Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18PR370 ADDWAT V-2
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Site 18PR370, also known as ADDWAT Area V Site 2 (ADDWAT V-2), is a Middle to Late Woodland site related to agricultural activities and/or nut harvesting near the Oxon Hill area of Prince George’s County. The site is situated on a west-facing toe slope above the floodplain of the Potomac River. It is bounded by an unnamed stream to the north and east and an intermittent drainage to the south. Soils at the site are primarily Sassafras Sandy Loams.
The site was first examined archeologically in 1987 as part of a Phase I survey of a 123 acre area referred to as the Waterfront and Gudelski parcels. This project was later expanded to a Phase II testing program at 18PR370 (and other sites). The work was conducted for the PortAmerica Development Project (later the National Harbor) in order to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and other federal and state legislation.
The Phase I work at 18PR370 entailed the excavation of shovel test pits (STPs) at 20 m intervals and a single 1 X 1 m test unit. Shovel tests were excavated to sterile subsoil, generally 35 to 45 cm below surface in the absence of cultural material, or to the limit of practical excavation. When artifacts were found, radial STPs were excavated to define the extent of the cultural deposit(s). Radial STPs were excavated in each cardinal direction from the location of the original find until two consecutive sterile STPs had been excavated. The interval between radial STPs was reduced to 10 m. Test units were excavated by natural or cultural stratigraphic soil layers. If a layer was more than 10 cm thick, it was excavated in 10 cm arbitrary layers. Soils were passed through hardware cloth to ensure uniform recovery of cultural remains. Artifacts were retained in bags and marked with provenience information. A total of 3 STPs and one formal test unit were excavated within the boundaries of what would be defined as 18PR370 (with many more STPs excavated outside of the site).
Phase I work revealed the site to be approximately 1,350 m2 in extent, containing prehistoric ceramics and late 19th century materials (porcelain, bottle glass, window glass, and a cut nail). Diagnostic prehistoric artifacts recovered from STPs included Potomac Creek, Moyaone, and Mockley wares. Excavation of the test unit near the center of the site produced Late Woodland ceramics from a possible buried A horizon to a depth of 30 to 40 cm below surface. No lithic artifacts were recovered from the site. The absence of lithics suggests the site may be associated with nut harvesting or agricultural activities, a site type which is relatively unknown in the Mid-Atlantic.
The historic artifacts were recovered from the plowzone and were probably redeposited from the adjacent bluff (possibly from nearby site 18PR368) or from a nearby trash dump at the base of a slope. Because the historic artifacts appear to have been redeposited, the historic component lacks integrity.
The Middle and Late Woodland components at 18PR370 have integrity and are primarily contained within stratified deposits beneath the plowzone or alluvial deposits. No cultural features were identified. Although the prehistoric component appears sparse (4 potsherds from 3 STPs), the test unit excavations suggested the site may have a greater density of artifacts. Ten Potomac Creek potsherds were recovered from the buried soil horizon. The fact that the site lacks lithics and may represent a “special use” or activity area is intriguing.
Because 18PR370 potentially represents a site type relatively unknown in the Mid-Atlantic, contained only pottery, and has stratigraphic integrity, additional investigation was warranted. A Phase II testing program was carried out in 1987 shortly after the Phase I work was completed.
Phase II work included the excavation of an additional 60 shovel tests and eleven 1 X 1 m test units. STPs were placed at 10 m intervals and excavation proceeded using the methods previously described for Phase I work. The more intensive shovel testing undertaken during the Phase II resulted in an increase of the site area from 1,350 m2 to approximately 6,500 m2.
Close-interval shovel testing revealed that soil was deposited over the site by both colluvial and alluvial processes. It is thought that deforestation upslope from the site resulted in erosion, and, in turn, deposition down-slope. Colluvium was washed down-slope and accumulated at the site. Alluvium was deposited on the site because this is a location were the surrounding creeks and intermittent drainages change their gradient and velocity, with the result being that sediments were deposited. The Phase II testing identified the presence of discrete Middle and Late Woodland components, suggesting that at least two major events occurred resulting in soil deposition. It is possible that Native American clearing and historic deforestation are the two responsible events.
The complex site stratigraphy has acted to preserve intact cultural strata from different periods at two locations within the site. These intra-site locations are along the west (15 by 30 m) and east (20 X 20 m) ends of the site and were recommended as NRHP eligible. The majority of the site, the central section, did not contain discrete strata. Rather, in this area, historic plowing had resulted in the amalgamation of sediments into a plowzone.
Excavation in the central portion of the site revealed a plowzone, approximately 20 cm thick, that lay beneath a thin layer of humic soil. The plowzone rested directly on the subsoil. This indicates that the natural soils in this portion of the site were never very thick and that plowing mixed all soil down to subsoil. The central section of the site is on a small rise. This area was also higher in the past and less likely to receive alluvial and colluvial deposition, although some colluvium may have been deposited because this area is down-slope from higher areas to the east and southeast. The plowzone covering the central area of the site contained a mixed assemblage of prehistoric and historic artifacts. The majority of the artifacts were Potomac Creek potsherds. The plowzone in one of the test units in this area also revealed a Late Archaic Poplar Island point.
The areas with intact stratigraphic deposits have survived are lower than the central portion of the site. In the past, these areas would have been even lower but the slope was not great enough to deter a Native American occupation of the entire site area. Rather, these locations were depressed enough that during the colluvial and alluvial events, soils accumulated in these low spots. The result was the creation of different layers of soil documenting Middle and Late Woodland occupations.
