Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18MO748 Colletan
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Archaeological site 18MO748, also known as the Colletan Site, is a mid-19th through early 20th century historic artifact deposit related to the historic occupation of a former structure constructed by Peter Colletan in the 1860s. The site is located along Meadown Branch, near Brookeville Road. The site is characterized by Hatboro silt loam, situated within the floodplain with low brush, small trees, and high grass.
The Colletan Parcel, where the site is located, appears on the 1865 Martenet and Bond’s Map of Montgomery County. An unlabeled structure is located just outside of the project’s area of potential effects (APE) that is attributed to Peter Colletan. In an 1879 map, it is situated between the Newlin’s Saw and Grist Mill (now ruins and archaeological site 18MO368) and the Valley House, both owned by William H. Downs. This structure appears to have stood in this location until between 1948 and 1950, when it was likely demolished. Photographs and an undated drawing, which was created by a former resident of the Valley House, shows a white frame structure with two sections; one slightly taller and narrow, the other much wider. The drawing shows a second-floor access to the probable residence and a garage/workshop addition.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration was completing stream stabilization work at Meadow Branch Stream, west of the town of Brookeville, Montgomery County, Maryland as part of the MD 97 Brookeville Bypass Project. Stream restoration work will include the installation of stormwater drainage outfalls, sewer line replacement, construction access, erosion and sediment controls, and grading and fill for the restoration of Meadow Branch.
A Phase I investigation was performed to identify archaeological resources within the project APE. 52 shovel test pits were excavated within Areas 1 through 3 of the APE where the Colletan site is located, and 7 judgmental shovel test pits were excavated outside the APE near Area 1 to give context to the material located within the APE. A total of 287 historic artifacts were recovered from Phase I testing. and 14B). A total of four prehistoric and 289 historic artifacts were recovered from all three test areas during Phase I excavations (Table 5; Appendix D). A total of 23 faunal remains were also recovered within Area 1 that included mammalian (n=13) and avian (n=8) bone and oyster shell (n=2) fragments.
The Colletan Site (18M0748) was identified along the east bank of Meadow Branch within Area 1 and consisted of a mid-nineteenth- through mid-twentieth-century historic artifact deposit related to the historic occupation of a former structure constructed by Peter Colletan in the 1860s. A Phase II investigations were recommended.
Phase II testing occurred along the east bank of the Meadow Branch including three 3.3 feet (1 m) square units. Additional shovel test pits were completed at 20-foot intervals both inside (n=6 STPs) and outside of the APE (n=14 STPs).
The primary purpose of the Phase II testing was to determine if the site was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Integrity of the site and the significance to important themes of Maryland history were investigated. Main research questions included:
-Do the artifacts continue to support the historic data suggesting mid-to-late-19th century to mid-20th century occupations, or has more modern material been introduced to the site?
-Is the A-horizon temporally homogenous as Phase I excavations suggest? Can the artifacts shed light on the period of deposition of the Fill I and II horizons? Are these fill horizons temporally homogenous?
-What functional activities are indicated?
A total of 475 historic artifacts were recovered during Phase II testing of the Colletan Site. Two features, a low mound and a small, rock-lined hole, were identified outside of the project APE. The artifacts consisted mainly of architectural (n=165), kitchen (n=510), industrial (n=60) and faunal remains (n=31) dated to the 19th and 20th century. Bottle glass was the most abundantly recovered type (n=321), followed by pearlware (n=54) and machine cut nails (n=47). Deed research suggest that the property containing the site was owned by richer, influential people, while the artifacts represent a more modest resident. The Colletan structure was likely a domestic residence and tenant house. Very little modern material was recovered from the site. Three prehistoric artifacts were recovered in test unit 1, which likely represents artifacts washed down the slope from the higher, flat hilltop.
The A-Horizon contained a mix of kitchen and architectural artifact; diagnostic artifacts consist of undecorated pearlware, undecorated ironstone, and half-horseshoes – dating this layer to the mid-to-late-19th century, with limited mid-to-late 20th century inclusions. The fill layers appear below the A-horizon, and likely were created within the 19th century to create a higher, stable yard surface for the former Colletan structure. Both fill layers contain artifact types and distributions similar to those within the A-horizon, suggesting that material was at least partially formed from the A-Horizon taken from another portion of the property and mixed with other soils.
Features likely related to the former structure included a low mound and a small, rock-lined hole. The mound measured approximately 20 feet by 15 feet and may represent the location of the former structure. The small hole measured approximately 1.5 feet in diameter and contained uncut rock at the surface along the edges.
The Colletan Site (18M0748) represents a mid- to late-nineteenth-century historic domestic site with few twentieth-century intrusions. The current yard surface within the APE in Area 1 appears to have remained relatively intact since the late nineteenth century. Based on artifacts recovered from the site, the house likely served as a domestic residence and tenant house during this period. The portion of the Colletan Site (18M0748) located outside the APE appears to have been graded, and there is no evidence of intact foundations or other features in the immediate vicinity of the Colletan structure. The portion of the site located within the APE contained two layers of contemporaneously deposited fill adjacent to Meadow Branch. This fill material may have been collected from the nearby Valley House, since the artifacts recovered from this secondary deposit date to the occupation of that property, but there is no way to determine exactly where these soils originated. These fill deposits offer some insight into the historic landscape of the Meadow Branch floodplain, but do not offer insight into the lives of the site's occupants. The yard surface present at the Colletan Site (18M0748) does appear to date to the occupation of the Colletan House, but it lacks the stratigraphic integrity and temporally diagnostic artifacts that might tell an illuminating story about the site’s occupants. Due to these factors, it was recommended that the project proceed as designed, and no further research potential was identified.
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