Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18PR174 Kettering Park
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Kettering Park (18PR174) is the remains of an apparent series of Early Archaic through Woodland period resource procurement and base camps in the Largo area of Prince George’s County, Maryland. The site is situated on a low alluvial terrace on the south side of Maryland 214 near the confluence of major tributaries of the Patuxent River. Prior to European colonization, most of the area was forested, containing primary stands of hardwoods, such as red and white oak, sweet gum, and yellow poplar. The site presents an area within easy access to both upland game and wetland resources, such as anadromous and semi-anadromous fish runs, waterfowl, and reptile species. Soils of the Collington-Wist complex dominate at the site.
The site was first discovered during the course of a Phase I survey in 1979. The survey was conducted along a 91.44 m (300 ft) wide corridor along Maryland Highway 214. The portion of highway under study was going to be dualized and any threatened archeological materials needed to be identified. The Phase I excavators made surface collections, and six test pits were excavated using both shovels and trowels. Five of the test pits excavated measured 61 X 61 cm and the sixth measured 46 X 46 cm. All of the test pits were excavated to a depth of between 46 and 61 cm (well into sterile soil) and the excavated materials were screened through hardware mesh.
The majority of the cultural material recovered during the Phase I survey appeared to come from a soil layer between the dark humus layer on top, and a lower, more reddish and sandy layer. Artifacts inventoried from both surface collections and the test pits included 4 projectile points or point fragments, 3 bifaces, 1 core fragment, 2 unifacial tools, 25 flakes (quartz, quartzite, chert, and rhyolite), 2 lithic chunks, 10 fire-cracked rocks, 1 possible hammerstone, and 24 ceramic sherds. Diagnostic points and artifacts were recovered, suggestive of Late Archaic through Late Woodland occupations at the site. Specific diagnostic types are discussed near the concluding section below.
At the conclusion of the Phase I survey, Phase II evaluative testing was proposed. Testing was considered necessary at 18PR174 because of the impending construction plans and because of the site’s potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Researchers returned to Kettering Park in the spring of 1983 to conduct the Phase II testing.
During the first stage of testing, 166 shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated in two major blocks across the site. The STPs were placed along transects that were spaced 5 m apart, at intervals of 5 m along each transect. Soil from the excavations was screened through mesh hardware cloth and the stratigraphy of each unit was recorded on standardized forms. In addition, 11 formal test units were selectively placed, based on both the artifact distribution and stratigraphic information provided by the STPs. Ten of the test units measured 1 m square and one unit measures 1.5 m square. The STPs and the 11 test units were excavated by natural layers, with arbitrary 10 cm levels used in test units where natural layers were exceptionally thick. Areas previously disturbed were eliminated from the grid.
During the Phase II testing, 22 temporally diagnostic projectile points and fragments were recovered, ranging in age from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland. Ceramics were recovered throughout the site, but the highest concentrations were recovered from the southern and central sectors. Temporally diagnostic types were recovered from all areas of the site, most of the sherds representing Early Woodland and Late Woodland types. Late Woodland Potomac Creek, Townsend, and Moyaone wares appeared to be concentrated in the central and southern parts of the site.
The full Phase II assemblage included 32 projectile points and point fragments, 16 bifaces and biface fragments, 69 cores, 19 unifacial tools, 1,786 flakes, 1,121 lithic chunks, 333 pieces of fire-cracked rock, 1 stone bowl fragment, 4 hammerstones, and 448 ceramic sherd. No cultural features were revealed in the test units. However, the test unit stratigraphy appeared to generally indicate the existence of relatively undisturbed artifact-bearing deposits below the plowzone.
Phase II work at the Kettering Park Site helped to define the site by a series of systematic shovel tests and the site’s setting at the confluence of two paleostream courses. The northern boundary of the site was defined by modern features, but the higher topographic relief just north of Maryland 214 was probably the horizontal limits of the site anyway. The vertical limitation of the site was clearly established by the excavation of shovel tests and test units. Strata A and B were determined to be part of the A1 horizon, representing a mix of plowzone and intrusive alluvial and sheetwash deposits. Stratum C, on the other hand, appeared to be a relatively intact A2 horizon. Stratum D was underlying the A2 horizon and was clearly identifiable as an ancient B horizon. The uppermost A1 horizon contained a mix of modern/historic and prehistoric artifacts, whereas the A2 horizon appeared to represent higher integrity deposits with mostly Late Archaic and Early Woodland material. Of the temporally diagnostic materials from the A1 and A2 horizons, the Late Archaic, Early Woodland, and Late Woodland periods appeared to be most abundant. The density of ceramics and chipped stone clearly indicated that data could be obtained about material economies. The density and diversity of Early Woodland ceramics was of particular interest, and was considered to be useful for examining ceramic traits. While no features were identified, the discovery of artifacts in the A2 horizon was considered important, useful for addressing issues relating to prehistoric settlement and technology.
Upon completion of the Phase II investigations, more intensive excavations were recommended because the data analysis determined that subplowzone deposits with mostly Late Archaic and Early Woodland materials were present at the site. Thus, Phase III data recovery was carried out in 1985 to mitigate any adverse effects to the site which would be caused by construction activities. The Phase III work was carried out in the same area as the Phase II testing, with the primary purpose of recovering a representative sample of Early Woodland artifacts from the subplowzone A2 horizon. The portion of the site lying within the construction area that had exhibited the best preservation of this stratigraphic zone was delineated. Two-meter square units were chosen to maximize coverage of the delineated area, thereby increasing the reliability of the sample. The selected excavation units consisted of a 10% non-aligned, stratified, random sample. If a selected unit contained a standing tree, another was randomly chosen as a replacement.
