Smith spent three days in the Patuxent River during his second voyage. In this short time, he did not explore in great detail the various tributaries, including the largest tidal river, the St. Leonard Creek. His map shows only the mouth of the Creek, which at that time would have had an island where an underwater sand bar is now located in the Creek. He noted the settlement of Quomocac in the area of today’s Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum but does not discuss visiting any of the settlements. By not exploring up these major tributaries or the Patuxent above today’s Lower Marlboro, he may have missed other settlements that existed in the summer of 1608.

The shoreline of St. Leonard Creek shown here has not receded so much because Miocene period fossil deposits serve as a natural form of shoreline protection. By contrast, the soft sands along the Patuxent shore may have receded as much as one foot per year. The shoreline of 400 years ago would have been 400 feet further west than today’s Calvert County shoreline. Shoreline erosion measures at the museum have been successful in stopping this erosion, helping with water quality and protecting the archaeological resources spanning 9,000 years of human occupation. To interpret the Pawtuxunt Indian chiefdom, a reconstructed settlement has been created at the museum, bringing back to the landscape Algonquian long houses and palisades.