Maryland Historical Trust
Public Access

Maryland Archaeological Synthesis Database

Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18AG183    Romsburg

Site Data
Site Number: 18AG183
Site Name: Romsburg
Other name(s):  
Prehistoric:
Historic:
Unknown:
Brief Description: Early - Late Archaic short-term camp
Site Location and Environmental Data
Latitude: 39.7
Longitude: -78.54
Elevation: 238
Site slope:  
Maryland Archaeo Research Unit No.: 21
SCS soil & sediment code:  
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): Town Creek
Saltwater
Ocean:
Estuary/tidal river:
Tidewater/marsh:
Freshwater
Stream/river:
Swamp:
Lake or pond:
Spring:
Min distance to water:
75 meters
Temporal Contextual Data
Paleoindian:  
Archaic:  
Early Archaic: Y
Middle Archaic: Y
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:
 
Historic
Urban/Rural?:
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:  
Historic context samples
Soil samples taken: N
Flotation samples taken: N
Other samples taken:  

Diagnostic Artifact Data

Projectile Point Types
Clovis:  
Hardaway-Dalton:  
Palmer: 1
Kirk (notch):  
Kirk (stem):  
Le Croy:  
Morrow Mountain:  
Guilford:  
Brewerton: 4
Otter Creek:  
Koens-Crispin:  
Perkiomen:  
Susquehana: 1
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: 316
Ground stone:  
Stone bowls:  
Fire-cracked rock: 116
Other lithics (all): 28
Ceramics (all): 1
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): 2
Glass (all): 3
Architectural: 99
Furniture:  
Arms:  
Clothing:  
Personal items:  
Tobacco related:  
Activity item(s): 59
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
Phase II archeological testing at the Romsburg site was undertaken due to the impact of the proposed re-alignment of US-48, the National Freeway (modern US I-68), in Allegany County. Construction of the new alignment and approach for a bridge would result in destruction of the site. The site is located on a broad sloping terrace of Town Creek, adjacent to the old Gilpin Tannery manager’s house, which is in the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties. The tannery itself is defunct, and its potential location within the right-of-way was a major concern of the investigation. Ultimately the tannery was found to be located outside the project area and the primary occupation at Romsburg appears to be Archaic. Soils on the site belong to the Weikert-Gilpin association and are characterized by shallow development, good to excessive drainage, and high stone content (mostly shale). The southern portion of the site consists of acidic Monongahela silt loam. Moderately eroded, well-drained, acidic Allegheny silt loam occupies the northern site area. Previous research (two series of shovel test pits) indicated the presence of both historic architectural debris and prehistoric lithics. Phase II testing involved both a controlled surface survey and excavation of ten 1 X 1 m test units. Areas plowed for surface collection were based on the previous shovel testing, which had determined approximate site limits. Excavation units were placed to sample areas of high surface artifact concentration. Units were excavated in 10 cm arbitrary levels and all but the plowzone soils were screened. Flotation samples were taken from features and saved for later processing. Four features were encountered during the excavation. Feature 1, a postmold, occurred in an area of high prehistoric artifact concentration. However, this appears to be from a historic fencepost, due to the presence of a metal fence staple in a horizontal position along one feature edge. Feature 2 was a small 32 X 25 cm discoloration containing charcoal flecks. It is irregular in shape and contained no artifacts. It was interpreted as a burned root or stump. Flotation of a soil sample from the feature yielded only charcoal. Feature 3 appears to be another postmold related to the historic fence (Feature 1). And finally, Feature 4 was a shallow 10 to 15 cm deep basin filled with less compact soil, charcoal flecks, cinders, and a single chert flake. Flotation sampling yielded more charcoal and a chert micro flake. This feature was situated directly above a very dense concentration of prehistoric lithics. Only one prehistoric ceramic object was recovered from the site during Phase II research, a small and amorphous lump tempered with sandstone. It is too eroded and fragmentary to be assigned to a specific time period within the Woodland era. A total of 316 flaked stone objects were recovered during Phase II work, most of which (270 pieces) were classified as debitage. Twenty unifaces and 26 bifaces were found. Thirteen of the bifaces can be classified as projectile points, 11 of which are sufficiently complete to merit typological analysis. The oldest point recovered is a small brown jasper Palmer corner-notched point. Three Brewerton side-notched, 1 Brewerton eared notched point, 3 side-notched Normanskill points, a contracting-stemmed Poplar Island point, a Susquehanna Broadspear and a Dry Brook Fishtail point were also found. Aside from a single straight-stemmed point, the rest of the projectiles are too fragmentary to permit any kind of identification. Other lithics recovered include 22 hammerstones, 1 anvil 1 abrader (or possibly a historic whetstone), 3 manos, and 1 pitted stone. The historic artifact assemblage consisted largely of temporally non-diagnostic coal, cinders, a small quantity of historic ceramics, and architectural debris (brick and mortar fragments, nails, and window glass). This scattering of historic artifacts was attributed to field dumping. Phase II investigations revealed the presence of Early Archaic, Middle Archaic and Transitional occupations. Only one Woodland artifact was recovered (a sherd). Analysis of the lithic artifact assemblage reveals a very low debitage to tool ratio (4:1). Tool manufacture was a minor activity on this site. A high frequency of use-modified tools as well as a high proportion of fire-cracked rock suggests that plant food and/or perhaps fibrous vegetation processing was the focus of the major occupation of this site. Other activities taking place, suggested by both flaked stone tool morphologies, working edge characteristics, and breakage patterns, include hunting, butchering, and hide-processing.
External Reference Codes
Library ID Numbers: