Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18HA30 Old Baltimore
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Old Baltimore (18HA30) is a multicomponent site with a late 17th-early 18th century town site, the late 17th-early 19th century Phillips family cemetery, and a Late Archaic to Woodland period short-term resource procurement campsite. Site 18HA30 is located within the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP) boundaries of ‘Old Baltimore’ (MIHP# HA-1308) on the property of Aberdeen Proving Ground, on the eastern shore of the Bush River in Harford County. The site is situated on a small, low rise that extends on a point of land into the Bush River. It is mostly wooded, however, a portion of the northwestern corner was apparently cleared of vegetation within the last 10-20 years, and cut grass is found along the western edge of the site that corresponded with disturbance and push piles. The cemetery, which represents the only extant remains of Baltimore Town, was surrounded by cut grass and mature trees. A dirt road enters the site from the east at the northern end of the site. Soils at the site consist of Delanco silt loam (0-3% slope), Elsinboro loam (2-5% slope), Matapeake silt loam (0-5%) slope, and Sassafras loam (2-5% slope). Historic plowing, bulldozing, clearing, grading, and ordnance testing (specifically an episode of grenade testing) have disturbed the site.
The first settlement within the current grounds of APG was a trading post set up by Nathaniel Utie on Spesutie Island in 1652. The 1652 treaty with the Susquehannock Indians encouraged settlement and expansion in the area and in 1658 the first formal land grants were patented. By the early 1700s the Susquehannocks had left the region. In the 1650s, Maryland’s General Assembly authorized the creation of Baltimore County (Harford County did not yet exist and was part of Baltimore County) but it was not until the 1670s when the first county seat was established at Baltimore Town. At that time, construction of a ‘main road’ that ran from Chilbury Point to Swan Creek served as a major pathway for transporting goods. In 1674 and 1676 respectively, construction of a courthouse and an inn were authorized at Baltimore Town. The choice of Baltimore Town as the county seat reflected the concentration of influential Baltimore planters in the northern portions of the county around Bush River. By 1712, the county seat had moved to Joppa Town as Baltimore Town had become increasingly remote from major commercial activities in the county. In 1773, Baltimore County was subdivided and Harford County was established. In the late 19th century, Baltimore Town (by then known as Old Baltimore Town) was described as consisting only of the Phillips cemetery and brick remains that marked the site of the town and the courthouse.
Three families have been definitively linked to the Old Baltimore town site. In the late 17th century William Osbourne (also spelled Osbern) participated in agricultural activities on land in Old Baltimore and operated the ferry that crossed the Bush River. During his lifetime, Osbourne acquired and disposed of a variety of properties primarily in the area of Old Baltimore. One of these was the ‘Common Gardens tract, a 300-acre parcel that Osbourne and his sometimes-partner James Lee purchased from Oliver Sprye. Sprye had acquired the property in 1659. A later resurvey of the parcel yielded an extra 100 acres. In 1683 a portion of the Common Garden property was either taken or donated for the construction of the Baltimore Town courthouse. Osbourne’s property adjoined the southern boundary of the Phillips property. The Phillips family was the most prominent family involved in the early development of Baltimore Town. The Old Baltimore Site is located on the tract ‘Lambert’s Marsh’, which Phillips acquired through his marriage to Susan Orchard in 1678. Besides his duties for the court, which consisted of surveying and establishing the boundaries of Baltimore Town, records showed that in 1683 James Phillips (I) obtained a tavern/ordinary license to operate the facility in the house where he lived. This was the same year that Old Baltimore was designated as an official port town. The tavern, which he operated until 1689, may have also functioned as a boarding house. In 1688, Phillips was appointed as a port officer for Baltimore Town.
