Q 11 U563 CRLSSI »R!ELl2^i NS \ Alcjxjvncli Grwsl'•{f^^ A Fl F O R D ^^; ^tl:>^ f''^. ^^^^. -^V. P C \ XJ K T p Y •'^,^ m. Ikfl "<. ^^ SMITHSOMAX IXSTITLTION UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLLllX 253 WASHINGTON. DC. 1968 ^^hc (ailrunil HistorN of MarlborouLih, Mrsiinia An Archeological aiul Historical Investigation of the Port Town for Staffonl Count\ aiul the Phmtation of John Mercer, Including Data Supplied by Frank M. Setzler and Oscar H. Darter C.. \i \ l.(.()l.\l W \ I k I \.s C I K \H>k »)K C'ULTl I .1 Ill.sIOK^ MlSKI M OK IIlsTokN- \M) IK HN()I.t)C;Y SMH H>c).\l.\\ l\Mlll 1U)\ il<l ^^ . i SMI I ii^oM.w iN^ini ri<>\ • w .\>iii\(. ION. iy( . Piibluulivns of the United States Mitia/tal Museum The scholarly and scientific publications of the L'nited States National Museum include two series, J'roteedings of the United Slates Niitioiiat Museum and United States Xational Museum Bulletin. In these series, the Museum publishes urininal articles and monographs dealing with the collections and work of its constituent museums—The Museum of Natural History and the Museimi of History and Technolog)—setting forth newly accjuired facts in the fields of anthropology, biology, history, geology, and technology. Copies of each publication are distributed to libraries, to cultiu-al and scientific organizations, and to specialists and others interested in the different subjects. 1 he Proceedings, begiui in 1878, are intended for the publication, in separate form, of shorter jjapers from the Museum of Natural History. These are gathered in volumes, octavo in size, with the publication date of each paper recorded in the table of contents of the volume. In the Bulletin series, the first of which was i.ssued in 1875, appear longer, separate publications consisting of monographs (occasionally in several parts) and volumes in which are collected works on related subjects. Bulletins are either octavo or quarto in size, depending on the needs of the presentation. Since 1902 papers relating to the botanical collections of the .Museum of Natural History have been published in the Bulletin series under the heading Contributions from the L'nited States .Xational Herbarium. and since 1959, in Bulletins titled "Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology," have been gathered shorter ])apers relating to the collections and research of that Museum. This work forms volume 253 of the Bulletin series. Frank A. Taylor Director. United States .Xational Museum Tor sale by the SiiperintomJcnt of Dccuments, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D C'. JU-in^ - Price $3.75 (>()nrcnts I'mt Preface yW HrSTORY I. < )tlicial port towns in \'irginia and origins (if Marll)ori)ii?li II. Iiihii Mcro'r's occii(>ation of Marlhoroneh, 1726 173(1 I;") III. MiTci-r's consolidation of Marll)oroiii'li, 1730 1710 21 I\'. Marlborough at its ascendancy, 1741 1750 27 \'. Mercer and Mnrll)oroiu;h, from zenith to decline, i/ji i /'jO 49 \'I. Dis.soliition of Marll)orotii;h 61 Archkih.ckjv .\Nn Arciiitecture . 65 \'II The site, its problem, and preliniinar)- tests . 67 \111 .\rcheolos;ical techniques . 70 1\ Wall system 71 \. Mansion foundation (Structure B) . 85 XI. Kitchen foundation (Structure E) 101 XII. Suppo.sed smokehouse foundation (.Structure I 107 XI 11 I'its and other structures Ill XI\. Staff.-'i '•••' I' ••!' P"' ^r Tr-.l 115 ARTiKAcrrs 123 X\' CWamic- 125 X\ 1 r.lass M' > W 1 1 < )l>iects of person.il no- I > X\ 111 Metalwork . I V XIX. ('.(inclusion . I IS (»t\l-RM, C'«\C:l.fSIONs I7"> '" XX. .Suniman.- of findini!* Ap|x*ndixe- 181 .•\. InxentoiN ol licuiiic .\ikIh,\%>, ' >ii.iiii.n \ Kccpei 183 B. Inventory of Peter Be.uh . 184 (;. Charges to account of Mosley Haltalrv I.'!'' • I). "Domestick Vs 1 72.'i IH«i E. John Mercer'^ 1726 MM 141 ' > F. Credit side of John Mercrr's account with Nathaniel l^hapmi: ! f; (>\rr\vli.uton P.u i>li account I'M I II. (Ailonisls idriitilird li\ John Mrrcri accordini; to occupation , I. Materials listed in accounts with Hunter and Dick, Frrdrrickslvnt; J. C'tcortje MeiTcr's exjJensM while atlrndinj; collrtrr K. John Mercer's library I.. Botanical record and prevailing teniix-raturr*, I 7i>7 M. Inventory of Marlboroni^h, 1771 Index Preface A luiiiibcr of people participated in the preparation at tin- Smithsonian Institution) had commenced of tliis study. The inspiration for the archeolos;ical excavations at the Indian village site of Patawomeckr, .nut historical in\(-stii;.itions came from F'rofcssor a few hundred yards west of the Marl' T ( )scar H. Dartrr. wlio initil 1960 was chairman of site. The aliorigiiial backgrounds of I' the Department of Historical and Social Sciences at ing Marlborough Point already had ijeen investigated. Mary Washinijton C'oUeijf, the women's branch of As the result of his historical research the L'niversity of X'irijinia. The actual excavations this project, Dr. Stewart has cotitribm were made under the direction of Frank M. Setzler, tally to the present undertaking by foreseeing the formerly the head curator of anthropoloijy at the excavations of .