Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18BA71 UMBC
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The UMBC Site (18BA71) is a multicomponent (Archaic and Woodland) short-term resource procurement site and base camp near the Arbutus area of Baltimore County. The site is situated on a high, sandy terrace and floodplain of an unnamed tributary to the western branch of Herbert Run. A second, deeply incised tributary forms the northern boundary of the site. These drainages originate as springs and seeps not far from the edge of the site. A domestic structure stood on the site until the late 1960s, when it was destroyed by fire. Soils at the site are primarily Keyport silt loams.
The site was first identified in 1970 when prehistoric artifacts were recovered eroding from the edge of a borrow pit in the floodplain portion of the site near the base of the knoll. Quartz and quartzite debitage was exposed near the edge of the knoll and on the edges of a large bulldozed depression east of the knoll. Soil from this depression apparently was used as fill to cover the aforementioned burned structure which had been located on top of the knoll.
Excavations were then conducted at the site between 1970 and 1972 by volunteers with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as well as fieldschool students, in anticipation of the construction of a nearby road. The excavations of the 1970s exposed approximately 92.56 m2 of the site on the floodplain and 2.32 m2 on the terrace portion of the site.
A 1.524 X 1.524 m (5 X 5 ft) grid was established across the site using tape and compass and work proceeded through the excavation of a combination of 1.524 X 1.524 m test units and a large trough 22.86 m (75 ft) long and 12.2 m (40 ft) wide and 1.524 m deep. Excavation was conducted with short-handled hoes in level increments, although not in arbitrary levels. Artifacts were recovered in situ and their provenience was documented horizontally within the grid and vertically from the surface. Debitage was examined in the field for evidence of further reduction and discarded. From at least 1971 on, all excavated soils were screened.
The 1970s-era investigations concentrated on the near-terrace portion of the floodplain, adjacent to the borrow pit. Limited testing outside of this area indicated that the primary concentration of artifacts on the site was located there. These investigations indicated that Early and Middle Archaic occupations were located in the lowest levels of a tan-colored sand layer, while most Late Archaic types were recovered from the upper levels of the site. The ceramics and point types associated with Woodland period occupations were located within the plowzone and at the top of the “tan sand”. A hearth feature and a “charcoal pit” were identified during these excavations. Calcined bone and carbonized nut shells (oak and hickory) were also identified at the site.
The reported artifact assemblage recovered by UMBC consisted of 113 projectile points and fragments, 52 knives, 7 drills, 60 scrapers, 5 chopper tools, 9,081 pieces of debitage, 29 hammerstones, 8 anvil stones, 2 polished stone artifacts, and 93 ceramic sherds. The projectile points included 2 Kirk stemmed points, 7 Kirk serrated points, 2 LeCroy points, 2 Kanawha points, 6 Lamoka points, 3 Bare Island points, 2 Vosburg points, 5 Vernon points, 4 Brewerton corner-notched points, 5 Brewerton side-notched points, 5 Otter Creek points, 6 fishtail points, 3 Piscataway points, 1 Jack’s Reef point, 2 Levanna points, 6 Madison/Potomac points, 6 triangular points (probable Woodland), and 15 other points. The ceramic assemblage included 14 Accokeek sherds (2 rims), 68 steatite/crushed quartz/sand tempered sherds (6 rims), 7 Clarksville sherds (1 rim), and 4 other sherds.
In 1995, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) was beginning to undertake the construction of the UMBC Research Park and Playfields on the former Wartman-Lurman property. The area would be impacted by the construction of 4 new buildings, access roads, parking facilities, and two stormwater management ponds, as well as grading for the construction of new sports fields. A combined Phase I/II project was carried out, in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and in accordance with Article 83B, Section 5-617 of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The project also was undertaken in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) reached between the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), the US Dept. of Commerce, UMBC, and Baltimore County.