The land stayed within the Phillips family for several generations. The Phillips cemetery contained the remains of James Phillips (I) (d. 1689), his wife, and their 3 male children. Tax records dated from 1798 suggested the James Phillips (III) owned several developed tracts that appeared to have been located in the site area on the Common Garden tract. The tracts were occupied by tenants, including one free black, and each lot had a complex of buildings consisting of a single-story frame dwelling, some with shed additions, a detached kitchen, a meat house, a corn house, a stable, and sometimes a lumber house. In the early 1800s James Phillips’s (III) daughter, who married William Paca (descendant of Governor Paca), inherited the Bush River properties. In the 1870s, all the Phillips property was sold as a result of an equity case, thereby ending nearly 200 years of Phillips family association with the site of Old Baltimore. The ‘Old Baltimore Towne’ site was purchased in 1874 by James Richardson. The site of the old town was reportedly in cultivation, and Richardson had built a new dwelling near the public road. The farm stayed in the Richardson family until the early 20th century. In 1917, the government acquired the land as part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds and Edgewater Arsenal. In 1923, the Richardson house was clearly depicted on a map of the grounds but was later demolished. In the suspected house area, push piles, disturbed soils, and heavy secondary growth exist, all evidence of leveling, landscape modification and clearing activity.
The Old Baltimore Research Project, which consisted of Phase I and II archeological testing, was an outgrowth of APG’s proactive approach to cultural resources located on their property. APG’s Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) provided the framework for that process by identifying the resources at the installation, providing a context for the cultural resources work undertaken at the facility, and providing procedural guidelines for managing those resources, including the Old Baltimore Site (18HA30). Goals of the Old Baltimore Research Project were to gather information about early colonial settlement at APG, to fulfill federal and state regulations regarding historic properties, and to complement the Prehistoric Lifeways Project (for sites related to the Lifeways Project see 18HA1, 18HA19, 18HA77, and 18HA246).
Initial archival research focused on determined the location and the boundaries of the first Baltimore County courthouse complex. Phase I survey originally constituted the examination of Area A, the immediate surroundings of the Phillips cemetery, and Area B, the suspected location of the courthouse tract. However, the presence of unexploded ordnance in Area B precluded examination of that area. A 150x200 m area (Area A) was systematically shovel tested at 10 m intervals. A total of 424 shovel test pits (STPs) were dug to a depth of 50 cm or when sterile subsoil was encountered. Five 1x1 m test units were also excavated in areas where artifact concentrations were observed during the shovel testing. The Phase II research was designed to delineate and sample the features identified during the earlier testing, and place additional units in areas with high archeological potential. Additional STPs were excavated north of the eastern half of the previously surveyed area consisting of an additional 50x100 m area. Closer interval testing (5 m intervals) was done in a 20x20 m area surrounding features identified during the Phase I survey. A total of 36 additional 1x1 m test units were also excavated. Flotation and special materials samples were collected when considered appropriate. Test units were excavated in 5 cm or 10 cm arbitrary layers below the plowzone (which was removed as one level) and all excavated soils were screened though 0.635 cm (1/4”) hardware cloth. All artifacts were retained except that only samples of brick, and possibly oyster, were collected. All the test units dug during the Phase I/II testing were associated with four blocks (Blocks A-D) except for TU2 which was an isolated unit placed near the Phillips cemetery to identify disturbance outside the 20th century fence line delineating the graveyard (although it may not mark the actual boundary of the cemetery).
A total of 23 historic features were identified within the 4 excavation blocks. Those features constituted the remains of a 17th century (ca. 1670-1700) house that may have also functioned as a tavern, 2 possible cellars/wells/privies that were filled with debris at the end of their use life, trash pits, sheet middens, and pits of undetermined functions. In Block A, 3 brick wall features (F3-01, F6-01, and F10-01) were encountered. The walls were made of hand-formed bricks with oyster shell tempered mortar and laid in English bond. All 3 walls were found at about 22 cmbs. Feature 3-01, an exterior structural wall, extended from southeast-northwest, and the remaining 2 walls were perpendicular to F3-01, on its north side. It was determined that the 3 wall sections were a single construction and that F10-01 represented a fireplace wall. The top portions of the walls had been affected by plowing, tree and rodent disturbance. A wall fragment located in TU5 may not have been part of the original construction. It was slightly out of alignment with the rest of the wall complex, which was interpreted to mean that the remnant wall was constructed at some point after the wall complex was already laid. Feature 3-02 was a builder’s trench located on the north side of F3-01 wall. The trench was 8 cm in width at its widest point. Features 5-02 and 6-02 were builder’s trenches located on the south side of F3-01.
