Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18HA249 Archer
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Archer Site (18HA249) is a multicomponent site representing a Late Archaic-Late Woodland prehistoric resource procurement camp and a late 18th to early 20th century artifact scatter. It is located within the National Register boundary of the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District in Harford County, Maryland. The site is situated in fallow fields (the eastern and western fields), on two terraces near the Deer Creek Recreation Area in Susquehanna State Park. A small unnamed tributary of Deer Creek runs along the northern edge of the site. The large eastern field and the small western field are separated by a segment of gravel road. The historic component identified at the site is associated with the 19th century Gaughen House Site (MHT #HA-198), the stone foundation of which sits just outside the southern site boundary. Soils on the low flat floodplain area of the site were defined as Hatboro silt loams. Soils there exhibited stacked plowzones and thickened A-horizons as a result of rapid deposition of alluvium from the adjacent stream and colluvium from uphill portions of the plowed field. Profiles suggest that this landform is a bench eroded from the Pleistocene terrace above and subsequently covered with sediment washed from the terraces above. Soils in the center portion of the lower terrace were those mapped for Glenelg series soils. Soils mapped for the upper portion of the site resembled Glenelg loam but contained a greater percentage of sand than expected and may represent eroded parent material and colluvium that washed down from upslope. The entire site area has been subjected to historic plowing.
There are 2 prehistoric sites located within the immediate area of 18HA249. The Susquehanna Soapstone Quarry (18HA135) is approximately 1 km southwest of the wite. Site 18HA21, the Rock Run Site, has an Archaic transitional component and is located about 1 km southeast of the site.
The site is situated on land that was originally part of the 529 acre property owned by Martin Gaughen (purchased in 1955) which was transferred to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in 1961. The Gaughen farm was comprised of a house thought to have been built sometime in the mid-19th century, and several agricultural outbuildings. Only the corn crib is extant. The corn crib and the site of the house were listed as contributing elements to the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District. Historically, the land was part of large landholdings of first the Stump, then the Archer families. The Archer and Stump families merged in 1816 through marriage. Both the Stump and the Archer families were prominent locally; John Archer, Sr. was a doctor and a politician; the Stumps were wealthy landowners. The Archer family began acquiring land in the vicinity of the site ca. 1855 and maintained a large property until 1937 when the 529 acres was sold to B. Oles. Oles in turn sold the property to H. Holfeldt in 1950 who then sold it to M. Gaughen in 1955.
Phase I work was conducted at the site from December 1995-March 1996 prior to the proposed expansion of the Deer Creek Recreation Area. Fieldwork consisted of surface collection, the plowing of 21 strips of varying lengths across the site, and the excavation of 45 STPs. Unfortunately, that Phase I report was not available in the Maryland Historical Trust library. However, the excavators of the Phase II site evaluation summarized the Phase I finds and provided the numbers and types of several diagnostic artifacts in their report. During the Phase I survey, 4,516 prehistoric artifacts were reportedly recovered. There were 2,037 pieces of debitage and 1,007 cores/tested cobbles. The 23 projectile points/knives included 1 Brewerton side-notched, 2 Savannah River, 2 Lamoka-like, 1 Koens-Crispin, 3 Calvert, 4 Piscataway, and 1 Potts/Waratan, and 9 unidentifiable point fragments. A total of 152 other points and tools were noted. Other lithics included 2 slate gorget fragments. Nineteen steatite bowl fragments were also recorded. Ceramic sherds included 1 Dames Quarter, 4 Wolfe Neck, 3 Accokeek, 1 possible Mockley, 2 Minguannan, 3 Potomac Creek-like, and 30 unidentified sherds. In addition to the prehistoric materials, 312 historic artifacts were recorded during the Phase I survey (recorded as miscellaneous items in the table above). Only 4 of those were definitely attributable to the 19th century. This assemblage was associated with the Gaughen House. No other details on the historic assemblage were provided.
