Greater Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Mount Calvert: A Confluence of Three Cultures

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 3, 2025

1. Mount Calvert, A Confluence of Three Cultures Marker

Inscription.

Mount Calvert: A Confluence of Three Cultures. . , A significant archaeological and historical site, Mount Calvert's vast history represents at least 8,000 years and three cultures: American Indian, European colonial, and African American.

American Indian Inhabitation
American Indians occupied Mount Calvert from the Archaic Period (7,500-2,000 BC) through the Woodland Period (2,000 BC-1600 AD). Early Archaic Period hunters and gatherers visited the Upper Patuxent on a seasonal basis to exploit the Patuxent River's plants, animals, and spring runs of migratory fish. As the modern environment developed around 3,000 years ago, Woodland Period farmers established permanent villages along the shoreline and interior. In 1608, English explorer John Smith noted several Indian villages along the Upper Patuxent, including villages in the vicinity of Mount Calvert and Billingsley.

Charles Town
In 1658, Philip Calvert established a 1,000 acre plantation, Mount Calvert. In the 1680s the Maryland General Assembly began establishing towns in the region. In 1684, a town was established at Mount Calvert. It became the first county seat of Prince George's County in 1696 and was named Charles Town. Numerous buildings were constructed in Charles Town including an Anglican church (1692), a courthouse (1698), a jail (1710), well as taverns, warehouses, and dwellings. In 1721, the county seat was moved to Upper Marlboro. Eventually, Charles Town disappeared and became a plantation again.

Tobacco Plantation
Between the 1780s and 1860s, Mount Calvert was a tobacco plantation dependant upon slave labor. The Federal period brick house which stands today was built in the 1780s. It served as the residence for the John Brown family and later the John Brooke family. Census records indicate that by the mid-1800s as many as 47 enslaved African Americans lived and worked at Mount Calvert.

Since 1996, archaeologists have recovered thousands of artifacts and evidence of the three cultures that inhabited Mount Calvert over the centuries. Through excavations, artifact analysis, and historical research, they are piecing together glimpses of life over the last 8,000 years. Mount Calvert is truly A Confluence of Three Cultures.

A significant archaeological and historical site, Mount Calvert's vast history represents at least 8,000 years and three cultures: American Indian, European colonial, and African American.

American Indian Inhabitation
American Indians occupied Mount Calvert from the Archaic Period (7,500-2,000 BC) through the Woodland Period (2,000 BC-1600 AD). Early Archaic Period hunters and gatherers visited the Upper Patuxent on a seasonal basis to exploit the Patuxent River's plants, animals, and spring runs of migratory fish. As the modern environment developed around 3,000 years ago, Woodland Period farmers established permanent villages along the shoreline and interior. In 1608, English explorer John Smith noted several Indian villages along the Upper Patuxent, including villages in the vicinity of Mount Calvert and Billingsley.

Charles Town
In 1658, Philip Calvert established a 1,000 acre plantation, Mount Calvert. In the 1680s the Maryland General Assembly began establishing towns in the region. In 1684, a town was established at Mount Calvert. It became the first county seat of Prince George's County in 1696

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and was named Charles Town. Numerous buildings were constructed in Charles Town including an Anglican church (1692), a courthouse (1698), a jail (1710), well as taverns, warehouses, and dwellings. In 1721, the county seat was moved to Upper Marlboro. Eventually, Charles Town disappeared and became a plantation again.

Tobacco Plantation
Between the 1780s and 1860s, Mount Calvert was a tobacco plantation dependant upon slave labor. The Federal period brick house which stands today was built in the 1780s. It served as the residence for the John Brown family and later the John Brooke family. Census records indicate that by the mid-1800s as many as 47 enslaved African Americans lived and worked at Mount Calvert.

Since 1996, archaeologists have recovered thousands of artifacts and evidence of the three cultures that inhabited Mount Calvert over the centuries. Through excavations, artifact analysis, and historical research, they are piecing together glimpses of life over the last 8,000 years. Mount Calvert is truly A Confluence of Three Cultures.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 3, 2025

2. Mount Calvert, A Confluence of Three Cultures Marker

Mount Calvert may be visible across the marsh when the leaves fall from the trees.

• Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1608.

Location. 38° 47.671′ N, 76° 43.073′ W. Marker is in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in Prince George's County. It is in Greater Upper Marlboro. It can be reached from Green Landing Road. Marker is at Billingsley. To reach Billingsley use Maude Savoy Brown road off of MD 301; drive through or around the Composting facility and the Water treatment plant following the signs to Billingsley. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6900 Green Landing Rd, Upper Marlboro MD 20772, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker: Billingsley (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Billingsley's Point (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Calvert Manor (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Calvert Federal Period Plantation House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); African-Americans at Mount Calvert (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Calvert, Early Town (approx. 0.7 miles away); Woodland Indians (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Upper Marlboro.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Billingsley's Point (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2025, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 7, 2025, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.