Phase II Archaeological Investigations, Blossom Point Farmhouse, Blossom Point Charles County, Maryland

Part of the Blossom Point Project Page (DRAFT) project

Author(s): Jay F. Custer Ph.D.

Year: 1993

Summary

The Phase II excavations at the Blossom Point Farmhouse focused on sub-floor deposits in the three main rooms of the house. The excavations clearly showed that the artifacts and ecofacts recovered from the excavations were derived from a badly disturbed context. Diagnostic artifacts from the Blossom Point Farmhouse indicate that the archaeological deposits date to the middle to late 19th century with a mix of 20th century artifacts added later. During this time period, the house was occupied by the overseers of the Blossom Point Farm. Archival data indicate that the Blossom Point Farm was the most valuable of the Jesuit farms on Cedar Neck; however, it was not necessarily the most efficiently run. Although the middle portion of the 19th century prior to the Civil War was comparatively prosperous for the Blossom Point farm, the socio-economic status of the overseers was not all that high, according to archival data.

Phase II archaeological excavations at the Blossom Point Farmhouse collected interesting information on the lifeways of the 19th century overseers who occupied the house. However, the excavations also showed that the contextual integrity of the sub-floor archaeological deposits had been badly disturbed by animal inhabitants of the space beneath the floor and by recent repairs of the flooring. Given the extensive disturbance of the deposits, the archaeological component of the Blossom Point Farmhouse is not considered to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. No further archaeological investigations are recommended for the site.

Cite this Record

Phase II Archaeological Investigations, Blossom Point Farmhouse, Blossom Point Charles County, Maryland. Jay F. Custer Ph.D.. 1993 ( tDAR id: 445841) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8445841

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Material
American Blue stoneware • American Gray Stoneware • Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Fauna • Glass • Macrobotanical • Metal • Pearlware • Plastic • Porcelain • Shell • Whiteware

Site Name
18CH216 • Ballast House

Site Type
Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Domestic Structures • Food Processing Area • House • Jesuit Farm

Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation • Heritage Management • Site Evaluation / Testing

General
Collections Management • Dietary Analysis • Food procurement and processing study • Religious History • Site Comparison • socio-economic analysis

Geographic Keywords
Blossom Point, MD • Cedar Neck Point • Charles County (County) • Maryland (State / Territory) • Nanjemoy Creek • Port Tobacco River • Potomac River

Spatial Coverage

min long: -79.514; min lat: 38.281 ; max long: -76.838; max lat: 39.749 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): US Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, St. Louis District

Sponsor(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District

Repository(s): Adelphi Laboratory

Prepared By(s): KFS Historic Preservation Group

Submitted To(s): U.S. Army Research Laboratory

Record Identifiers

NADB document id number(s): 4368

NADB citation id number(s): 000000080785

File Information

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Contact(s): US Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, St. Louis District