Phase I work at the site entailed the excavation of shovel test pits (STPs) in a systematic 15 m grid pattern, along with pedestrian survey. Additional testing was carried out around select positive STPs at 7.5 m intervals when site boundaries were unclear. Shovel tests measured 40 cm in diameter and were excavated to a depth of 10 cm into the B2 horizon, or to a minimum depth of 50 cm below the ground surface. Soil was removed to natural stratigraphy and screened through hardware cloth. The location of each test, the depth of the stratigraphic levels, and the presence or absence of cultural materials was recorded in the field. All soil characteristics, including color and texture, were recorded utilizing standard soil nomenclature and color identification conventions. Thirty-one STPs were placed across the site during Phase I work: 13 contained only prehistoric materials and 10 produced only historic cultural materials.
A total of 165 prehistoric and 68 historic artifacts were recovered during Phase I work at 18BA71. The prehistoric assemblage included 4 biface fragments, 4 core/core fragments, 6 flake tools, 119 pieces of debitage, 28 pieces of fire-cracked rock, and 4 other lithics. Although quartz dominated the assemblage (72%), quartzite (23%), silicified sandstone, rhyolite, jasper, and ironstone were also represented. The debitage, a collection of material from multiple occupations of the site, included material from each phase of a reduction sequence.
The historic artifacts assemblage reflected the known 20th century domestic occupation of the site. The assemblage included 19 pieces of window glass, 11 nail fragments, 5 ceramic sherds (4 whiteware and 1 porcelain), and 25 pieces of kitchen glass. The assemblage included no artifacts diagnostic of 19th century occupation. Despite the likelihood that the foundation of the house remains, the historic component of 18BA71 does not appear to retain sufficient research potential to be considered potentially eligible to the NRHP.
Previous investigations indicated the presence of multiple occupations at the site spanning the Early Archaic through Late Woodland periods on the floodplain portions of the site. Phase I investigations indicated the possibility that intact cultural deposits might remain on the higher terrace, despite considerable historic disturbance in that area. The presence of a large number of artifacts including projectile points, bifaces, flake tools, heavy groundstone tools, and ceramics indicated that the site functioned as a base camp during some of its multiple occupations. The quantity of diagnostic artifacts indicate that the principal occupations at the site date from the Early Archaic, Late Archaic, and Late Woodland periods.
Based on the prehistoric results from Phase I work, Phase II testing was carried out immediately. Phase II evaluation included the placement of test units within areas in which shovel tests produced concentrations of prehistoric artifacts which were deeply buried, highly concentrated, or functionally discrete. A metric grid was established over the site alogn the same orientation as the shovel testing grid. A total of 10 locations were for test unit excavations: six 1X 1 m test units were located on the upper terrace and four 1.5 X 1.5 m test units were placed on the floodplain.
A total of 12.75 m2 of the UMBC site were excavated during Phase II testing. Smaller units were placed on the terrace where shovel testing had indicated that cultural materials were not as deeply buried, thus allowing testing over a larger area of the terrace. Larger units were placed on the floodplain were artifacts were deeply stratified. The larger exposures facilitated examination of the stratigraphy and enabled collection of larger samples of cultural material from theses strata.
Test units were excavated in 10 cm levels within natural stratigraphic horizons and screened through hardware cloth. Soil characteristics were recorded using standard nomenclature and methods on standardized forms. A representative stratigraphic profile for each test unit was drawn and photographed.
A total of 2,714 artifacts were recovered during the Phase II evaluation of the site: 2,109 (77.71%) of these were prehistoric and 605 (22.29%) were historic. Approximately 55.86% of the prehistoric assemblage was recovered from the floodplain. Nearly all of the artifacts from this area were recovered in primary context. This portion of the site included deeply buried prehistoric components including hearth features and partially intact buried A horizons. The remaining 44.14% of the prehistoric assemblage derived from the terrace where undisturbed contexts were limited primarily to the lower portions of units placed on the eastern margin of the terrace. Significant prehistoric occupation had not previously been identified on the terrace. The Phase II work revealed that portions of the terrace appeared to remain undisturbed in spite of a 20th century domestic structure previously being situated there. However, historic pit features and other disturbance had impacted most of the prehistoric occupation there.
