Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18AG227 Crescent Lawn
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Crescent Lawn site was investigated in advance of several proposed undertakings for the Canal Place Park project in Allegany County, MD. The project area is at the western terminus of the C&O Canal at Cumberland. Cumberland was Maryland’s second largest city in the second half of the nineteenth century and an important manufacturing and transportation hub. Investigations were conducted for the Maryland State Highway Administration to locate and identify archaeological resources in the project area (Phase I) and evaluate the eligibility of the archaeological resources for the National Register of Historic Places (Phase II).
Investigations ensued with the mechanical excavation of 21 trenches between 3.05 and 36.58 meters (10 and 120 ft) in length. Artifacts exposed in the trench profile and a limited number of artifacts from trench backfill were collected. Twenty-two 0.91 X 0.91 meter (3 X 3 ft.) test units were opened up alongside the trenches and were hand excavated and screened. In addition, archaeological excavations were also undertaken in the vicinity of the former lock keeper’s house (identified on historic maps). These excavations involved 18 shovel tests at 6.1 m (20 ft) intervals along parallel transects (also 6.1 m apart), staggered to increase coverage. Two 0.91 X 0.91 meter (3 X 3 ft.) test units were also excavated in this area.
Investigations revealed an archeological landscape consisting of a complex of features related to the period from 1850 to 1892, when the Weld and Sheridan Boatyard and an associated turning basin were in heavy use. The feature complex contains the foundation of a ca. 1860s building, a wooden bulkhead for the canal, a marine railway, a probable wood lined saw pit, buried ground surfaces, activity areas, and artifacts in an undisturbed context. This archeological landscape contains significant resources relating to the configuration of the canal terminus and the adjacent boat yard that are absent from the historic record.
Five components (a prehistoric occupation, a foundry, the Footer Dye Works employee housing, a lumberyard, a millrace, the sediments of a canal basin for turning boats around, and citywide canal fill) were recommended as not eligible for the NRHP. Four site components (the Weld and Sheridan Boatyard, commercial and residential occupations associated with a turn-of-the-century family of German immigrants, and the remains of two canal boats) were recommended eligible for the NRHP. All of these finds led to the creation of the “Crescent Lawn Archeological District”.
The remnants of 2 canal boats were encountered during the 1999 Phase I and II study. One boat is located near the southern shore of the basin. Only a small section of the boat was exposed. The context of the find indicates that this is an early canal boat. A second boat was encountered against the wooden bulkhead of the canal. This boat may have been used until the basin was filled.
After the basin was filled (1892-1897), a street was extended through the site to the canal. A soap factory and a dwelling were built over the filled basin. The dwelling was occupied by the family of recent German immigrants who also owned the soap factory. The soap factory was encountered and features related to soap making were identified. These features include a large chimney base and a wood-lined pit containing soap. A large refuse midden associated with the occupation was identified in the backyards.
During subsequent monitoring of the installation of sewer pipes by the town of Cumberland, the remains of numerous other canal boats were encountered in the unnamed turning basin. Impacted sections of the boats were noted, removed from the sewer trench, and then reburied adjacent to the sewer line.
In 2000, a second Phase I investigation was conducted in the vicinity of a proposed reconstructed/re-flooded turning basin (an interpretive feature) for the Canal Place Park. This work included the mechanical excavation of 10 trenches and the hand excavation of 2 test units within the area to be impacted. This work was geared towards defining the limits of the aforementioned bulkhead and marine railway. New features were also encountered, including a timber feature of unknown function and a well-preserved boatyard ground surface that retained integrity.
Finally, in 2002 and 2003, Phase III data recovery was undertaken within the Crescent Lawn Archaeological District to excavate components that would be impacted by the construction of three buildings, a buried utility duct, and the re-watered turning basin and canal prism. Excavations near the footprints of the proposed buildings exposed buried boatyard ground surfaces, the foundations of boatyard structures, portions of a previously identified boat (number 11), and the foundations and buried ground surfaces of a turn-of-the-century residence. Construction of the utility duct bank exposed the south end of the aforementioned bulkhead and revealed information on its construction. The duct bank also extended into the former footprint of the canal prism and exposed the remains of three previously unidentified boats. After recordation, the sections of the boats to be impacted were moved and then replaced after the duct bank was constructed. The phase III work related to the re-watering of the turning basin and canal prism involved the excavation of 41 0.91 X 0.91 meter (3 X 3 ft.) test units situated atop previously identified complex features. These features were related to the Weld and Sheridan Boat Building and Repair Yard waterfront and six previously identified canal boats. Two new canal boats (16 and 17) were identified and recorded during these data recovery field investigations. Subsequent monitoring during construction of the re-watered interpretive features turned up features related to a more recent boatyard (the Canal Towage Company Boatyard) and another canal boat (the 18th boat encountered).
Due to the scale of the data recovery at Crescent Lawn and the unavailability of some of the excavation reports, the inventory of artifacts that follows (as well as the data reported on page 2 above) only includes the objects recovered during the initial 1999 Phase I and II survey of the site. Many of the features that have been encountered were initially identified as part of this project.
