What To Find?
"It's not what you find, it's what you find out."
Anthropologist David Hurst Thomas
Oxon Hill was a place with history; that much archaeologists knew when they set out to excavate. There had been buildings on the property since the 17th century, when Colonel John Addison patented the land. Before Addison, John Smith had recorded meeting Piscataway people who lived in the area.
When redevelopment of the Oxon Hill property was considered in the 1980s, archaeology was an important part of the plan. Archaeologists worked closely with the Maryland Historical Trust to answer some basic questions:
What do we think might have been here? John Addison or an early tenant built a house on the property circa 1687, and his son completed Oxon Hill Manor in 1711. Before that, Piscataway settlements were known to have existed in the Oxon Hill vicinity. Piscataway people were probably attracted to the site for the same reason Addison was: it was fertile cropland close to the river, with good views of the surrounding area.
What do we know was here? Historic maps and estate records tell us that several buildings existed on the site, including the brick manor house that burned down in the 1890s. The main house was supported by several other outbuildings or "dependencies" including kitchens, barns, and outhouses. There were also extensive gardens; a family cemetery and mausoleum; and houses for the tenants, servants, and slaves who worked on the property.
What do these artifacts tell us? The locations and types of artifacts found at Oxon Hill tell the stories of the people who lived here. Archaeologists carefully consider other work that has been done in the area and excavations from familiar time periods. For example, oyster shells found in a 19th century site might be part of a garden path or driveway, while oyster shells in a Piscataway settlement might be a record of a town or camp site.
Certain types of artifacts can also help date a site. The fragment of blue and white stoneware shown at right, with its "GR" crown cartouche, represents King George I or II of England, and therefore can be dated from 1714 to 1760.
What Does Your Trash Say About You?
The best stories are not always in the houses, buildings and gardens. The most revealing information about people who lived at Oxon Hill was found in the trash!
Just like people today, people in previous centuries dropped pots and broke tools. Often, they disposed of their trash in abandoned wells or outhouses, or sometimes in trash piles called "middens." Imagine if an archaeologist we went through your trash can at home. What would they learn?
· What materials did you use for dishes? Tools? Clothes?
· Do you cook food at home, or purchase it elsewhere?
· How large is your family?
· Where do you live? In a city? By a river?
What we leave behind tells important stories about how we live. Archaeology is the study of human activity—not just buildings or bones. When archaeologists study a site, they are looking for artifacts or patterns that tell them something about the ways that people lived in and altered their worlds.
[Image captions:]
...Home Life in Colonial Days...
Items in these bottles were discovered at Oxon Hill in the 1980s. Beginning in the late-19th century, interest in Colonial culture, architecture, and domestic goods experienced a revival. These photographs of bottles and flasks were published in The House Beautiful magazine circa 1898.
Oxon Hill Manor House Foundations
The exact location of the former Oxon Hill Manor was discovered in 1980. Over the next decade, excavations uncovered most of the manor house foundations, the location of a circa 1687 earthfast house, as well as several outbuildings and landscape features. Overall, hundreds of archaeological "features" and more than 300,000 artifacts were uncovered from the site. These artifacts, together with field records and reports, represent a significant tool for historians and archaeologists studying the history and culture of 17th-19th century plantation sites.
Building Fragments
Excavations uncovered important architectural features of Oxon Hill Manor, like elaborately decorated wrought iron strap hinges and porch foundations.
Wine Bottles and Seals
A number of 18th-century wine bottles were found at Oxon Hill. The glass seals on the bottles bear the initials of the owner or patron and were a marker of wealth. Thomas Addison's initials "TA" were found on some of the bottles including "TA" for Thomas Addison.
Glass- and Stoneware
Expensive pottery and delicately-made glassware indicate that the people who lived in the manor house had wealth and access to trade networks in Europe. Different tools, such as sugar tongs, show not only what people ate but also how they ate it and some of the social rituals of the day.
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