The west end of the site contains a Late Woodland occupation. The area containing preserved Late Woodland strata is approximately 15 by 30 m and was defined by shovel tests. The top two strata in this area represent redeposited soil matrix containing prehistoric and historic artifacts. These layers (40-50 cm thick in total) appear to seal a Late Woodland occupation. The Late Woodland occupation is contained within a thick (approximately 35 cm) layer of dark brown clay loam containing charcoal flecks. This soil matrix represents an intact Late Woodland occupation. Twenty-five Potomac Creek and 3 Moyaone sherds were recovered. Although small, these sherds were neither eroded nor waterworn. The recovery of a prehistoric sherd in the first arbitrary level excavated into subsoil may indicate that the transition into subsoil reflects in situ natural soil development. Although no features were encountered, the presence of charcoal flecks within the stratum suggests the presence of hearths.
The east section of the site contains buried intact strata extending over an approximately 20 by 20 m area. These strata reflect occupations during both the Middle and Late Woodland and are interpreted as occupation surfaces because the potsherds are large and charcoal is scattered throughout.
The Late Woodland occupation was recognized within a 5-10 cm thick stratum situated below the plowzone, at a depth of between 25 and 30 cm from the surface. The occupation was represented by 22 Potomac Creek sherds, some cord-marked, and a scatter of charcoal. Although charcoal was scattered throughout the stratum, no features were encountered. The occupation surface rests on subsoil, the transition to which appears to be natural. About 20 m southeast of these Late Woodland deposits, an intact Middle Woodland occupation surface was identified. The topmost two strata in this area were interpreted as recent deposition through alluvial and colluvial processes. Historic and prehistoric artifacts were recovered within each stratum. Laying beneath these layers, was a mixed layer containing historic and Late Woodland artifacts. This stratum appears to represent the ground surface during the Late Woodland Woodland through the historic period. Further, the stratum may be a plowzone, but there did not appear to be any mixing with the underlying stratum. Beneath this mixed layer was a stratum containing Mockley ceramics (i.e. a Middle Woodland occupation). This stratum was interpreted as an occupation surface because the sherds were large and the soil matrix contained charcoal. No historic or Late Woodland sherds were recovered from the stratum, indicating that the Middle Woodland occupation is intact and discrete. The extent of the Middle Woodland occupation may be very small, it was only recognized in a single 1 X 1 test unit. No features were encountered but the presence of charcoal suggested they may be present.
The full Phase I and II artifact assemblage from 18PR370 consisted of 1 quartzite Poplar Island point, 1 chert flake, 3 quartz flakes, 1 quartzite flake, 1 jasper flake, 3 chert flake fragments, 8 quartz flake fragments, 1 hammerstone, 1 polishing stone, 2 pieces of fire-cracked rock, 6 Mockley sherds, 122 Potomac Creek sherds (12 rims), 41 Moyaone sherds (2 rims), 3 unidentified prehistoric sherds, 7 clam shells, 6 oyster shells, 2 deer bones, 1 other animal bone, 8 lamp chimney fragments, 1 other lamp part, 16 pieces of window glass, 1 piece of brick, 2 handwrought rosehead nails, 5 cut nails, 8 unidentified nails, 1 brass window pull, 1 Buckley sherd,1 buff-bodied earthenware sherd, 2 creamware sherds, 2 pearlware sherds, 9 whiteware sherds, 1 ironstone sherd, 4 porcelain sherds, 1 redware sherd, 11 domestic gray stoneware sherds, 1 industrial stoneware sherd, 2 glass tableware fragments, 46 glass bottle fragments, 1 oyster shell (found with historic materials), 5 tobacco pipe fragments, 2 unidentified glass object, 3 pieces of coal, and 69 unidentified metal objects.
The artifact assemblage and topographic setting suggest several possible interpretations of site function. First, during the Middle Woodland and Late Woodland periods, the site area would have been forested. The abundance of ceramics and general absence of stone in this environment suggest gathering and/or processing of vegetal resources, such as nuts, from the adjacent environmental zones. The native vegetation supported by the soils in the site area consisted primarily of mixed upland hardwoods (mainly oak and chestnut). Accordingly, Site 18PR370 may have been a seasonal occupation devoted to the processing of acorns and chestnuts.
An alternative explanation is that during the Late Woodland period, the site was used for horticulture, possibly a field or storage area. The Sassafras soils at the site are some of the most productive agricultural soils in Prince George’s County. Several investigators in the Middle Atlantic region have demonstrated that changes in Late Woodland settlement systems reflect the need for broad expanses of arable land (such as those available at 18PR370). Although Late Woodland horticultural villages have been studied in the area, locations of fields and granaries continued to be elusive. It was thought that nearby Site 18PR11 (now submerged) was probably the main focus of Late Woodland occupation in the general area. Site 18PR370 is most likely related to this site and functioned to support it in some way. Finally, the site may have been occupied simply because it offered relief from the summer floodplain environment.
Site 18PR370 was recommended as eligible for the NRHP. Phase II investigations demonstrated that the prehistoric components had stratigraphic integrity and that the artifact assemblage may be non-typical of Late Woodland sites. Phase III data recovery was recommended. Unfortunately, due to changes in ownership, economic realities, changes to the project, and other factors, no data recovery was ever carried out at 18PR370. The site is believed to have been largely destroyed by development in the late 2000s. Today the site is a parking lot.
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