suggested by the single Piscataway point.
A total of 23,680 historic items were recovered from 18ST87. There were 188 activity items (16 fragments of lamp glass, 5 metal lamp pieces, 1 ‘G-Man’ child’s toy ring, 1 ceramic doll part, 3 pencil fragments, 1 glass marble, 4 iron hooks, 1 iron S hook, 2 chain link fence fragments, 3 barbed wire fence fragments, 9 fence staples, 1 tent spike, 2 iron springs, 1 triangular iron file, 1 iron jack, 1 metal clothespin spring, 1 iron bucket handle (20th c.), 2 metal rings, 1 metal strap, 2 iron wire fragments, 1 conglomeration of copper-alloy rings and leather, possibly a horse harness, 1 horseshoe, 2 bell fragments, 120 iron trimmings, 1 modern windshield wiper blade, 1 rubber car door knob, 6 terra cotta flower pot sherds, and 5 vinyl record fragments).
There were 14,433 architectural items (3,849 brick fragments, 9 brick bats, 1,435 mortar fragments, 97 plaster fragments, 2 with lathe marks and 1 with decorative scroll work, 2 daub fragments, 3 gray paint fragments, 2,626 window glass shards, 74 other flat glass fragments, 4 fragments of asbestos tile, metal pipe pieces, 434 wrought nails, 2,421 cut nails, 623 wire nails, 9 L-head nails, 2,764 unidentified nails, 1 ceramic door knob, 37 metal screws, 1 brass screw marked “Franklin Made in USA”, 5 iron hinges, 3 iron bolts, 1 modern bolt, 2 pieces of electrical wire, 1 door lock part, 3 metal washers, 2 iron nuts, 1 iron U tack, 3 spike fragments, 5 ceramic sewer pipe fragments, 12 metal sewer pipe pieces, 1 brass tubing fragment, 1 iron pipe coupling, and 4 other architectural hardware objects).
There were 15 clothing items (2 bone buttons, 3 metal buttons, 2 glass buttons, 1 plastic button, 2 shell buttons, 1 mother-of-pearl/shell cufflink, and 2 iron buckles). There were 18 furniture items (1 brass furniture drawer-pull finial, 1 copper escutcheon, 2 drawer handles, 1 door hook, 10 iron bed frame fragments, and 2 stove parts).
There were 6,869 kitchen-related items (1,745 bottle glass fragments, 1 case bottle fragment, 74 blown-in-mold bottle glass fragments, 16 non-machine made bottle glass fragments, 14 machine made bottle glass fragments, 169 table glass fragments, 7 milk glass fragments, 1 English brown stoneware, 5 Rhenish blue and gray, 25 Rockingham, 162 creamware, 209 pearlware, 21 yellow ware, 1 imported black basalt stoneware, 14 domestic brown stoneware, 594 domestic gray stoneware, 12 white salt-glazed stoneware, 25 ironstone, 12 unidentified stoneware, 1 refined earthenware, 21 lead-glazed earthenware, 10 buff-bodied earthenware, 6 tin-glazed earthenware, 134 red-bodied earthenware, 453 unidentified earthenware, 69 porcelain, 5 hard paste porcelain, 1 Chinese export porcelain, 3 semi-porcelain, 565 whiteware, 8 unidentified sherds, 2 copper-alloy spoon fragments, 3 metal jar lid fragments, 7 bottle caps, 10 crown caps, 3 pull tabs, 1 bone handle, 3 iron knife/blade fragments, 2 tin can fragments, 1 fish bone, 1 clam shell, 2,128 oyster shells and shell fragments, 315 animal bone fragments, and 10 animal teeth).
There were 2,079 miscellaneous items (126 unidentified glass fragments, many melted, 23 unidentified metal objects, 299 unidentified iron objects, 43 unidentified miscellaneous objects, 1 unidentified cobble, 7 Bakelite fragments, 1,196 coal fragments, 145 charcoal fragments, 98 coal slag pieces, 3 leather fragments, 3 cloth pieces, 78 wood fragments, 9 Cypress wood fragments, 5 unidentified rubber objects, 10 unidentified plastic objects, 6 slate pieces, 32 slag pieces, 84 glass slag pieces, and 9 fragments of concrete ).
There were 15 personal items (1 mirror fragment, 1 copper alloy tack with a banner molded with the letters “INRI”, which would likely have been nailed onto a cross, 3 plastic comb pieces, 2 chamberpot fragments, 1 ceramic figurine fragment, 1 brass key, 1 metal pen cap, 1 metal book latch, 1 (1727-1760) coin, 1 (1953) coin, 1 (1930) nickel, and 1 unidentified coin). There were 32 tobacco items (19 white clay pipe stem fragments, 7 white clay bowl fragments, 1 with molded line decoration, 3 reed pipe stems, and 3 terra cotta pipe fragments, 1 stamped with the word ‘ORIGINAL’). There were 32 arms-related items (1 piece of gunflint debitage, 4 bullet casings (.25 caliber), 4 bullet casings (.22 caliber), 4 rimfire cartridges, 10 center-fired shell casings, and 9 shotgun shell casings).
