18CV279 Compton

Site History

Compton tobacco plantation was probably founded by William and Magdalene Stevens c. 1651. The Stevens family is believed to have come to the site along the Patuxent River from Virginia. They lived at Compton until 1665, when they moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Unidentified tenants probably occupied the site from 1665 to about 1685.

Archaeology

Compton was discovered by an archaeological survey in 1987. A residential development slated for construction at the site prompted full data recovery in 1988. The data recovery included plow zone sampling and chemical analysis followed by stripping operations to expose features. Twenty-six features were excavated, consisting primarily of pit features. Many post holes and post molds were exposed, indicating the presence of at least two post-in-ground structures at the site. Unfortunately few post holes were excavated, making definitive architectural interpretations difficult.

For more information:

http://www.chesapeakearchaeology.org/SiteSummaries/ComptonSummary.htm

http://www.jefpat.org/NEHWeb/Assets/Documents/FindingAids/18CV279-Compton Final Finding Aid.htm

http://www.jefpat.org/IntroWeb/Compton.htm

The Compton Site archaeological collection is owned by the Maryland Historical Trust and curated at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.