A second Phase I archeological survey was undertaken in the vicinity of Site 18HA249 in January 1999. The project area was comprised of 5 small areas (Areas B-F). Area B was located on the south side of the gravel road/trail, adjacent to Site 18HA249. Site 18HA249 was identified as Area A and was subjected only to Phase II testing. Fieldwork conducted in January 1999 during the Phase II site evaluation consisted of the excavation of 62 STPs and seven 1x1 m test units (TUs 1-7), and the mechanical stripping of five 1 m wide trenches that totaled 200 m². First, a baseline was established along the northern edge of the eastern field and the entire site was shovel tested at 20 m intervals. Once areas of artifact concentrations were identified, then test units were placed across the site. All excavated soils were screened through 0.635 cm (1/4”) mesh. The 5 backhoe trenches were placed roughly parallel to the 1995/6 Phase I strip plowed areas. Trenches 1 (90 m long), 2 (30 m long), and 3 (30 m long) were excavated in the eastern field and Trenches 4 (30 m long) and 5 (20 m long) were excavated in the western field. After plowzone removal, each trench was hand scraped in order to search for features. It is unclear if and by what means artifacts were recovered during the mechanical stripping of the plowzone and subsequent scrapping. No artifacts were listed in the Artifact Inventory in the original report so it is presumed that none were collected during this portion of the testing.
A single feature was encountered during the Phase II testing. Feature 3-01 was identified at the Ap/B interface in TU 3. The exposed portion of the semi-circular stain measured 20x40 cm and was located in the southwest corner of the unit. The depth of the feature varied from 2-3 cm and no artifacts were recovered from the fill. The ambiguous nature of the feature suggested that it may have been the edge of a plowscar or animal burrow that was not fully exposed in the unit or it may have been the base of a prehistoric or historic feature that was truncated by plowing. It was postulated that the character of the feature suggested that the feature probably represented an animal burrow.
A total of 115 prehistoric artifacts were collected during the Phase II testing. All but 5 of the artifacts were recovered from the Ap-horizon and the remaining 5 were recovered from mixed horizons. There were 70 pieces of debitage (61 quartz, 5 chert, 3 quartzite, 1 unidentified igneous). These were primarily comprised of block/shatter (n=45) and non-cortical flakes (n=21). Unlike the other materials, quartz was represented by all stages of manufacturing at the site. A heavily reduced quartz core was also collected from the site. Uniface tools included 2 endscrapers. Two quartz unfinished bifaces were found (1 preform and 1 unidentified form) as well as 2 projectile points (1 chert Orient Fishtail or Clagett point and 1 quartz Madison/Potomac-like point). Other lithic items included 1 quartzite hammerstone and 1 grinding stone. A total of 32 fire-cracked rock fragments, primarily quartzite, were also recovered. In all, 4 ceramic sherds were collected including 1 Minguannan, 1 Selden Island, 1 Townsend, and 1 unidentified quartz-tempered sherd. The diagnostic artifacts identified at the site dated from the Late Archaic, Early Woodland, and Late Woodland periods. Several activities were postulated for the site based on the moderately diverse assemblage. The presence of fire-cracked rock, steatite bowls, and ceramics suggested food related activities and use of the site as a base camp during one or more of the occupation episodes. The presence of debitage, cores, and tools suggested resource procurement activities.
A scatter of 9 historic artifacts associated with the occupation of the Gaughen House was also collected from the site. The assemblage consisted of 1 activity item (a piece of kiln slag), 2 architectural items (1 piece of window glass and 1 cut/wrought nail), and 6 kitchen-related items (2 bottle glass fragments, 1 creamware sherd, and 3 redware sherds). The historic component (recovered from the Phase I and Phase II surveys) was entirely recovered from plowzone contexts and likely represented field disposal of domestic refuse.
The Archer Site (18HA249) represents a multicomponent Late Archaic-Late Woodland prehistoric resource procurement camp, and a late 18th to early 20th century artifact scatter. The principle prehistoric occupation of the site appears to have been during the Late Archaic/Early Woodland transitional period. There is also substantial evidence for Late Woodland use of the site but less artifactual evidence for a Middle Woodland occupation (represented by a possible Mockley sherd and a Potts point). The prehistoric component of the site did not possess horizontal or vertical integrity or research potential sufficient for listing it on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic artifacts represent field scatter; the assemblage is likely associated with the occupation of the 19th century Gaughen House. The historic archeological component lacks the integrity and research potential to be a contributing element to the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District. No further work was recommended for the site. The site area was originally slotted for development as a day use area. However, the construction plans ultimately shifted the expansion of the Deer Creek Recreation Area away from Site 18HA249. Instead, the expansion was reduced and all of the new facilities were to be located in the immediate vicinity of the existing parking lot just north of the site. If future plans include construction activities in the area of Site 18HA249, no further archeological testing is deemed necessary.
|
