The first recorded archaeological investigations at Sotterley were undertaken in 1972, revealing bricks that may have been the foundation of a dairy. Many 18th century artifacts were found, including dark green bottle glass, wine glasses and ceramics that suggests the area may have included a colonial structure built
to keep wine chilled.

A rich trove of artifacts was excavated around the slave cabin in the mid-1990s. More than 17,000 artifacts were unearthed, including animal bones showing signs of butchery, building materials, traces of coal (for heating) and oyster shells (for drainage). The discovery enabled archaeologists and historians to compare the material conditions of life before and after Sotterley's slaves received their freedom.

Not all of the excavations turn up information about the Sotterley residents with whom we are most familiar, those who began living on the property in the 1700s. Discovery of a prehistoric site at Sotterley suggests that people of the Early to Middle Woodland period (3000-1000 BCE) made their home here, too.