TJ?c Sih\ its Prohlciii^ 

 diid Prc/iiiiiii(iry Tests 



\\\ 



1 lu- preceding chapters have presented written 

 evidence of Marllioroiigh's histoiy and of the human 

 elements that gave it life and motivation. Assembled 

 mostly during the years following the excavations, 

 this information was not, for the most part, available 

 in 1956 to guide the archeological sur\ey recounted 

 here. .Neither was there immediate evidence on the 

 surface of the planted fields to indicate the importance 

 and splendor of .Marlborough as it existed in the I8ih 

 ccntuiT. 



In 1954, when Dr. Darter proposed that the Smith- 

 sonian Institution participate in making excavations, 

 he presented a general picture of colonial events at 

 Marllwrough. He also provided photostats of the 

 two colonial sur\'ey plats so frequently mentioned in 

 Part I (fig. 2). From information inscribc"d on the 

 1691 plat, it was clear that a town had been laid out 

 in that year, that it had consisted of 52 acres divided 

 into half-acre lots, and that two undesignated acres 

 had been set aside for a courthouse near its western 

 boundar\-. It was known also that John Mercer had 

 occupied the town in the IHth centun. that he had 

 built a mansion there, that a circular ruin of drrs.sed 

 lime-sandstone was the base of his windmill, and that 

 erosion along the Potomac River i)ank had radicall\ 

 changed the shoreline since the town's fjjunding 263 

 ycai-s earlier. But nolK)dy in 1954 could point out 

 with any certainty the foundation of Meitrer's 

 mansion, nor was anyone aware of tin- 

 stone wall .system, the two-room kitclu ; 



or the trash pits and other structures that la\ beneath 

 the surface, along with man\ IHth-century household 



artifacts. It remained for the archculogist to rrcovcr 

 such nonperishabic data from the ground. 



In .August 1954 .Mc-ssrs. .Setzler, D.i' ' '.' '• 

 .spent three days at Marllx>rough < \ 

 making tests, and, in general, determining whelhrr 

 there was sutlicient evidence to justify extended 

 excavations. The site is located in the southeastern 

 portion of what was known in the 17th centiir>- as 

 Potowmack .Neck (now Nfarllwrough Point), with the 

 Potomac River on the east and Potomac C'reek on the 

 south (map, front endpaper). It is appro;iclied from 

 the northeast on Highway 621. which brand 

 Highway tiOO alxtiit 2S miles from the site I 

 6()H rnrjs from Aquia Creek westward to ■ 

 Brooke, situated on the Richmond. I ■ 

 and Potoniac Railrn.-id alxiul four 

 present .StafTord i on L'..S. Route I. High- 

 way 621 takes a ,<.iiidiiv' ■ ' '• •'■■• 



woods until it debouches onto i! 



of the pmiiit. The river is visible lo the east, as the 



road travels slightly east of due <--.>i' ■ .in 



intersecting s<-condar\ road thai nn iih 



.ind then wi The latter i 



v,,i,tl>u>--i< !■> ■■!'''"• Neck 



I the wr-' of 



llic .Neck, li ■ 

 ,,,-,1 i),,- P., I 



I'.ii.ivtoiiK't kr, rxt.4<\itt<tl briM<< 



: I b\ r. D. Stewart. 



Be\ond this «ecoiNiar>- road. Highw^iy 621 con- 

 tinues soiithxtarrJ to .1 snuill thicket aiid cliiiiip of (revs. 



«>7 



