Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18BA556 E. Hensel House
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The E. Hensel House (18BA556) is the site of a 19th to 20th century dwelling near Priceville in Baltimore County. The site encompasses a hill crest, side slope, and low upland terrace just north of an unnamed tributary of Piney Creek. The existing landscape has been significantly altered by the construction of nearby I-83, which included in its ca. 1951 construction right-of-way (ROW) a residence, 7 outbuildings, and a mill race located at the terminus of an unnamed road. The dwelling (the Hensell house) was relocated to the west (outside the ROW) in 1959 or 1960. A shed and turkey house associated with the dwelling were demolished at that time, along with the original foundation of the Hensell House. Two wells located to the rear of the dwelling were filled, but are still visible at the site, as is a brick retaining wall on the crest of the slope overlooking the aforementioned stream. Most of the surviving landscape today is lawn and wooded hedgerow. The vegetation included mature deciduous trees (maple, walnut, sycamore) and young coniferous species (white pine), as well as several dead median-aged trees. The surrounding landscape is gently rolling hills of relatively low topographic relief. Soils at the site are Baltimore gravelly loams.
The two-storey residence known as the Etta Hensell House (MIHP# BA-3214) is currently located just off-site, outside the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) right-of-way for I-83. It was situated on-site prior to 1959 and is believed to have been built in 1876. The house demonstrates the architectural characteristics of a house constructed in the late 19th century.
The site originally was part of “Sammy’ Meadows Enlarged”, owned by Samuel Price, the son of Mordecai Price II. He was bequeathed 100 acres of Price’s Chance in his father’s will, ca. 1760. Samuel may have added to the acreage of Sammy’s Meadows Enlarged, because he is listed in the Baltimore County Land Records as a grantee in four separate conveyances. Daniel Price (born 1761), son of Samuel, inherited the tract from his father ca. 1825 and bequeathed the same property to his son, Joel Price (born 1803), around 1846. In an 1850 map, the historic Kenneth Fisher House (MIHP# BA-422), built in the time of Samuel Price (before 1798), was listed as “J. Price”. As recorded in the 1798 Federal Tax list, this stone house was described as standing on a tract known as “Sammy’s Meadows”.
At some point in the early 19th century, approximately three acres adjacent to Piney Run were separated from the larger Sammy’s Meadows Enlarged tract. The three acres were sold by Samuel Price, Jr. to Jehu Price in 1844. The deed describes the property as containing a “Factory or Mill”. The mill complex had been built prior to 1823, as an Assessment Record for the district lists a fulling mill owned by Samuel Price, Jr. on the tract of Samuel’s Meadows. On an 1850 map, “Price’s Woolen Factory & Saw Mill” is attributed to a structure at the end of Priceville Avenue, near a mill race built to re-direct water from Piney Run.
The manufacturer’s census from 1850 listed a “John Price, woolen manufacturer, with $2,500 capital, 5 hands, and water-powered production of $3,000 in cloth, flannel, and casinet”. Jehu Price sold the property including 3 acres, the “Factory or Mill thereon and also the use of the present head race”, to Daniel and Elizabeth Marks in 1859. In the 1850 Federal Census, Daniel Marks was listed as a miller. He continued to be listed as a miller through the 1880 Federal Census. An 1877 atlas denoted the property as a saw and grist mill owned by a “D Marks”, and the 1879 Directory for Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford counties lists a “Daniel Morrax” [sic] as a miller in the community of Belfast. An 1880 manufacturers’ census “listed Marks as owner of a custom mill with $3,000 capital investment, 2 runs of stones, and 60 bu/diem maximum capacity”. It was during this period that the E. Hensel House was most likely constructed.
Upon Mark’s death in 1887, his widow, Elizabeth sold the mill to William McKelvy on October 15th, 1887, and on that same day, McKelvy mortgaged the property to Joshua F. Cockey. The purpose of these transactions is not well-understood. Court records from 1892 include recordation of a trustee’s advertisement for the property, which at that time was described as being occupied by Robert F. Stabler. The county’s land records show that Robert H. Bussey was assigned trustee of the property on behalf of the McKelvys, and that the property was sold to Francis A. Ensor in 1905.
Ensor was taxed fifty dollars for the stone mill according to the 1896 county tax assessment. In 1905, Ensor sold the three acres, the mill, and the rights to the mill race to Albert and Harry Fahnestock. This was the last time the mill was mentioned in deeds relating to the property. The mill is depicted on the Parkton, MD 1902 15 minute USGS quadrangle but a 1915 atlas of the county shows no structures near the mill race on Piney Run. Operations at the mill ceased at the beginning of the 20th century according to oral histories taken in 1979. The water-powered mill would have been obsolete by this period and likely would have required a substantial investment to modernize.
