Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18HA176 Bishop
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Bishop Site (18HA176) is a multi-component site with a late 18th and early 19th century farmstead, and a prehistoric artifact scatter. It is situated on level to gently rolling terraces on the north bank of Deer Creek, south of the town of Darlington in Harford County, Maryland. The site is bounded by a state route, large agricultural buildings, a small pond, and an unnamed tributary of Deer Creek. The late 19th century (ca. 1880) E.M. Allen House/Kelvin Grove Manor (MIHP #HA-319) is located in the center of the site. The Allen Tenant House (MIHP #HA-320) is located to the northeast, just outside the site boundaries. Soils in the area consist of Chester silt loam (3-8% slope).
The historic component of the site is a contributing resource to the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District (MIHP #HA-1551, NR-1113) which was listed in 1993. The Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District comprises approximately 15, 210 acres in north central Harford County. The primary building material used in the valley is stone taken from local gneiss and granite quarries. Over 300 separate historic properties that date from the mid-18th century to the 1940s, including residential, religious, educational, and industrial structures, are contained in the historic district. Skilled 18th and 19th century artisans and several distinguished 19th and 20th century architects secured and executed many important commissions in the Deer Creek Valley. Since colonial times, the valley has attracted a sizeable Quaker population who, in turn, made the area a haven for free blacks. The district contains a sizeable free black community at Kalmia, the site of a documented stop on the Underground Railroad, and several other sites important to black history. The district also takes in the ancient crossroads hamlets of Lapidum and Glenville as well as the market town of Darlington. Portions of the Darlington and Silver Houses Historic Districts are also located within the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District. The Allen Tenant House is not a contributing element, most likely because of the extensive interior modifications to the original structure.
Ancestors of the Allen family owned the property on which the site sits from 1802 when Henry Stump, Jr. purchased the land. At that time, it was a 207.75-acre parcel of a larger tract originally called ‘Rigbie’s Chance’. The Stumps had already established numerous industrial complexes along Deer Creek and owned large tracts of agricultural land by the end of the late 18th century. In 1821, Rachel Smith Price, later Wilson, the niece of a Stump, purchased 50 acres of the property that included the Wilson Mill and a house on the east side of Darlington Road. Wilson’s house is thought to have occupied the foundation upon which the E.M. Allen House now stands. In 1866 Rachel Wilson sold her property to E.M. Allen, who was the husband of Rachel’s youngest child, Sallie. Rachel Wilson lived on the land until her death in 1873. In 1879, the Wilson mansion burned down and the current structure was built. The family farm was finally sold by E. Allen, Jr. in 1932 to satisfy creditors. There were several owners of the property between 1933 and 1973 when the Bishop’s finally purchased the land. Generally, the site landscape has been maintained in the style of the mid- to late 19th century property. A 200 year-old silver maple tree outdates any other tree on the property and may represent a native forest remnant. This tree would have been an important element of the E.M Allen House landscape during the period of significance of the property.
A Phase I survey was conducted in 1989 ahead of the proposed relocation of the Route 161 Bridge over Deer Creek. Three mixed prehistoric and historic were identified within the right-of-way: the Lehnerd Site (18HA175), the Wilson Mill Site (18HA178), and the Bishop Site (18HA176). The Bishop Site was identified as a moderate density historic artifact scatter associated with the ca. 1880 Allen House, and contained a small prehistoric artifact scatter. Sixteen shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated within the segment of the right-of-way that contained 18HA176.
Two historic features were identified at the site. STP 42 contained a lens of burned soil (Feature 302) at 29-33 cm below surface. Large quantities of charcoal and slate fragments, and several historic artifacts dated from the late 18th and early 19th centuries were recovered from the lens. It was suggested that the burned lens reflected the earlier structure on the site which was reportedly destroyed by fire prior to 1880. STPs 43-46 revealed an old roadbed that represented a former alignment of Route 161/Darlington Road associated with the bridge that was replaced during the early 20th century.