Both the prehistoric and the historic components of the St. Inigoes Site (18ST87) appear to contribute to the site’s eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. The historic components at the site represent the periods of the original St. Inigoes Manor house (ca. 1750-1872), the rebuilt manor and Villa house (ca. 1872-1942), and the post-Jesuit Navy occupation (1942-present). The historic components exhibit a high degree of vertical and horizontal integrity. The prehistoric component has as yet not revealed intact features or deposits; however, there is the potential for such integrity in the areas north and east of the manor house. If avoidance of the site is not possible, then a Phase III data recovery is highly recommended.
The historic weaver’s house at Priest’s Point, Maryland State Site in St. Inigoes was the subject of archaeological investigations in Fall 2016 by St. Mary’s College of Maryland staff and students. Formerly part of St. Inigoes Manor, the weaver’s house represents one of a series of domestic and industrial buildings at Priest’s Point constructed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century by the Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus.
The weaver’s house was found in 1982 during compliance archaeology related to construction of a sewage treatment facility, when brick and mortar foundations were exposed in several shovel test pits and test units. The continuation of fieldwork at the site consisted of 26 additional shovel test pits, and two 5-foot by 2.5-foot test units, as well as additional artifact analysis and archival research, which supports the conclusion that this is the weaver’s house. Ledger entries record clothing items like shawls, shirts, stockings, and handkerchiefs, as well as fabrics such as linen, muslin, and cambric, which were produced at St. Inigoes. A small number of buttons in the assemblage reflect the presence of clothing items, other artifact types such as glass bottles, tableware ceramics, and smoking pipes define this structure as a multi-faceted activity area including domestic and artisanal work.
In 2021 and 2022, R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates conducted fieldwork as part of a project to install a series of towers around the perimeter of the Webster Field Annex as part of the CUJO project.
At Site 18ST87, three prehistoric artifacts were recovered, all from the Ab horizon soils mixed with historic materials. This light scatter of prehistoric materials suggests only brief lithic reduction activities in this portion of the site. Tower Site 5 comprised approximately 500 ft2 (46.5 m2) of potential disturbance associated with the proposed tower location and three cable anchor points. The three cable anchor points include one to be located in a walkway, which could not be hand excavated, and the other two to be situated proximate to 2002 excavation blocks. The 2002 areas examined closest to elements of the current project were Test Blocks 9 and 11, both screened at 100 percent. These blocks are proximate to the locations proposed for the West and Northeast tower cable anchor points. Neither block contained cultural features. Test Block 9 yielded 145 items and Test Block 11 produced 63 items. The central tower location was proposed beyond the extent of the 2002 study, and was examined using three 1 x 1 m (3.28 x 3.28 ft) test units (TU 1, 2, and 3). This area is situated in an area where a pool and fitness center had been located previously.
The Phase II investigation of the historic component in this portion of Site 18ST87 recovered 29 artifacts. This total includes 8 items from a “grab sample” of materials in a fill stratum in TU 1, and 21 from Ab soils beneath the fill in TUs 1 and 2. The artifacts from the fill included 2 wire nails (1890 – present), 1 ironstone sherd (1840 – present), 4 pieces of glass of indeterminate manufacturing method, and 1 sherd of red-bodied earthenware. Artifacts encountered but not retained from the fill horizon included concrete, pool tile, brick, window glass, and coal.
The fill materials appear to relate to the twentieth century demolition of structures including a pool and fitness center that once were located in this area. The artifacts from Ab horizon contexts consist of 9 cut nails (1815 – 1890), 3 brick fragments, 2 window glass fragments, 2 nail fragments of indeterminate manufacturing method, 1 ironstone sherd (1840 – present), 1 sherd of white-bodied earthenware, 1 molded bottle glass fragment, 1 piece of glass of indeterminate manufacturing method, and 1 cut or wrought nail (1600 – 1890). The majority of artifacts (81 percent) are architectural in nature. The small Ab horizon assemblage suggests a light scatter of refuse and debris related to the 1872 destruction of the original manor house and/or the subsequent construction of the Villa House. No archaeological features were noted.
Three prehistoric artifacts were recovered during the Phase II evaluation of this portion of Site 18ST87, all from the Ab horizon soils mixed with historic materials. These artifacts include an unfinished late stage quartzite biface (10.42 g), a secondary rhyolite flake fragment (3.42 g), and a quartz non-cortical flake fragment (0.33 g). This light scatter of prehistoric materials suggests only brief lithic reduction activities in this portion of the site.
Based on these findings, no further archaeological investigation was warranted or recommended for this project.
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