In the vicinity of the lock keeper’s house, 7 activity items were recovered. These include 1 porcelain doll part, 1 light bulb part, and 5 pieces of non-electrical wire. 359 activity-related items were recovered from the trenched portions of the site. Sixteen toys (mostly doll parts and marbles), 2 musical instruments, 150 lamp and lighting components (including 1 candle), 119 fragments of non-electric wire, 23 hardware or shop-related objects, 8 metal container parts, 2 horseshoes, 35 terra cotta flower pot sherds, and 4 miscellaneous activity items make up the assemblage.
Fifty-five architectural objects were encountered at the lock keeper’s house, including 30 fragments of plate glass, a single handwrought nail, 6 wire nails, 15 unidentified nails, 1 screw and a porcelain door pull. 3215 architectural objects were excavated from the rest of the site. Much of this was window glass and nails, and some portion of it is probably boat parts or parts related to boat construction and repair. The window glass fragments (1886 objects) account for a large percentage of the overall glass uncovered from the site in the tally above. Masonry elements include two pieces of brick, 9 pieces of mortar, 2 fragments of architectural stone (slate), and a ceramic tile. Of the 1125 nails uncovered, 529 were cut nails, 35 were wire nails, 3 were T-headed, 1 was a small tack, and 557 were nails of unidentified form. In addition, 156 metal spikes were excavated, many of which were bent in a way that indicates they were used in boat construction. One screw, 1 bolt, and 1 piece of miscellaneous architectural hardware were recovered. Thirteen electrical parts (9 bits of wire) were excavated. Twelve items related to plumbing, 3 pieces of wood, 2 carpet fragments, and 1 miscellaneous architectural object were also encountered.
No clothing was encountered at the lock-keepers house, but 278 pieces/parts of clothing were found elsewhere. These included 39 buttons (bone, porcelain, glass, brass, steel, metal, and rubber), a brass hook and eye, 186 parts from shoes (both leather and wooden parts), 48 fragments of cloth, 1 buckle, 2 pieces of thread and a miscellaneous item.
Two hundred and six kitchen items were recovered in the vicinity of the lock keeper’s house. Nine of these objects are ceramic sherds (1 rim), including 4 ironstone, 1 hard-paste porcelain, 2 whiteware, and 2 twentieth century refined earthenware sherds. There were 186 pieces of kitchen glass recovered, including 1 piece of table glass, 1 piece of milk glass, and 184 glass bottle fragments (27 blown-in-mold & 17 machine made). The kitchen faunal assemblage consisted of 11 objects (10 animal bones and 1 piece of oyster shell). Over 4,000 kitchen remains were recovered from the trenched portions of the site. 1,482 of these objects were ceramics (55 rims). Two creamware and 32 pearlware sherds were recovered. One hundred and fifty porcelain (149 hard paste) and 684 ironstone sherds were excavated. The stoneware assemblage consisted of 130 sherds (40 domestic brown, 73 domestic grey, 1 white salt-glazed, and 16 industrial). 348 sherds of whiteware, 58 sherds of yelloware, and 69 sherds of redware were also recovered. 2090 fragments of kitchen glass were excavated, including 294 pieces of table glass, and 1796 bottle fragments (11 free-blown, 4 turn molded, 544 blown-in-mold, and 134 machine made). Nine jar or glass lids were also found along with 55 pieces or whole metal cans and 9 utensil parts. 435 faunal remains were encountered, 233 of which were unidentified. There were 171 animal bones, 15 pieces of egg shell, 10 oyster shell fragments, and six clams. Thirty-six seed or nut parts were excavated. The only other objects mentioned are 9 unique/miscellaneous kitchen objects.
One personal object was found at the lock keeper’s house, a hard rubber comb, while 61 personal objects were encountered elsewhere. Three additional combs were found (2 hard rubber and 1 Bakelite). The rest of the assemblage consisted of 4 mirror fragments, 3 pieces of jewelry, 2 bone toothbrushes, 4 other bone-handled objects, an umbrella, 3 ceramic figurine pieces, 29 objects related to writing (pencils or inkwells), and 12 miscellaneous objects (mostly perfume and grooming product jars).
Twenty-two tobacco related objects were excavated. Sixteen of these were pipe stems and 6 were bowls. And only one object is evidence of the presence of historic arms, a miniball. None of these objects were found near the lock keeper’s house.
The entire prehistoric assemblage consists of a single chert bifaces (near the lock keeper’s house) and two chert flakes (found elsewhere).
And finally, nine miscellaneous objects were uncovered near the lock keeper’s house, including six unidentified metal objects, 2 pieces of coal, and a fragment of a phonograph record. 330 miscellaneous objects were found elsewhere in the site. This assemblage consisted of 19 unidentified glass fragments, 287 unidentified metal pieces, 1 biological object, 5 ceramic objects, 9 pieces of plastic, 4 coal-related items (2 coal chunks & 2 slag), 3 leather objects, 1 piece of lead, and 1 piece of rope.
Many organic objects were well preserved due to the action of waterlogged sediments at the canal site. Most of these consisted of leather and cloth fragments from the aforementioned umbrella.
Obviously, the collection just from the 1999 project is extensive and provides much detail on life at in 19th century Cumberland along the canal. Work at this complex and well preserved site is ongoing.
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