The Fahnestock brothers were listed as bankers in the 1910 Federal Census. Listed among their household were five servants. Nathan Francis and his younger brother, Ezekiel, were listed as cookmen while Nathan’s wife, Agnes, was listed as a maid. George W. Lee served as the Fahnestock’s waiter and Mary Waters was the cook. The Francis family and George W. Lee were listed as mulatto, while Waters was listed as black. The Fahnestocks also bought the Kenneth Fisher house (MIHP# BA-422) on Priceville Road during this period, according to a 1915 atlas, so it is possible that the brothers and their servants may have had multiple residences. By the 1920 Federal Census, the brothers were both listed as bank presidents, but their household servants had been reduced to one, Virginia Brooks, listed as a black cook for the family. The Fahnestock brothers remained bankers in the 1930 Federal Census, but no servants are listed as part of the household.
The Fahnestock family retained the property until 1941, when Bessie Wetherill Fahnestock, widow of Harry Fahnestock, devised the property that she had inherited upon the death of her husband to Milton and Catherine Schrufer. At that point, the three acre property was reduced to two acres. In September 1942, the Schrufers sold the two acre property to Gertrude Maxwell, who then sold it directly to Etta Hensell.
Etta Hensell owned the property when the Maryland State Roads Commission (the precursor of the SHA) decided to construct Interstate 83 (I-83) through the vicinity, ca. 1952. The “as-built”, annotated drawing rendered by the commission shows the property attributed to “E. Hensel”. Hensell sold the two-acre property to the Maryland State Roads Commission in a deed recorded in August of 1959. In January 1960, the commission transferred the rights to the property to Venture Realty, Inc. At that point, the property had been reduced to 1.45 acres, the remaining 6/10 having been taken by the construction of the road. Venture Relaty Inc. sold the property to Michael and Henrietta Horner in June 1961. The Horners sold the 1.45 acre property adjacent to I-83 to Thomas and Suzanne McGeorge in September of 1964. The McGeorges, in turn, sold the property to William and Catherine Bennett in January 1966. Catherine Bennett became the sole owner upon her husband’s death and retained the property until the time of its first archeological examination (2007).
An undated sketch of the house prepared by right-of-way agents for the state is presumed to have been drawn during the late 1950s prior to the relocation of the Hensell House. The sketch indicated that the house was a two storey clapboard dwelling with a stone foundation and asphalt shingle roof. The sketch sub-divided the house into three sections: two main sections each measuring 5.5 X 5.5 m (18 X 18 ft) and an attached right (southwest) section measuring 3.7 X 5.5 m (12 X 18 ft). A small porch and entrance was indicated in the center of the left main section. SHA plat maps indicate porches were located along the front and rear of the residence and entrance stairs were located along the right side (southwest) of the residence. Historic photographs of the house, taken during the late 1950s prior to its relocation, show a stone foundation underlying the entire house and including a cellar entrance on the southwestern (rear) corner of the building.
Perched near the crest of the ridge, the residence originally was oriented southwest/northeast to front the end of Priceville Avenue. Two wells located to the rear of residence were situated about 4.6 m southeast of the house along the upper slope of the ridge. A frame shed and nearby turkey house and yard were situated south of the house, along the mid and toe slope of the ridge. A frame garage that currently stands along the southern side of Priceville Avenue was located just beyond the northwestern boundary of the property.
The site was first examined archeologically during a combined Phase I/II project in 2007. The work was carried out along a 120 m long section of the I-83 Priceville Community Noise Barrier in Baltimore County: an engineered noise barrier that would replace extant SHA right-of-way fencing. The investigations were performed in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Executive Order 11593, the Archeological and Historical Preservation Act of 1974, the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, the Maryland Historical Trust Act of 1985, and State Finance and Procurement Article subsection 5A-325 and 5A-326 of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Anticipated impact included vegetative clearing, removal of the existing fencing, excavation for pylons and panels for the replacement barrier, and post-construction grading of the landscape. An existing brick and stone retaining wall would also be removed.
The 2007 archeological work consisted of pedestrian survey, and the excavation of 40 close-interval shovel tests, three judgmental shovel tests, and eight 1 X 1 m test units. The three judgmental shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated by SHA archeological staff during a prelimnary survey designed to determine the potential for intact cultural deposits within the study area. During the subsequent archeological study, 34 systematic STPs were excavated at 10 m intervals along parallel transects that extended the length of the study area. Six supplemental STP were then excavated at 5 m intervals to provide additional information on stratigraphic and cultural depositional sequences. All shovel tests measured a minimum of 40 cm in diameter and were excavated to a minimum depth of 40 cm below surface or 10 cm into sterile soil, whichever came first. All soils were removed according to natural stratigraphic horizons and screened through hardware cloth. Shovel testing continued until the boundaries of the study area were reached. Shovel test results, including presence or absence of cultural materials, stratigraphic sequence, and location in the testing pattern were recorded on standardized recordation forms.
