Teagues Point Redux: Where are the Posts?

Figure 1: Aerial Drone Imagery from 18CH1005.

After lying largely forgotten for over 3 centuries, in the space of less than 3 years, the Teagues Point site has suddenly received a LOT of attention. Situated on what is now state-owned land, since 2023 Site 18CH1005 has been the subject of a ground-penetrating radar survey, a controlled surface collection, ground-truthing with professionally supervised Boy Scout labor, and the 11-day Annual Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology. Despite all the help of our citizen scientist volunteers, there are still a lot of mysteries to solve at Teague’s Point. So, we’re going back!

At the beginning of last year’s Field Session we weren’t quite sure who was occupying the site. Teagues appeared to have both 17th and 18th -century “vibes’. After some time spent analyzing the collection and examining the archival record, we think that mystery has been solved. While a handful of later white-salt-glazed stoneware sherds have come from the site, the vast majority of the artifacts appear to be late 17th-century. Fortunately, an early patent gives us the names of two planters on the tract: a Mr. Jenkins in the early 18th century, and a Michael Swift prior to 1694. We’re pretty sure Teague’s is the Swift house.

The domestic nature of the artifacts recovered last year certainly suggests the presence of a dwelling, and we located and sampled multiple ovoid pits, but so far structural elements like postholes and molds or chimney falls remain elusive. Well…not totally elusive. In the center of one of the largest features a jumble of very friable brick and daub was encountered. Is this a collapsed chimney remnant that is still somewhat intact, or are these ovoid features borrow pits into which debris from a nearby house was pushed? Please come help us find out!

MHT hopes to organize a bit of additional remote sensing at 18CH1005 this spring, and focus on some areas adjacent to where we worked with the ASM in 2025. Your assistance in finding the elusive postholes is greatly appreciated!

The 55th Annual Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology will be held

May 22-June 1, in Charles County. Visit the ASM’s website to register:

https://marylandarcheology.org/Field_Session/2026FieldSessionRegistration.html