In all, 56 historic artifacts were retained during the Phase I survey. There were 33 architectural items including 1 brick fragment, 10 flat glass fragments (possibly window glass), 18 pieces of slate (probably roofing slate), 1 cut nail, 2 wire nails, and 1 unidentified nail. The 20 kitchen-related items included 1 mold blown bottle glass fragment, 7 glass fragments (probably bottle glass), and 12 ceramic sherds (4 whiteware, 2 red earthenware, 3 buff-bodied, 3 pearlware). The ceramics date the site to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Miscellaneous artifacts included 3 coal fragments.
A total of 14 prehistoric artifacts were collected from mixed contexts in 6 of the excavated STPs. There were 11 pieces of quartz debitage, 1 chert flake, and 2 quartz cores. Twelve of the 14 artifacts were recovered from the upper stratum (Stratum 1) with the remainder coming from Stratum 2.
The presence of the burnt soil lens suggested that there was a potentially high level of integrity for the site and it was an indication that more subsurface features could be encountered. Given this, a recommendation was made for Phase II evaluation of the historic component of the Bishop Site. The prehistoric component was not considered to be a significant element of the site.
The Phase II archeological testing was undertaken at the Bishop Site in 1993. It was scheduled to be impacted by the proposed realignment of Maryland Route 161 (Darlington Road) as part of the planned replacement of the road’s bridge over Deer Creek. The originally proposed right-of-way was altered subsequent to the Phase I study, moving the area of impact farther away from the Allen House. The redesign also placed the burnt soil lens identified during the Phase I study outside the boundaries of the newly proposed right-of-way. The goals of the Phase II investigations related to the historic component of the site were to determine the character of the resource located within the proposed impact area (such as land use patterns and changes through time), to evaluate the archeological resources within the National Register boundary of the E.M. Allen House which had previously been determined to be a contributing element to the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District, and to determine if the Bishop Site could contribute to the understanding of the history of the Historic District. In addition, questions related to the prehistoric component of the site were designed to address resource utilization and structure of the occupation. These evaluations required determination of the nature, age, and function of the site, of the vertical and horizontal boundaries of the site, and of the integrity of the site.
Phase II evaluation of the site included extensive archival research, pedestrian reconnaissance, systematic subsurface investigations, and ethnobotanical analysis. The project area was subdivided into 2 areas. Area 1 consisted of those portions of the site that were to be directly impacted by the proposed realignment. Area 2 contained the National Register boundaries of the E.M. Allen historic property, exclusive of Area 1. A total of 71 STPs placed at 5 m intervals and one 0.5x1 m test unit and two 1x1 m test units (TUs 1, 2, and 6) were excavated within Area 1. In Area 2, a total of 118 STPs placed at 20 m and 10 m intervals, and three 1x1 m test units (TUs 3-5) were excavated. All STPs and test units were dug to subsoil and all excavated soils were screened through 0.635 (1/4”) hardware cloth.
Archeological testing in Area 1 revealed two historic features: the former roadbed of Darlington Road and a small quarry. The old roadbed, possibly as old as 75 years, was located within the entire right-of-way. The construction of the roadbed involved filling and grading that has impacted the integrity of the archeological resources in the western and northern portions of Area 1. The small quarry, which measured 1.5 x 3 m, was identified near the base of the south slope. The granite that was removed from the protruding bedrock was probably used for construction of the nearby bridge abutments or dwellings. As no artifacts were found in association with the quarry, no date of activity could be determined. Based on the testing, it was determined that no significant cultural resources were going to be impacted within the proposed right-of-way. No prehistoric features were encountered in Area 1.
A total of 43 possible artifacts represented the prehistoric component of Area 1. Only 5 quartz flakes were definitively the product of human activity. The remaining objects were most likely caused by natural activity; these were recorded as 38 other lithics in the table above. The cultural material was most likely redeposited from the terrace and therefore lacked integrity.
