Maryland Historical Trust
Public Access

Maryland Archaeological Synthesis Database

Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18AG160    Wild Turkey

Site Data
Site Number: 18AG160
Site Name: Wild Turkey
Other name(s):  
Prehistoric:
Historic:
Unknown:
Brief Description: Late/Terminal Archaic tool manufacturing site
Site Location and Environmental Data
Latitude: 39.68
Longitude: -78.56
Elevation:  
Site slope: 11-20%
Maryland Archaeo Research Unit No.: 21
SCS soil & sediment code: WeC2
Physiographic province: Ridge and Valley
Terrestrial site:
Underwater site:
Ethnobotany profile:
Maritime site:
Site setting: -Site Setting restricted -Lat/Long accurate to within 1 sq. mile, user may need to make slight adjustments in mapping to account for sites near state/county lines or streams
Topography
Floodplain:
Hilltop/bluff:
Interior flat:
Upland flat:
Ridgetop:
Terrace:
Low terrace:
High terrace:
Rockshelter/cave:
Hillslope:
Unknown:
Other:
Other Text:  
Ownership
Private:
Federal:
State of MD:
Regional/county/city:
Unknown:
Nearest Surface Water
Name (if any): Unnamed tributary of Murley Branch
Saltwater
Ocean:
Estuary/tidal river:
Tidewater/marsh:
Freshwater
Stream/river:
Swamp:
Lake or pond:
Spring:
Min distance to water:
177 meters
Temporal Contextual Data
Paleoindian:  
Archaic:  
Early Archaic:  
Middle Archaic:  
Late Archaic: Y
Woodland:  
MD Adena:  
Early Woodland:  
Middle Woodland:  
Late Woodland:  
Unknown prehistoric:  
Contact period site:  
ca. 1630 - 1675:  
ca. 1675 - 1720:  
ca. 1720 - 1780:  
ca. 1780 - 1820:  
ca. 1820 - 1860:  
ca. 1860 - 1900:  
ca. 1900 - 1930:  
Post 1930:  
Unknown historic:  
Unknown context:  

Y=Confirmed, P=Possible

Ethnic Associations (historic only)
Native American:  
African American:  
Anglo-American:  
Hispanic:  
Asian American:  
Unknown:  
Other:  
Other Text:  

Y=Confirmed, P=Possible

Site Function Contextual Data
Prehistoric
Multi-component:
Village:
Hamlet:
Base camp:
Rockshelter/cave:
Earthen mound:
Cairn:
Burial area:
Misc. ceremonial:
Rock art:
Shell midden:
STU/lithic scatter:
Quarry/extraction:
Fish weir:
Production area:
Unknown:
Other PH context:
tool manufacturing area
Historic
Urban/Rural?:
 
Domestic:
Homestead:
Farmstead:
Mansion:
Plantation:
Row/townhome:
Cellar:
Privy:
Industrial:
Mining-related:
Quarry-related:
Mill:
 
Black/metalsmith:
Furnace/forge:
Other industrial:
 
Transportation:
Canal-related:
Road/railroad:
Wharf/landing:
Maritime-related:
Bridge:
Ford:
Educational:
Commercial:
Trading post:
Store:
Tavern/inn:
Military:
Battlefield:
Fortification:
Encampment:
Townsite:
Unknown:
Other hist context:
 
Interpretive Sampling Data
Prehistoric context samples
Soil samples taken: N
Flotation samples taken: N
Other samples taken: blood residue analysis
Historic context samples
Soil samples taken:  
Flotation samples taken:  
Other samples taken:  

Diagnostic Artifact Data

Projectile Point Types
Clovis:  
Hardaway-Dalton:  
Palmer:  
Kirk (notch):  
Kirk (stem):  
Le Croy:  
Morrow Mountain:  
Guilford:  
Brewerton:  
Otter Creek:  
Koens-Crispin: 1
Perkiomen:  
Susquehana:  
Vernon:  
Piscataway:  
Calvert:  
Selby Bay:  
Jacks Reef (notch):  
Jacks Reef (pent):  
Madison/Potomac:  
Levanna:  

All quantities exact or estimated minimal counts

Prehistoric Sherd Types
Marcey Creek:  
Dames Quarter:  
Selden Island:  
Accokeek:  
Wolfe Neck:  
Vinette:  
Popes Creek:  
Coulbourn:  
Watson:  
Mockley:  
Clemson Island:  
Page:  
Shepard:  
Townsend:  
Minguannan:  
Sullivan Cove:  
Shenks Ferry:  
Moyaone:  
Potomac Creek:  
Keyser:  
Yeocomico:  
Monongahela:  
Susquehannock:  

