Maryland Archeology Month

-April 2009-

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St. Mary's City:
375 years old, thousands of years young

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Archeology Gallery

1797 Coin

Discovered Coin

Coin Example

1797 Coin

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) undertook several stages of archeological work at the Simpsonville Stone Ruins, 18HO80, to mitigate adverse effects of road construction along MD 32 from MD 108 to Pindell School Road. Prior to that, Mr. Lee Preston, Ms. Louise Akerson and others of the Upper Patuxent Archeological Group, a chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc., had undertaken test excavations and intensive archival research into the history of the mill property.

Historic documents showed that a mill had been present on the property prior to 1768, when it is mentioned in the will of Joshua Warfield. A 1796 indenture transferring property from Joseph Warfield to Richard Owings mentions "Richard Owings Mill", apparently acquired previously. Griffith's Map of Maryland, drafted in 1794, identifies the owner of the Simpsonville mill as Owings.

In 1811 Owings resurveyed his property, and two years later Oliver Evans granted Owings a license to use Evans new milling patents. Evans revolutionary process harnessed mill power to automate the functions of a gristmill, using a system of belts and pulleys to transfer the product - from grain to meal to flour - between the various processing machines. Owings likely constructed a new mill to house the improved machinery based on Evans patents.

The documentary record does not tell us exactly when this occurred, but one artifact of almost 16,000 recovered during Phase II excavations conducted for SHA by GAI Consultants, Inc. addresses this question. Directly outside the south entrance of the mill, testing revealed a builder's trench excavated more than one meter below ground surface to bedrock. A U.S. Draped-Bust Large Cent dated 1797 was recovered from this deep level directly outside the mill door. We believe that this copper one-cent piece was intentionally placed to commemorate the construction of the mill, much like the modern practice of placing a time capsule.

Excavations also revealed burned deposits within the mill relating to two documented fires in the early 20th century. Later Phase III data recovery excavations done by John Milner Associates for SHA revealed important information about consumer habits at the Simpsonville Store in the early 20th century, based on review of surviving store account books. Most of the mill complex, designated the Simpsonville Archeological District, was avoided during construction and preserved intact. The archeological work provided important insights into the history of the site and the region, combining archival research with analysis of recovered artifact assemblages from several dozen distinct features in the district. Moreover, the investigations showed that even with the help of extensive historic documentation, sometimes it's necessary to turn to archeology to fully understand our history.

Information and photographs provided by Richard Ervin, Maryland State Highway Adminsitration