A total of 43 historic artifacts were recovered from Area 1. The architectural group (n=11) consisted of 2 brick fragments, 1 unidentified nail, 2 rosehead nails, and 6 window glass shards. The kitchen-related items (n=30) included 13 bottle glass fragments, 2 table glass fragments, and 15 ceramic sherds (5 creamware, 3 pearlware, 5 redware, 1 yellowware, 1 unidentifiable burnt sherd). Miscellaneous objects consisted of 2 pieces of slate. The more recent materials found in Area 1 were probably road debris rather than materials associated with the site occupation. The majority of the earlier artifacts derived from the sloped portion of the testing area.
Archeological testing in Area 2 revealed that at one time there was a sheet midden near the house that was disturbed during landscaping and construction in the late 19th century. Many of the diagnostic artifacts pre-dated the existing 1880 house. This was especially noted during the excavation of TU 4, which was placed in the middle of an artifact concentration on the terrace south of the house. Area 2 was divided into four analytical units: the Front Yard, Back Yard, South Side Yard, and North Side Yard. Evidence of a deflated sheet midden was observed in the Back Yard. Artifacts from the Back Yard included butchered bone, a stove piece, and domestic items dated primarily to the late 19th century, which indicated the yard was used for casual discard of kitchen refuse related to the present structure. Architectural items (especially cut and wire nails) recovered from the Back Yard suggested that this area was used for staging during the construction of the current house following the 1879 fire. In the Front Yard, the majority of artifacts predated 1820 and most of the glass was non-machine made. Like the Front Yard, the South Side Yard contained a high percentage of domestic glass and ceramics. The diagnostics ranged from the early 18th to the mid-19th century. The general nature of the domestic artifact scatter suggested that the South Side Yard was a kitchen midden that was in use for a long period of time. The domestic artifacts in the North Side Yard were primarily limited to ceramic and glass fragments dated from the early to mid-19th century; the architectural items were possibly related to the application of a new roof when the house was rebuilt in 1880. A concentration of artifacts on the northern edge of the yard may have indicated the remains of an earlier outbuilding or trash pit. Also in the North Side Yard area, there was evidence suggestive of historic gardening activity. The activity may have mixed and scattered material from earlier deposits and possibly obscured cultural features. A historic well located adjacent to the kitchen, was infilled during the late 20th century and was not tested.
Test Units 3 and 5 were excavated in the western portion of the site, near the burnt lens feature (Feature 302) uncovered during the Phase I testing. Feature 302 was defined as a shallow swale or erosional feature that was filled with landscaping, construction, and domestic debris. A large tree stump occupied much of the feature. During reconstruction efforts following the 1879 fire, it appears that the swale was filled and leveled, first with a layer of unconsolidated schist gravel and clay, then with the tree trunk and debris from the rebuilding. Finally, topsoil was put in place and the swale was leveled.
A total of 9 possible artifacts represented the prehistoric component of Area 2. Two quartz flakes and a quartz projectile point fragment were the only artifacts clearly identified as the product of human activity. The remaining 6 artifacts were recorded as other lithics in the table above.
