Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18PR399 KCI-90-1
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
KCI-90-1, or 18PR399, is a Late Archaic and Late Woodland period short-term resource procurement camp near Largo in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The site is situated on a gentle northeast trending hill slope overlooking an unnamed tributary of Southwest Branch. The site is within an overgrown abandoned field bordered at the creek by a mixed upland hardwood forest of oak, maple, elm, poplar, and willow. A gravel farm road cut through the center of the site at one time, evidence of the property’s former use for agricultural purposes. Soils at the site are primarily of the Collington-Wist soil complex (Collington fine sandy loams).
The site was first identified during the course of a Phase I survey conducted in 1990. At that time, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) was proposing to construct a new cloverleaf-type interchange on the Washington Beltway (I-95/I-495) at Ritchie-Marlboro Road. Ritchie-Marlboro Road was to be upgraded to four lanes on each side of the Beltway necessitating reconstruction of the road on a new alignment. Thus, archeological survey was required within the project right-of way (ROW) for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Site 18PR399 was located during a surface survey of a plowed field within the survey area. Pedestrian surface survey was conducted by establishing a grid of collection units within the area to be examined. The collection grid was established by placing pin flags at measured 20 m intervals, to mark the corners of collection units. Each collection unit was examined by one member of the survey team. Beginning at one corner of the unit, the examiner made a series of traversals of the unit at 2 m intervals, walking parallel to the crop rows within the unit. Artifact locations noted during traversals were marked within pin flags and point-plotted from 2 unit corners. The number of diagnostic artifacts recovered from each collection unit was noted, and the density of these artifacts across the grid was used to establish preliminary site boundaries. Once the entire site area had been collected, two 50 X 100 cm formal test units were excavated in the portions of the site from which the greatest number of diagnostic artifacts were recovered. These units were excavated by natural strata to sterile subsoil, and all soil was screened through hardware cloth.
No artifacts were recovered from the formal test units and no features were encountered, but the surface reconnaissance yielded 138 prehistoric artifacts. These included 17 pottery sherds, 14 bifacially-worked tools and/or cores, 104 pieces of flaked stone debitage, 1 piece of ground stone tool or ornament, and 2 pieces of fire-cracked rock. The recovered pottery had crushed stone temper and cord impressed decoration, characteristics of Late Woodland Potomac Creek ware. The collected bifacial stone tools include a Late Woodland Potomac point, a likely Potomac point preform, and a Middle Woodland Rossville. A stemmed point was also recovered, but could not be associated with a particular type.
Based on these findings, Phase II testing was recommended and researchers returned to the site in 1995 to resume investigation of 18PR399. Phase II testing was conducted in two parts. First, a systematic surface collection was, again, undertaken to further define site boundaries as well as artifact densities and distribution. To accomplish this, the site was plowed and disked, and after a heavy rain a 25 m grid was established across the site area by transit. Each 25 m grid block was then quartered, yielding four 12.5 X 12.5 m quadrants which were then quartered again yielding 16 units, each 6.25 X 6.25 m in size. A 100% surface collection was conducted across the plowed site with all prehistoric and historic artifacts collected within all 6.25 m square units.
In order to identify the site limits beyond the plowed field, a shovel test pit (STP) survey was conducted within wooded areas to the south, southeast, and north of the site. Shovel tests were generally excavated at 20 m intervals along a single transect. Additional shovel tests were placed at 10 m intervals to better define and sample areas in which evidence of prehistoric cultural activity was identified. The 12 shovel tests were 50 cm in diameter and excavated into sterile subsoil. Profiles were recorded for each STP and all soils were screened through hardware mesh.
Once site boundaries were established, the internal structure of the site was explored with the excavation of seven 1 X 1 m test units placed where high concentrations of prehistoric artifacts had been recovered during the surface collection, and in areas of the site projected to be impacted by the project. These were excavated in 10 cm arbitrary levels. All soil was screened through hardware mesh. Each unit was excavated to a depth of two arbitrary levels below the artifact-bearing strata. Photographs and profiles were drawn of at least one wall within each excavation unit.
After these test units were completed, a gradall was employed to strip the plowzone in areas most likely to contain subsurface features, such as the artifact density loci. In all, four stripped gradall trenches were opened across the site, measuring 2 to 7 m wide by 28 to 54 m long for a total stripped area of 394 m2. All stripped trenches were shovel skimmed to the interface between the plowzone and the undisturbed subsoil to expose any possible prehistoric features. All soil anomalies were drawn and photographed in plan view. The anomalies were then bisected, screened, and soil samples were taken. Profiles were drawn and photographed before the second half of the anomaly was removed. The total area examined during this Phase II testing of 18PR399 was approximately 63 m east-west by 188 meters northeast-southwest.
Approximately half of all prehistoric material recovered during the surface collection was retrieved from along the immediate edge of the hilltop on which the site was originally identified. A concentration of prehistoric material was found to extend from the eastern end of the hilltop following the orientation of the hill towards the south, with the majority of the material along the eastern and southern portions of the hill. The artifact density decreased to the north and west, as well as on the slope and lowlands to the east.
The excavation of shovel tests, test units, and subsequent stripping of the plowzone within the site indicated that cultural material is restricted to the plowzone. No prehistoric or historic features were found in subsoil contexts. The lack of features was due primarily to the intense level of deflation which appears to have occurred at 18PR399. Based on artifactual data from the plowzone, the site appears to represent Late Archaic and Late Woodland (Potomac Creek) occupations. It is hypothesized that the site served as a residence location during the fall and winter months when foraging and hunting activities were typically conducted by extended family groups. The absence of architectural features or storage facilities suggests that the duration of residence was limited. Lithic resources were primarily obtained locally. The ceramic technology of the residents was quite good, and the thinness of the vessel fragments recovered at the site suggest that most vessels were small and easily portable.
The full Phase II artifact assemblage from 18PR399 included 3 Brewerton points, a Bare Island point, 2 Madison/Potomac points, 1 unidentified notched point, 13 other bifaces, 75 possible cores, 2 scrapers, 2 side scrapers, 1,110 pieces of debitage, 1 ground cobble (considered use-modification), a pitted cobble, 8 hammerstones, and 69 Potomac Creek pottery sherds (including 2 rimsherds). The predominant lithic raw material is vein quartz, followed by much lesser amounts of quartzite, chert, rhyolite, and shale. The artifacts were found to cluster in three concentrations; on the eastern extent of the hilltop overlooking the creek, a lithic reduction area extending west from the hilltop, and a concentration of food processing and fine lithic reduction materials at the south end of the site.
An assemblage of 19 miscellaneous 20th Century artifacts was also collected from the surface of 18PR399 after the site was plowed. These were not clustered and did not have any association with features or structures. The artifacts were 6 glass container shards, 8 whiteware sherds, 2 white granite sherds, a hard-paste porcelain sherd, a flowerpot sherd, and a sherd from a slat-glazed sewer tile. These materials are not considered significant.
Given the absence of subsurface deposits and features, Site 18PR399 does not have the potential to yield any additional information beyond that collected during the Phase I and II investigations. The site was recommended as ineligible for listing in the State or National Registers and approval was obtained to proceed with construction of the cloverleaf, which would have further disturbed the site. The site should not be considered a significant resource.
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