Feature 40-02 in Block A was identified by the presence of oxidized soil and was interpreted to be the base of a fireplace. Three postholes (Features 4-01, 4-02, and 7-01) were also located in Block A. Features 4-02 and 7-01 were located at the west and east ends respectively of the F3-01 brick wall. Feature 4-01 was located 1 m west of, and in line with, the brick wall (F3-01). The postholes may have reflected the post-in-ground structure that once stood over the brick foundation walls. Features 5-01 and 7-02 were identified as sheet middens. The middens may have been created during the use life of the structure although F5-01 materials may have been deposited either as a result of remodeling or as a result of the abandonment/destruction phase of the structure. Pit Feature 7-03 was cut by 2 of the brick walls which suggested that it predated the structure. Very few artifacts were recovered from the pit fill. Pit Feature 13-01 was determined by its contents to have functioned primarily as an outdoor kitchen refuse disposal pit and was probably contemporaneous with the structure.
In Block B, Feature 8-01 was identified as a soil stain below the plowzone. It was roughly circular measuring 2 m (6.56 ft) in diameter with a depth of 120 cmbs. A sample of about 10-15% of the feature was excavated. Over 2,800 domestic and architectural artifacts were recovered from the feature fill, mostly from within Levels 3-5 and Level 10. The feature was interpreted as a probable well that functioned secondarily as a refuse disposal pit after its initial life use. The artifact assemblage was indicative of a domestic and tavern oriented setting.
Five cultural features were identified in Block C. They were all described as refuse filled pits that cut into one another. The feature fills contained kitchen-related debris, numerous pipe fragments, and some architectural debris. None of the features were excavated in full but a sample was taken from each. Analysis of the artifact assemblage from each feature and the organization of the pits suggested that 3 of the features pre-dated 1683 (Features 1-01, 1-02, and 26-01), when the tavern/boarding house was opened, and the other 2 features (Features 19-01 and 28-01) post-dated 1683. The 2 most recent features yielded a higher density and greater variety of artifacts than the earlier pits. Feature 19-01 contained numerous ceramics, glassware, bottle fragments, pipe fragments, bone and oyster fragments, while Feature 28-01 contained few ceramics, glass, and pipe fragments, but contained high quantities of bone and oyster shell. The materials were reflective of a domestic/tavern setting.
Two cultural features were identified in Block D. Feature 14-01was identified as a pocket of sandy ash. It was determined that the feature represented a small ash pocket within Feature 14-02. Feature 14-02 was roughly circular and measured 2.13 m (7 ft) in diameter. A limited sampling of the feature was undertaken removing about 10-15% of the feature. Due to the lack of internal stratigraphy, F14-02 was excavated in arbitrary levels. The base of the feature was not encountered when excavation ceased at a depth of 199 cmbd. Over 1,800 artifacts were recovered from the Feature 14-01/14-02 fill. These came primarily from the top 3 arbitrary levels but Level 9 near the base of the feature also produced a number of artifacts. The function of Feature 14-02 could not be definitely determined but 3 possibilities were proposed: 1) the feature may have been a root cellar, its size and shape being similar to other root cellars found at 17th century sites; 2) the feature may have served as a steep-sided well excavated by the Phillips family – although F8-01 was thought to be a well, it was not uncommon for 17th century homesteads to have more than one well; and 3) the feature could have been a privy. The dense faunal material recovered from the fill may relate to the original use of the pit. In any case, the feature was ultimately utilized as a trash receptacle. The lack of internal stratigraphy indicated that the pit was infilled in a single or rapid fill episode, probably during the last quarter of the 17th century, as indicated by the artifact assemblage. Further analysis of the fill materials suggested that the refuse represented discard from both the domestic and the tavern-related functions of the site. Features 14-03 and 14-04 were identified during the excavation of F14-02; however, only small portions of the features were excavated and interpretation of their function was not possible but they may be related to the construction of F14-02. Feature 14-05 was identified as a possible postmold; however, no excavation was done to delineate the feature and no associated artifacts were found. Feature 31-01 was a post and posthole that predated the filling of F14-02. It was thought to represent a support associated with the original function of the large pit. The feature was not excavated.