The historic component from Area 2 was represented by 684 artifacts, as reported in the artifact catalogue in the site report and inclusive of materials recovered as a result of the ethnobotanical analysis (discussed below). Twenty-four activity items were found including 1 red glass marble, 14 lamp glass fragments, 5 ceramic flower pot sherds, 1 clothespin spring, and 3 brass rivets. Architectural items (n=251) included 14 brick fragments, 80 fragments of window glass, 20 rosehead wrought nails, 45 cut nails, 10 wire nails, 67 unidentified nails, 3 pieces of roofing slate, 1 piece of plaster, 4 ceramic roofing tile fragments, 2 miscellaneous hardware items, 2 tacks, and 3 pieces of tar paper. Only 2 clothing objects were recovered, an eyelet and a thimble. The single furniture item was a stove part/door plate. The kitchen group (n=299) consisted of 26 blown-in-mold bottle fragments and 57 other bottle glass shards, 15 piece of table glass, 163 ceramic sherds (2 Staffordshire, 2 North Devon Gravel Tempered, 12 pearlware, 1 Whieldon, 1 tin-enameled Delft, 5 buff-bodied earthenware, 16 creamware, 10 porcelain, 2 Rockingham, 1 Slip-dipped white salt-glazed stoneware, 7 ironstone, 27 redware, 41 whiteware, 20 domestic gray stoneware, 3Albany slip stoneware, 2 yellowware, 11 unidentified ceramics), 29 animal bone fragments (3 with cut marks, 6 burned), 3 oyster shell fragments, and 6 seeds. Objects in the miscellaneous group (n=99) included 3 unidentifiable burned glass pieces, 15 pieces of unidentified metal, 2 pieces of plastic (discarded), 1 piece of coal and 6 pieces of coal slag, 1 piece of charcoal, 43 wood fragments, and 28 slate fragments not identifiable as roofing slate. The 4 personal items were a fragment of a bone comb, 2 chamber pot fragments, and 1 broken porcelain figurine. Two ball clay pipe stem fragments and 1 bowl fragment constituted the tobacco group and a single arms item was recovered (a .22 rimfire cartridge). The types of pre-1880s ceramics were suggestive of a middle to upper class household. The post-1880 diagnostics further reflected a luxurious lifestyle befitting the social standing of E.M. Allen.
Soil samples totaling 3-liters were collected from TU 4 and a single carbon sample was collected from Feature 302 for ethnobotanical analysis. Heavy and light fraction materials were recovered as a result of the flotation processing. Artifactual and geological materials identified in the heavy fraction group were removed by hand for analysis. Those artifacts were catalogued with the materials recovered during excavation and screening. The charcoal recovered during the flotation process was further separated into <2 mm and >2 mm fractions. The >2 mm group were examined under low magnification and sorted into general categories (ie. wood, seed, amorphous charcoal) and weighed. The <2 mm group was examined under low magnification, and seed and cultivated plant remains were removed for identification. In cases where the flotation samples contained a large number of wood charcoal fragments, a random sample of 20 specimens was selected for identification.
A total of 5,600 wood fragments were recovered from which a total sub-sample of 43 fragments was selected for identification. Analysis revealed that deciduous tree species dominated the botanical assemblage. Oak (7), maple (3), unidentifiable porous species (2), and general deciduous taxa (21) were represented. Nine specimens were wholly unidentifiable. A single Eastern red cedar specimen recovered from Feature 302 was the only coniferous specimen in the collection. All of these identified wood taxa represented material types that were historically utilized as building material and fuel wood. Five carbonized pokeberry seeds and 1 unidentifiable highly eroded seed were recovered. In all likelihood, the seed remains were incidental within the cultural context.
The Bishop Site (18HA176) consists of a late 18th and early 19th century farmstead, and a prehistoric artifact scatter. Archeological testing indicated that there had been extensive land modifications as a result of rebuilding and landscaping associated with the 1880 construction of the extant dwelling, the Allen House. Destruction debris from the house that burned down in 1879 was used to infill a natural swale while leveling the land. Artifactual evidence indicated activity at the site for as much as 150 years prior to 1880. Early activity may have been associated with the first mills on Deer Creek, which appeared by 1750. Disturbance to the site has destroyed any intact deposits and intermixed the old midden with more recent deposits. However, the historic archeological component of the site was determined eligible for the National Register as a contributing resource to the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District; it represents over 200 years of occupation and is associated with several prominent families and individuals important in the rural development of the Lower Deer Creek Valley. None of the archeological resources were threatened with impact by the proposed right-of-way construction. In addition, no further archeological testing was recommended within the proposed right-of-way. The proposed re-routing of Route 161 (Darlington Road) was to encompass the course of the historic roadbed. This would serve to restore the original spatial relationships that existed during the period of significance of the Allen House. The prehistoric component at the site lacked the necessary integrity for inclusion to the Nation Register.
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