The settlement of Opanient, within the Pawtuxunt chiefdom, may have been palisaded based on archaeological investigations of a site in proximity to that shown on Smith’s map as Opanient. The site when excavated in 1982 was then in extensive corn fields, much as the palisaded village would have been in 1608. But instead of neat rows of mechanically planted corn, the Indian fields would have been anywhere from 50 to 200 acres in size, with many large dead trees still standing among the fields. Instead of today's one crop fields, the fields of the natives would have been a mixture of corn, bean and squash. The squash was planted to shade the earth and minimize weeding, the bean to replenish the soil and to climb up the stalks. Because this was the southern most of the settlements on the river, it had a fort of posts with branches weaved in between and packed with mud. This would allow the occupants to retreat to the fort if attacked by the Massawomeck or other enemies and allow time for runners to inform others of the attack and rally to repulse the invasion. In the case of the English, they were warmly received here as they were as they explored the rest of the Patuxent River.