Excavations at TU2, which was placed near the Phillips cemetery fence line, revealed a stratified soil sequence with a sharp delineation between the prehistoric artifacts recovered below 42 cmbs and the historic artifacts recovered above 42 cmbs. Disturbance to this part of the landform appeared to have been minimal since historic times (at least the latter part of the 18th century) which suggested the possibility that relatively undisturbed deposits existed in proximity to the cemetery. No historic features were encountered during the excavation of TU2 and no graves were located but there is still a possibility that additional graves exist outside the fenced area.
A total of 14,894 were recorded in the artifact inventory (Appendix V) in the original site report (the total counts for the ceramic assemblage and the bricks and nails were taken from a table within the text). Almost 93% of the historic artifacts recovered from plowzone contexts were associated with the main period of occupation at Old Baltimore from about 1660-1720. Activity items (n=26) included 1 intact wine bottle seal, possibly representing an untitled gentleman, that was recovered from the plowzone in Block C. Several horse/stable-related objects were encountered including 3 mouthed bridle bits, one with an ornamental boss, 1 snaffle/watering bridle bit, 1 small iron harness buckle, 1 other iron buckle, 1 curry comb fragment, 2 harness escutcheons, 1 wrought iron carriage hub, and 1 wagon part/rod. Also recovered was a metal bale seal with stamped crown, 4 hoes (1 sprouting hoe, 1 weeding hoe and 2 ground-breaking/grubbing hoes) and a possible hoe fragment, 1 piece of lamp glass, 1 staple, 4 metal straps, and 2 unidentified metal tools. A total of 2,645 architectural items were retained including 247 fragments of unglazed and 102 fragments of glazed handmade bricks, 82 fragments of yellow Dutch brick, 24 window glass fragments, 1,486 hand wrought nails (33 L-head, 1,425 rosehead, 28 T-head), 1 cut nail, 11 wire nails, 1 finishing nail, 469 unidentified nails, 6 lead window cames, 118 pieces of mortar and 29 pieces of daub, 13 plaster fragments, 5 spikes, 3 hinges, 1 pintle/bracket, 1 shutter hook and 2 other hooks, 1 latch, 3 bolts and/or brackets, 4 construction tacks, 2 pieces of cut building stone material, 2 flagstones, 1 ceramic tile, 9 pieces of roofing slate, and 22 miscellaneous hardware items.
Recovered clothing-related items (n=14) consisted of 5 straight pins, 1 brass knee buckle, 1 scissors fragment, 1 pair of scissors (conserved), 3 glass beads (1 is possibly a button), 1 other buckle, 1 metal button, and 1 bone button. Furniture items (n=27) retained included 5 tin-glazed earthenware candlestick fragments, 1 possible brass candlestick, 3 brass curtain rings, 1 furniture handle, and 17 brass upholstery tacks. In all, 9,379 kitchen-related artifacts were found including 21 machine made bottle glass fragments, 417 non-machine made bottle fragments, 122 pieces of dip mold glass, 1 piece of milk glass, 47 table glass fragments, and 901 ceramic sherds (417 North Devon (ND) Gravel, 73 ND Sgraffito, 46 ND Thin, 18 Staffordshire Slipware, 7 unidentified coarse earthenware, 5 Manganese Mottled, 2 Rhenish brown, 2 imported brown stoneware, 2 Westerwald, 155 Delftware, 101 other tin-glazed earthenware, 3 buff-bodied earthenware, 1 Flow blue, 6 other pearlware, 39 redware, 2 Slipware, 7 white slip Spanish colonial earthenware, 5 whiteware, 10 unidentified sherds). Other kitchen items found were 8 utensil parts (2 spoon handles, 5 knife fragments, and a 2-tined fork), 1 fragment of a copper pan, 2 pieces of copper wine bottle wire, 1 pull tab, 2 cauldron fragments, 2 bone handles, 6 can fragments, 1 tin can, 450 oyster shell fragments, 111 unidentified shell fragments, 17 other shell fragments (crab, clam, mussel, snail, turtle), 28 eggshells, 11 nut/seed/pits, 428 animal teeth, 5,921 animal bones, and 881 fish scales/bones. In all, 558 of the fish scales derived from pit feature F8-01, with 220 of those from Level 10, which indicated a discrete deposition of fish within the feature.