Thirteen 2 X 2 m units were excavated to comprise the 10% sample of the delineated area. The humus and the plowzone/wash layers were excavated by removing (by shovel) and screening of the northwest quadrant of each unit. The remaining three quadrants were removed without screening. Grab samples of both historical and prehistoric artifacts were collected from the excavated material. The units were divided into four one-meter square quadrants in order to maintain greater control of the provenience of the recovered materials. The 13 units were excavated (by trowel) in natural layers that were divided into arbitrary 10 cm levels where their depth permitted.
Prehistoric artifacts encountered during the course of the Phase III excavations at 18PR174 include 23 projectile points and point fragments, 25 bifaces, 178 cores or core fragments, 13 unifacial tools, 1,338 flakes, 121 lithic chunks, 483 pieces of fire-cracked rock, 1 bannerstone fragment, 3 hammerstones, and 576 ceramic sherds. No features were identified during the course of the Phase III study, however, the data obtained did make it possible to identify lithic manufacturing areas. The absence of featuresprevented a more detailed analysis of activity areas and the ability to determine whether the ceramics were brought to the site or manufactured there. But undoubtedly, the presence of a large ceramic sample indicates that food preparation activities took place at the site.
The assemblages of all three stages of archeological work were analyzed together in 1993 in an attempt to better synthesize the data from 18PR174. Special attention was paid to the analysis of diagnostic types. Diagnostic ceramic sherds recovered during all stages of work on the MD 214 compliance project include 2 Marcey Creek, 3 Selden Island, 449 Accokeek (17 rims), 151 sand/grit-tempered sherds (probable Early Woodland, including 1 rim), 11 Mockley, 53 Townsend (1 rim), 6 Moyaone, 1 Potomac Creek, 5 Shepard, and 16 Riggins ware sherd. Diagnostic projectile points include 3 Normanskill, 3 Bare Island, 2 Brewerton Ear-notched, 1 Dry Brook Fishtail, 1 Orient Fishtail, 1 Lamoka-like point, 2 Susquehanna Broadspears, 2 Holmes-like points, 1 Calvert, 8 Piscataway, 1 Potts, 4 Vernon, 1 Halifax-like point, 1 elongate triangular point, 8 Levanna points, and 1 Madison point. In addition, a point fragment was recovered which had two serrated edges suggestive of an Early Archaic date.
Perhaps the most notable result of the excavations at 18PR174 was the recovery of the largest sample of Accokeek ceramics of any site on the Patuxent drainage. In addition, the excavations also obtained a large sample of lithics form the A2 horizon, including a large number of bipolar cores. Ten of the lithic artifacts were selected for blood residue analysis (the Chemstrip method which simply tests for the presence/absence of hempglobin). Only one specimen produced positive results; a Piscataway point with a chipped tip.
Lithic raw materials that were utilized in the manufacture of tools include primarily quartz, quartzite, chert, and rhyolite. By far, quartz and quartzite make up the bulk of the assemblage at roughly 65 and 22 percent respectively. The use pattern of non-local or exotic materials at Kettering Park indicates that the site’s Late Archaic, Early Woodland, and Late Woodland inhabitants had access to rhyolite and chert. Given the lack of prehistoric contextual controls for much of the rhyolite and chert artifacts, determination of the mode of artifact movement (trade or direct procurement), was difficult to establish. Based on temporal diagnostics, during the Late Archaic/Early Woodland Periods, rhyolite was the preferred material. By the Late Woodland Period, there was a decrease in rhyolite frequency, and increase in the frequency of chert use. This pattern is consistent with the general pattern known for the Middle Atlantic region as a whole. The shift in material presence between these periods is thought to be indicative of both a change in lifeways (to a more sedentary settlement pattern in the Late Woodland), and in the patterns of trade.
Although the ceramic sample was relatively large for the area, it was too small for the formal definition of three formal varieties of Accokeek ceramics. However, three tentative Accokeek wares were noted: Accokeek Cord-marked, Accokeek Mica-tempered, and an Accokeek Courseware. Additional research at sites with an Accokeek component is necessary to obtain a larger comparative sample and may provide an opportunity to further define these as Accokeek “types”.
The location of the right-of-way had a direct impact on approximately 66% of the site. The Phase III mitigation obtained a statistically significant sample from the site (10%), thereby adequately mitigating the adverse effects of construction. The State Highways Administration has since completed construction of the highway, destroying those portions of the site within the right-of-way. However, the southern portions of the site remain. Diagnostic artifacts were recovered in this area and the only work conducted there consisted of shovel test-pitting and the excavation of a 1.5 m test square during the Phase II study. The fact that this portion of the site was both heavily wooded and outside the construction right-of-way, probably deterred efforts at detailed examination. The probability that additional deposits, capable of addressing research questions related to Maryland prehistory, are present in the southern portion of the site is quite high. Thus, Site 18PR174 should continue to be considered a significant archeological resource.
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