\larll)orough Town as a logical step Sniithsunian Institution. None of the investigation Ix'yond his own investigation. would ha\e been fxissible hiid not the owners of the Motivated by this combination of interests, circum- pro|H'rty permitted the excavations to be made, stances, and historical clues. Dr. Darter invit..' •' .•itjmrtimcs at considerable inconvenience to them- Smithsonian Institution to participate in an .n s<-l\rs. I am indebted to W. Biscoc, Ralph W'hitticar. logical investigation of Marllwrough. Prrliminan- ' — [r.. and Thomas .Ashby, all of whom owned the ex- tcsts made in .August 1954 wn •' iitly rrw.T cavated areas at Marlborough; and T. Ben Williams, to justify such a project. Cc ;lv, an a| , whose cornfield includes the site of the 18th-century tion for funds was prepared jomtly and was subnutled Stafford County courthouse, south of Potomac Clreek. by Dr. Darter through the l'niversity of \'irgir- ' For many years Or. Darter has been a resident of the .American Philosophical .Society. In I' Fredericksburg and, in the summers, of Marlborough 1956 grant number 1.59, Johnson Fund Point on the Potomac River. During these years, SI 500 was assigned to the program. In aii he has devoted himself to the history of the .Stafford Smith.sonian In^iiiuiion contribiitetl the p County area which lies between these two locations services nri field research and dire^-irti the in northeastern Virginia. Marllwrough Point has purchase oi ...i. .....iius and photostats, the drawing interested Dr. Darter especially since it is the site of of maps and illustrations, and the preparation and one of the \'iri;inia colonial port towns designated publication of this report. Dr. Darter by .-Xct of Ancinbly in 1691. During the town's provided the use of his Marllxirou^h Po; brief existence, it was the location of the Stafford during the peritxl of excavation, and Marv W.i- CV>imty courthouse and the place where the colonial ton College administered the ifranl. Frank ^ -.ix-^w.-l i*.- planter and lawyer John Mercer established his directed the excavations duri"" • home in 1 726. Tangible evidence of colonial April and May 19.56, while i activities at MarllN)i(iugh Point in the form of material and the searches of ! brickbats and jxjLshertls .itill can be .seen aft'-' 'I were carnetl out by V.. M.i. each plowinn. while John Mercer's "Land Bimk \t the commenccnicnl of a; examined anew by Dr. Darter, has revealed the on prctetl that (r.ices of the rial survey plats of the port town. I ! ntury town would l>e fo«i In this same period and as early as 1938, Dr. T. the foundatioits of the rouril Dale Stewart (then curator of phvsieal anlhropolo IS rtot realized, altlKNigh wUm \\.i>. '.Knaid tr> report; Edward G. Schumacher ol the Bureau of Mciccr period piovi-d to l)i- of greater importance. Ethnology, who made the archeological After completion, a report was made in the 1956 American drawings; Scott of the Smithsonian Tear Book of the American Philosophical Society maps and Jack photographic laboratory, who photographed the arti- (pp. 304-308). Harrison Sanford King of Fred- After ilic 1956 excavations, the question remained facts; and George whether the principal foundation (Structure B) might ericksburg, from whom the necessary documentation not have been that of the courthouse. Therefore, in for the 18th-century courthouse site was obtained. August 1957 a week-long effort was made to find I am grateful also to Dr. Anthony .\. B. Garvan, comparative evidence by digging the site of the professor of American civilization at the University succeeding 18th-contury Stafford Count)' courthouse- of Pennsylvania and former head curator of the at the head of Potomac Creek. This disclosed a Smithsonian Institution's department of civil history, foundation suHiciently different from Structure B to for invaluable encouragement and advice; and to rule out any analogy between the two. Worth Bailey formerly with the Historic American It should be made clear that -because of the limited Buildings Survey, for many ideas, suggestions, and im- size of the grant—the archeological phase of the in- portant identifications of craftsmen listed in Mercer's vestigation was necessarily a limited survey. Only the ledgers. more obvious features could be examined within the I am equally indebted to Ivor Noel Hume, director means at the project's disposal. No final conclusions of archeology at Colonial Williamsburg and an relative to Structure B, for example, are warranted honorary research associate of the .Smithsonian Insti- until the section of foundation beneath the highway tution, for his assistance in the identification of which crosses it can be excavated.