Miscellaneous objects (n=372) included 25 unidentified glass fragments, 125 unidentified metal fragments, 6 pieces of copper sheeting, 3 pieces of metal slag, 2 unidentified material/items, 67 fragments of miscellaneous stone most of which were probably bog iron and a few possible lime pieces, 24 wood fragments, some modified (5 discarded), 3 kiln wasters/ceramic slag, 2 pieces of coral, 7 pieces of chalk, 84 fragments of charcoal, 14 pieces of coal slag, and 10 pieces of coal. A total of 14 personal objects were recovered including 2 mirror fragments, 1 book clasp hinge, 1 Charles II coin, 4 fragments of an ointment pot, and 6 chamber pot fragments. A total of 2,268 clay tobacco pipe fragments were recovered from the site. This included 10 Dutch and possibly Dutch pipe fragments, 2,183 ball clay pipe fragments (1,153 stems, 952 bowls, 76 heel/stem/bowl, 2 unidentified fragments), and 75 red clay pipe fragments (14 stems, 57 bowls, 4 hell/stem/bowl), 6 of which were possibly locally made. Thirty-five of the fragments had maker’s marks such as “LE”, “WE”, “IF”, “RT”, and “WK”. Another 28 fragments had Bristol-style roulette decoration, 1 with the maker’s mark “WIL EVANS”. The tobacco-related items also included a smoker’s companion. Arms-related items, which numbered 148, included 4 gunflints (3 English/gray, 1 French/brown) and 138 flakes from gunflint production (123 English, 15 French), 4 pieces of lead shot, and 2 other munitions fragments.
Faunal material was collected during both phases of testing from STPs, test units, and features. A total of 2,949 faunal remains (recorded as miscellaneous kitchen items in the table above) were recovered during testing; 2,836 of those specimens were identified beyond the level of Unidentified Vertebrate. Of the identified species, 35.5% or 389 were domestic animals. The minimum number of individuals (MNI) represented in the domestic group included 9 pigs, 6 cows, 1 chicken, and 3 caprines (sheep/goat). The occupants’ diet was supplemented with a variety of wild species. The MNI represented in the wild group included 3 deer, 2 raccoons, 2 opossum, 1 rabbit, 2 turkeys, 1 black bear, 1 muskrat, 1 vole, and 1 possible wolf (represented by a mandible). The muskrat and the vole may not have been intentionally killed. Aquatic and semi-aquatic resources exploited included 1 brown pelican, 1 mallard, 1 goose, and 6 shellfish. Fish species, represented by the MNI, included 2 gar, 1 catfish, 1 sheepshead, 6 striped bass, 1 black drum and 1 red drum, and 1 box turtle. Several pieces of modified bones were observed in the faunal assemblage, the majority of which was burned. Carnivore gnawing was noted on a small portion of the remains, particularly on cow bone. Cut marks were identified on cow, deer, pig, and sheep/goat bones and 1 raccoon element. Hack marks were noted on some cow bone fragments, 1 sheep/goat bone, and 1 unidentified bird shaft element. Only 3 specimens displayed rodent gnawing.
The element distribution data and age at death data from the site indicated several points regarding the faunal assemblage: 1) white-tailed deer were killed and dressed near the site and more young deer were consumed than older deer; 2) the occupants were keeping a private herd of cattle and butchering their own meat; 3) low rodent numbers indicated that vermin were not much of a problem in late 17th century Baltimore Town; and 4) caprines represented a wide range of ages. Animals were likely kept to produce offspring, supply milk, and presumably act as draft animals. Furthermore, the abundance of wild species in the assemblage indicated that either environmental conditions in the area provided a favorable habitat for wild taxa or it was a reflection of the tavern patron and/or owner preferences. It was suggested that further excavations at the site would increase the sample size and provide additional data on relevant research questions related to the local foodways.
Oyster shell samples were collected from site feature contexts. A systematic sub-sample of shell valves and fragments was retained during the Phase II investigations from 4 features. A total of 60 valves weighing 2,963 grams were analyzed. The low number of valves recovered from the site was too small to provide data on the full range and importance of oysters at the site. However, the analysis did provide a starting point for assessing oyster resources at 18HA30. The morphmetric measurement of the valves indicated that most of the oysters grew in a bed environment on mixed muddy sand. The majority of the sample appeared to have been harvested from brackish to mildly salty waters where salinity remained between 10 and 20 parts per thousand. None of the examined valves showed any evidence of having been butchered (opened). This may have indicated that the oysters were boiled or steamed. However, the lack of evidence for butchering was determined not to be a conclusive indicator of the full range of opening techniques that may have been employed at the site.
Archeobotanical analysis was also conducted on materials recovered during the Phase II testing at the Old Baltimore site. Soil samples collected from sealed feature contexts were individually processed using flotation. This yielded heavy and light fraction samples. All carbonized plant remains were combined and passed through a 2 mm sieve yielding <2 mm and >2 mm fraction samples. The >2 mm samples were sorted in general categories of material, described, counted, and weighed. The <2 mm fractions were examined under low magnification and recorded, and the remains of seeds and cultivated plants were removed for identification. A sub-sample of 20 randomly selected wood fragments was taken from each sample containing more than 20 specimens. Unfortunately, the 2 pages in the botanical report where the results of the analysis were presented are missing from the site report. On the last page, however, it was noted that 120 fragments of amorphous carbon, 2 unidentifiable rind fragments, and a single fungal fructification were recovered. The charcoal from Feature 8-01 was determined to be composed entirely of white oak wood fibers and the charcoal from Features 7-03 and 13-01 was identified as a ring porous deciduous species. There were also a few summary comments. The pattern of plant remains reflected the use of native and locally available trees for fuel and construction. There was a preference for thick-walled hickory and black walnuts, and reliance upon the staple grain crops wheat and corn. Due to the lack of information, no ethnobotany report was written for this site.
Although Old Baltimore is primarily a historic site, the Phase I/II investigations also revealed evidence for prehistoric activity in the site area. A total of 614 prehistoric artifacts were recovered. There were 486 pieces of debitage and 2 cores. Tools consisted of 22 unmodified flake tools, 2 scrapers, and 9 bifacial tools including a Late Archaic chalcedony Lamoka point, a possible Late Woodland Madison point, 1 amorphous biface, 1 preform, 1 blank, 1 indeterminate biface, and 3 unidentifiable point fragments. There were 8 groundstone items (1 greenstone bead (also recorded as an uncommon object in the table above), 2 unidentified greenstone objects, 1 sandstone vessel fragment, and 4 pestles/manos). Other lithic objects included 9 hammerstone fragments and 1 ‘other’ use-modified tool. There were 53 fire-cracked rock fragments. The majority of the lithic artifacts were quartz, with sandstone, quartzite, chalcedony, chert, ironstone, jasper, serpentine, and shale also present in the assemblage. A total of 22 ceramic sherds (including 1 rim) were also found, the majority of which were quartz tempered. The site was probably utilized by small groups for relatively short periods of time for the purpose of exploiting resources associated with the Bush River. The prehistoric component of 18HA30 was not explicitly evaluated in the main body of the site report; however, several pages were missing from the discussion on the prehistoric material (Appendix III) in the site report. As a result, any conclusions derived at by the excavators were unavailable (although it appeared from a site map that 3 clusters of prehistoric materials (Loci 1-3) were identified).
At the same time that archeological testing was being done at the site, a survey consisting of ground penetrating radar, magnetometry, and conductivity was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 30x30 m area containing historic features. The purpose of the investigations was to determine the extent of the brick foundation and other identified features. Nine GPR anomalies were prioritized for future archeological investigations. In all likelihood, at least 2 of the anomalies represent the brick foundation. An area of subsurface disturbance that suggested the presence of numerous buried objects (natural or man-made) was also identified near the center of the study area. The data will ultimately be utilized to help guide future work in the feature cluster.
After completing the Phase I/II archeological testing, APG decided to build a protective 60x60 m chain link fence around the core of the site, which was comprised of the feature clusters. This area is just northeast of the cemetery. Subsurface testing was done prior to the fence placement, during which time several features were encountered. A magnetometer sweep was conducted before excavation due to the high potential for the presence of unexploded ordnance. A total of 96 STPs were excavated every 3 m at the proposed locations of each fence post. If potential features were identified within the STP then the test was terminated and the fence post was relocated. This accounted for the irregular fence line on the northern side where the fence bulges out to avoid intact features. Artifacts were recovered primarily from the northern and western fence lines. A single prehistoric artifact was recovered from the eastern fence line. Although no artifacts were collected from the southern fence line, small brick fragments were observed in a ground depression in the southwestern corner of the fence line. This may have been an indication that other historic activity areas or features were located in the higher ground to the southwest.
Two suspected features were encountered on the north fence line approximately 10 m in from the northwest corner. Feature FL-1 was identified as a pit of undetermined function. Feature FL-2 was located in a series of STPs at 24 cmbs. Feature FL-2 was an apparent east-west oriented brick foundation wall similar to the 17th century foundation found in Block A. Subsequent testing revealed that the foundation wall was at least 6 m in length. There were 2 north-south oriented, articulated wall segments that extended north for at least 3 m. The proposed fence line was rerouted north to avoid impacting the features.
A total of 57 historic artifacts were recovered during the fence line survey. A single activity item was found, 1 piece of non-electrical wire, and 17 architectural items were retained including 6 glazed brick fragments and 11 rosehead nails. Six fragments of bottle/container glass, 1 piece of table glass, 1 North Devon Sgraffito sherd, 3 North Devon Gravel tempered sherds, 1 Delftware sherd, 3 tin-enameled earthenware sherds, and 1 burnt animal bone constituted the kitchen-related group. The 3 miscellaneous objects retained were 1 unidentified metal object, 1 piece of coal and 2 pieces of coal slag. Eighteen ball clay pipe fragments (11 stems, 7 bowls) made up the tobacco-related group, and 2 English gunflint flakes comprised the arms-related group of materials. Six prehistoric items were also recovered (3 piece of quartz debitage, 2 piece of chert debitage, 1 possible fire-cracked rock fragment).
An analysis of the archival and artifactual materials from the Old Baltimore Site strongly indicated that a pre-1700s date was represented at the Old Baltimore Site (only 2% of the diagnostic assemblage dated to post-1700). The artifacts displayed varying ranges of use but all of them had a period when their dates of use overlapped, between 1680 and 1710. This 30 year period only represents a portion of the time the site was occupied. As noted above, Baltimore Town became the county seat in the 1670s and in the early 1680s the Phillips house was licensed to also function as a tavern/boarding house. The quality and quantity of artifact types indicated that the occupants were wealthy and likely retained a relatively high position of social status. Following departure of the court from Baltimore Town ca. 1712, the property became an agricultural holding and the site of the Phillips house became an agricultural field. The paucity of post-1720 artifacts recovered from the site suggested that these materials were likely related to 19th century occupation located farther west on the point and were deposited as field scatter due to plowing. The remainder of the artifacts from the site was consistent with the main years of occupation at Baltimore Town from ca. 1660 to 1720.
The Old Baltimore Site (18HA30) is the location of the late 17th-early 18th century town site of Baltimore Towne and the late 17th-early 19th century Phillips family cemetery. The town site included a tavern/boarding house that was run out of a domestic dwelling and a courthouse. Unfortunately, the presence of unexploded ordnance made survey of the proposed courthouse site impossible. There was also a Late Archa
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