Based upon data obtained during shovel testing, eight 1 X 1 m test units were placed within the site to more closely examine stratigraphic sequences and potential sub-surface cultural deposits encountered during shovel testing. Four test units were placed to assess the integrity of a stone foundation related to the relocated Hensell House. Two units were placed along the centerline of the proposed sound barrier in the vicinity of a former brick retaining wall: one to the north of the wall and one to the south. The remaining two test units were place in areas of apparent prehistoric activity to assess integrity and research potential of the prehistoric component.
Test unit excavation preceded in 10 cm arbitrary levels within natural stratigraphy. In areas where a historic plowzone or disturbance horizon was present, the stratum was removed in a single natural level. Test units were excavated to a minimum depth of 10 cm into sterile subsoil. Depth measurements were referenced to a string level set 10 cm above surface in the southwestern corner (datum) of the test unit. All excavated soil was screened through hardware cloth. Standard recordation during unit excavation included excavation level forms, unit summary forms, stratigraphic profiles, photographs, and plan drawings when warranted by the presence of features. All test units were also documented using digital and black-and-white photography.
Site 18BA556 was the only site identified during the combined Phase I/II study in 2007. The site yielded 10 prehistoric artifacts, 8,382 historic artifacts, and included 3 historic archeological features (1-01, 4-01, and 6-01) and 3 visible historic landscape features (two wells and a retaining wall). The site was found to measure approximately 27.6 m east-west by 120 m north/south and appeared to extend beyond the impact area for the sound barrier project to the east and west.
The prehistoric component was defined by a diffuse, low density scatter of lithic material that extended across the site and which lacked apparent concentration or centralization. Finished Savannah River and Piscataway projectile points suggest this component dates from the Late Archaic/Early Woodland to Middle Woodland periods. Although the Savannah River projectile point was recovered from intact, natural stratigraphy, all other prehistoric artifacts were obtained from disturbed soils or from fill contexts.
The prehistoric artifact assemblage consisted of 1 Piscataway point, 1 Savannah River point, an unfinished biface, and 7 pieces of debitage. Raw materials included Quartz, quartzite, chert, and rhyolite. No prehistoric features were identified.
The historic component dates from the 19th to mid 20th centuries and reflects the period of occupation of the relocated Hensell residence. Diagnostic materials include ceramics, glass, metal, and manufactured items that suggest historic use of the site from at least the early 19th century. Active historic occupation of the site ceased during the mid 20th century, in November or December of 1959, when the historic Hensell House was relocated to the west. In addition to the visible landscape features that reflect the historic landscape that surrounded the house’s original location, the archeological study identified a remnant of the residence’s original stone foundation and cellar (Features 1-01 and 4-01), and a trench of indeterminate function (Feature 6-01).
The historic assemblage from 18BA556 included 61 activity items, 5,101 architectural artifacts, 16 clothing items, 2,383 kitchen-related artifacts, 3 personal objects, 5 ball clay tobacco pipe fragments, 3 arms objects (brass cartridges), and 810 miscellaneous objects. The activity items were 2 bisque doll parts, a metal toy figurine, 5 metal lamp parts, 16 pieces of non-electrical wire, 11 iron staples, an iron spring, 22 other iron hardware pieces, 2 copper hardware pieces, and a fragment of barbed wire. The architectural assemblage consisted of 602 pieces of brick, 3,079 mortar fragments, 94 pieces of asbestos tile, 126 asphalt shingles, 5 roofing slate/tile pieces, a piece of aluminum flashing, 421 window glass fragments, 2 plumbing pipe fragments, a piece of electrical wire, 766 nails (4 handwrought, 525 cut, 201 wire, and 36 unidentified nails), 1 spike, and 3 pieces of wood. The 16 clothing items were 11 buttons (7 porcelain, 2 brass, and 2 oyster shell), 2 pieces of cloth, and 3 buckles. The kitchen assemblage was made up of 1,407 ceramic sherds, 725 pieces of kitchen glass (52 table glass and 673 bottle glass fragments), 9 steel/tin can fragments, 4 crown caps, 1 screw cap, a possible can opener, 6 zinc mason jar lids, and 230 faunal remains (45 oyster shell and 185 animal bones/teeth). The ceramic sherds were 6 buff-bodied earthenware, 81 refined earthenware, 85 pearlware, 5 late pearlware, 26 porcelain, 13 ironstone, 474 whiteware, 6 Rockingham, 35 yelloware, 632 redware, and 44 miscellaneous stoneware sherds. Personal items were a 1902 dime, a wheat penny, and a serial number plate. The miscellaneous items were 49 miscellaneous glass fragments, 295 unidentified metal fragments, 6 composite items, 13 rubber/plastic items, 6 pieces of limestone, 15 pieces of charcoal, 348 cinder and coal fragments, and 78 pieces of slag.
Based upon the results of the cultural resources investigations, Site 18BA556 does not have sufficient research potential to address meaningful questions related to occupation of the site and development of the Priceville area. The site was found to lack sufficient integrity and also lacked the potential to provide anything meaningful beyond what was already known from the archival record and the archeological work conducted thus far. No further work was recommended at 18BA556 and the sound barrier wall was eventually constructed through the site.
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