All quantities exact or estimated minimal counts

Historic Sherd Types
Earthenware
Astbury:  
Borderware:  
Buckley:  
Creamware:  
Ironstone:  
Jackfield:  
Manganese Mottled:  
North Devon:  
Pearlware:  
Staffordshire:  
Tin Glazed:  
Whiteware:  
Porcelain:  
Stoneware
English Brown:  
English Dry-bodied:  
Nottingham:  
Rhenish:  
White Salt-glazed:  

All quantities exact or estimated minimal counts

Prehistoric Artifacts
Flaked stone: 1646
Ground stone:  
Stone bowls:  
Fire-cracked rock:  
Other lithics (all):  
Ceramics (all):  
Rimsherds:  
Other fired clay:  
Human remain(s):
Modified faunal:  
Unmodified faunal:  
Oyster shell:
Floral material:
Uncommon Object:  
Other:
 

All quantities exact or estimated minimal counts

Historic Artifacts
Pottery (all):  
Glass (all):  
Architectural:  
Furniture:  
Arms:  
Clothing:  
Personal items:  
Tobacco related:  
Activity item(s):  
Human remain(s):
Faunal material:
Misc. kitchen:  
Floral material:
Misc.:  
Other:
 

All quantities exact or estimated minimal counts

Lithic Material
Jasper:
Chert:
Rhyolite:
Quartz:
Quartzite:
Ferruginous quartzite:
Chalcedony:
Ironstone:
Argillite:
Steatite:
Sandstone:
Silicified sandstone:
European flint:
Basalt:
Unknown:
Other:
siltstone

Features

Dated Features
Dated features present at site:
 
Prehistoric Features
Mound(s):  
Midden:
Shell midden:
Postholes/molds:
House pattern(s):
Palisade(s):
Hearth(s):
Lithic reduction area:
Storage/trash pit:
Burial(s):
Ossuary:
Unknown:
Other:
 
Historic Features
Construction feature:
Foundation:
Cellar hole/cellar:
Hearth/chimney:
Postholes/molds:
Paling ditch/fence:
Privy/outhouse:
Well/cistern:
Trash pit/dump:
Sheet midden:
Planting feature:
Road/walkway:
Depression/mound:
Burial(s):
Railroad bed:
Earthworks:
Mill raceway:
Wheel pit:
Unknown:
Other:
 
Radiocarbon Data
Sample 1:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 2:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 3:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 4:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 5:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 6:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 7:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 8:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Sample 9:   +-   years BP  
Reliability
 
Additional radiocarbon results available:
   
External Samples/Data
Additional raw data may be available online:
Collection curated at MAC
Summary
This site was investigated along with three other sites in the area, all of which would be impacted by the proposed alignments for US-48, the National Freeway (modern US I-68) in Allegany County. It is situated on a narrow, elongated portion of a hilltop overlooking Town Creek Valley 300 m away and is flanked on the north, south, and east by precipitous slopes. Wild Turkey was tested using systematic posthole test pits on a 10 m interval across the ridgetop, and then a 5 m interval within areas where artifacts had been recovered on the surface. Four spatially discrete clusters of debitage which likely correspond to distinct workshop areas were defined. Site stratigraphy was assessed through excavation of fifteen 1 X 1 m test units. One diagnostic projectile, a Koens-Crispin point, places the site occupation in the Late/Terminal Archaic. Six additional projectile point fragments were also recovered. The size and workmanship of one of these also points to a Late Archaic/Terminal Archaic date for the site. Eleven very large and crude bifaces were recovered, along with 32 retouched flakes. The rest of the artifact sample consists of debitage, some 1596 pieces of it. Blood residue analysis on 10 artifacts revealed 2 points (the Koens-Crispin and 1 non-diagnostic) and a biface with possible (weak positive) results for the presence of hemoglobin. While there are spatially separated components of the site, the site seems top have one primary function: that of lithic workshop. The assemblage is 97% debitage, 82% of which is argillaceous chert. This material probably outcrops nearby and large blocks of it appear to have been reduced to crude bifacial form. The site was revisited periodically to replenish supplies of lithic material for tool manufacturing.
External Reference Codes
Library ID Numbers: