Patuxent Point, 1660s–1670s

Abstract

On a spring day in 1989, Julia A. King, southern Maryland regional archaeologist, led me and two prospective volunteers to the Patuxent Point site. The plan was to excavate this site with minimal funding and experienced, well-trained volunteers. Julia prepared us well for the planning meeting—crab cakes, the local specialty, and ice tea. Over lunch we discussed scheduling and strategy. We would conduct limited plowzone testing and, it was hoped, some feature excavation. The whole project could be wrapped up in a few months. Fifteen months later, we finished the bulk of the fieldwork, our limited testing having turned into a full-scale excavation with support from the state of Maryland, Calvert County, and the Archeological Society of Maryland.