About 60 feet from the shore of Potomac Creek, at the southeast corner
of the old road that runs from the highway to the creek, bordered by
Wall A, were indications of a brick foundation. This structure was
explored to the extent of its width (about 15 feet) for a distance
northward of 17 feet, then the east wall was traced 22 feet farther
north until it disappeared into the bankside and a thicket. The
excavated area disclosed quantities of brickbats, a layer of soil, a
number of burnt bricks, a layer of black charcoal ash, and a 6-inch
deposit of clay. The brick walls were 1.5 feet thick. The structure
had been built into the hillside, so that the north end was presumably a
deep basement.
[Illustration: Figure 56.--EXCAVATION PLAN of Structure H.]
[Illustration: Figure 57.--STRUCTURE H, from Potomac Creek shore,
looking northeast.]
Artifacts were few. A complete scythe (fig. 90) was found embedded in
the clay above the brickwork on the east side of the structure, and next
to it a large body sherd of black-glazed Buckley ware. A few small
ceramic sherds occurred--pieces of redware with trailed slip (fig. 64),
and small bits of delft, salt glaze, and Chinese porcelain.
The location and implied shape of the building suggest that it had a
utilitarian purpose. Near the waterfront, it would conveniently have
served as a warehouse, or possibly as either the brewhouse or malthouse,
each described by Mercer as having been 100 feet long, of brick and
stone. Whether one was of brick and the other of stone, or both were
brick and stone in combination, is not clear. There was no evidence of
stonework in Structure H. On the other hand, the 100-foot-long
rectangular stone enclosure, of which Wall A formed a part, shows no
evidence of brickwork. The purposes of both these structures must, for
now, remain unexplained, but association with the brewery seems
plausible.