Again, a total of 2,109 prehistoric artifacts were recovered during Phase II evaluation of Site 18BA71. This assemblage included 11 bifaces or biface fragments, 36 flake tools, 20 cores, 1,353 pieces of debitage, 5 hammerstones, 1 anvil/abrader tool (counted as use-modified), 2 metates, 1 mano, 673 pieces of fire-cracked rock, 6 ceramic sherds, and 1 small piece of calcined bone. Among the biface assemblage were 2 possible Brewerton points, a possible Levanna point, and at least one other triangular point. Five of the 6 prehistoric sherds recovered are likely Accokeek ware.
Site 18BA71 represents a series of occupations dating from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland period. The floodplain portion of the site contained a stratified sequence of occupations including (1) an Early Archaic occupation at approximately 70 cmbs, (2) a series of early Middle Archaic and Late Archaic occupations associated with a largely undifferentiated B/C horizon, (3) one or more Early Woodland occupation(s) located within the upper B/C horizon and lower Ap horizon, and (4) a Late Woodland Period occupation located within the Ap horizon. The terrace portion of this site has endured considerable disturbance associated with a historic dwelling situated in the center of the terrace. Prehistoric occupation of the site extended onto the terrace at least during the Late Archaic and Late Woodland periods. Additional excavation on the terrace is likely to recover evidence of occupation during other periods as well.
The historic component at 18BA71 occupied the terrace portions of the site, where a domestic structure stood until the late 1960s. Vegetative signatures and a road trace clearly identified the house site, although the building was burned and its foundation filled with materials from a borrow pit on the floodplain portion of the site. Destruction debris and a partially buried plowzone were identified during Phase II testing in the central and western portions of the terrace. Nearly all of the soil profiles on the terrace exhibited a plowzone that was buried in places and nearly obliterated in others.
A total of 605 historic artifacts were recovered from 9 test units during the Phase II evaluation of 18BA71. The assemblage consisted of 18 activity items (a lightbulb fragment, a phonograph record fragment, a toy dish fragment, 1 glass marble, 5 pieces of hardware, and 12 flower pot sherds), 239 architectural artifacts (38 window glass fragments, 1 piece of concrete, 1 piece of plaster, 8 brick pieces, 37 machine-cut nails, 139 wire nails, 13 other pieces of hardware, 1 ceramic insulator, and 1 fragment of sewer/drainage pipe), 1 clothing item (not described), 288 kitchen-related artifacts (21 ceramic sherds, 255 pieces of bottle glass, 1 piece of milk glass, 1 metal can, 1 tin milk bottle cap, 3 other items, and 6 bone/shell fragments), 4 personal items (pieces of ceramic figurine), 5 arms objects (not described), and 47 miscellaneous objects (5 pieces of plastic, 3 pieces of coal slag, 11 pieces of slate, 17 melted glass, and 11 pieces of metal). Among the ceramic assemblage were 8 pearlware, 8 whiteware, 1 ironstone, 3 later porcelain, and 1 domestic gray stoneware sherd. The preponderance of domestic ceramics and architectural materials confirmed that the site was a domestic residence. Nearly all diagnostic materials date from the 20th century.
The 1995 research project confirmed the research in the 1970s, that 18BA71 consists of a multi-component prehistoric site with deep, stratified deposits representing occupations from the Early Archaic through the Late Woodland periods. Testing recovered a variety of artifacts including lithic tools, debitage, fire cracked rock, and prehistoric ceramics. The site likely functioned as a short-term resource procurement and base camp. While the terrace portions of the site have been somewhat disturbed by 20th century occupation, sections remain intact. The floodplain areas of the site contain deeply stratified deposits. Overall, the site retains good vertical and horizontal integrity which enables the examination of individual activity areas and specific occupations. Surviving stratified prehistoric sites are rare in upland Coastal Plain settings in Maryland. The site has the demonstrated potential to yield important information regarding technology, settlement, and subsistence. It should be considered a significant archeological resource.
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