Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18ST634 Aud
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Aud Site (18ST634) represents a series of Early Archaic through Late Woodland period resource procurement camps. The property is located at the silted-in head of the St. Mary’s River estuary in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The site area comprises two roughly circular pastures that are bisected by a stream. It is bordered by a well-defined terrace edge to the north, northeast, and northwest, but gradually fades into wetlands on the west. The well-drained soils at the site correspond to the Woodstown series. The site measures approximately 280 m long by 160 m wide.
The 55 acre Aud property (so named after the property owner) was selected by the State Highway Administration (SHA) as a proposed wetland mitigation site in response to wetland loss incurred during modifications to Maryland Routes 5 and 246. Intensive Phase I archeological investigations were undertaken by SHA personnel in March of 1993. The goals of the survey were to establish the potential of the project area to contain archeological resources and to identify any resources within the project area. The pasture bounded by Flat Iron Road was referred to as the “front pasture” and the pasture on the opposite side of Green’s Rest Run and closest to the St. Mary’s River was referred to as the “rear pasture”. Only those portions of the total project area that contained moderately- to well-drained soils were surveyed; this consisted of the two pastures.
Phase I field work included unsystematic surface examination and collection (ground visibility was less than 10%), followed by the excavation of 96 shovel test pits (STPs) laid out at 20 m intervals which was reduced to 10 m intervals once the prehistoric site was identified. The site grid datum (N100/W100) was arbitrarily established in the front pasture and tied into a telephone pole and a road sign. All excavated soil was screened through ¼” mesh and all artifacts except shell were retained. It was assumed that the presence of shell was the result of its use as fertilizer during the historic periods.
Archival research indicated that the site was located in an area historically known as “St. George’s Hundred”. The 1794 map shows an unidentified rectangle, probably a structure, in or near the project area. On the 1824 map, the “Taylor’s” and “Brady’s” are shown north and south of Warehouse Run, respectively, but it is unclear of the structures are to the east or west of Flat Iron Road. Only a handful of historic artifacts were identified at the site during the Phase I and II investigations (a pipe fragment, a brick fragment, and a piece of bottle glass being the only items retained) suggesting that this portion of the ‘Hundred’ was utilized for agriculture in the historic past.
Results of the Phase I field investigations revealed that 18ST634 occupied virtually all of both pasture areas. It was unclear if the site extended to the other side of Flat Iron Road but the topography suggested that it was unlikely. Prehistoric artifacts (n=67) acquired during surface collection were primarily concentrated on the west side of the rear pasture, especially in the southwest quadrant. Fewer artifacts were recovered from the front pasture, and then mainly from the central (not the highest or best drained) portion of the pasture. The overall distribution of artifacts recovered from the STPs generally mirrors that of the surface collection with concentrations identified in the southwest quadrant of the rear field and the central portion of the front field. The results of the STP excavations indicated that intact, subplowzone, prehistoric deposits may occur over much of the project area. STP N210/W100 contained a dark stain of charcoal at the base of the plowzone and was left undisturbed pending further investigation during Phase II. It was observed that in the rear pasture fire-cracked rock (FCR) was most heavily concentrated in the west-central portion and that tools tended to be more abundant in the southwest quadrant. Debitage was fairly evenly distributed across the concentrations. In the front pasture, tools occurred most frequently in the northwest quadrant and away from the highest concentrations of FCR and debitage. Two prehistoric ceramic sherds were recovered from an STP in the center of the front pasture.
Phase II analysis was conducted in July and August of 1993 in order to fully evaluate the integrity of the archeological deposits, to determine their vertical extent, to identify the cultural and temporal affiliations of the components, to determine the origin of the oyster shell on the site, to determine the significance of the site with reference to the National Register criteria, and to provide a management assessment for possible Phase III data recovery. The same grid system employed for the Phase I study was used during the Phase II study. Additional surface collection was conducted as well the excavation of 12 test units totaling 12 square m, 7 in the rear pasture (TU1-6, 12) and 5 in the front pasture (TU7-11). Test units were located where high artifact densities, including FCR, were noted during Phase I. Two-gallon flotation samples were collected from the southwest corner of each level in the subsoil in order to evaluate the organic content and to obtain a sample of artifacts too small to be captured in the ¼” screens. An effort was made to collect all shell from the test units in an attempt to distinguish prehistoric shell deposits from historic/fertilizer deposits. Following the Phase II investigation it was determined that the shell, which was heavily concentrated in the plowzone, was transported to the site as fertilizer during the historic period.
Test units 1 and 2 were placed over the charcoal feature that was identified during the Phase I testing. Removal of the plowzone revealed east-west trending plowscars and a slightly irregular dark stain that measured 39 cm at its greatest dimension. The stain, designated Feature 1, was determined to be the remnants of a burned tree. A Piscataway point, Mockley sherds, and Potomac Creek sherds were recovered from these units, indicating Late Archaic to Late Woodland period occupations. The units were excavated to approximately 63 cmbs. A rock cluster (Feature 2) containing both FCR and several hammerstones was encountered in adjoining test units 4 and 5. It appeared that the top of the feature may have been truncated by plowing. Feature 2 was interpreted to be a stone boiling dump, and no soil staining, charcoal, or other organic material was present. The test units produced a triangular point base, a Mockley sherd, and an Accokeek sherd from the plowzone; no diagnostic artifacts were found in the subsoil. The artifacts suggest a Woodland period occupation at the site. The units were excavated to approximately 80 cmbs. Feature 3 was identified in test unit 12. TU12 was located in an area of high artifact density in the rear pasture. The feature was defined by in situ FCR and a boulder with a battered end (cataloged as an anvil). The boulder appeared to have been deliberately set in an upright position. East-west trending plowscars were also observed below the plowzone. No diagnostic artifacts were retrieved from the units. TU12 was excavated to approximately 70 cmbs. No features were identified in any of the remaining test units. Diagnostic artifacts were recovered only from TU9 and TU11. These included Potomac Creek sherds, which date to the Late Woodland period.
Flotation samples from Features 2 and 3 and TU12 yielded little organic material. The few seeds that were collected were determined to be modern. Prehistoric material consisted of small amounts of wood charcoal in the <2mm fraction. Charcoal from Feature 2 was tentatively identified as coniferous and another fragment from Level 2 in TU12 was identified as being from the walnut family. A detailed discussion of the plant remains recovered from flotation samples can be found in Appendix I of the original report.
A total of 3,204 prehistoric artifacts were recovered during the Phase I/II investigations. There were 2,494 pieces of debitage and 147 cores. Over 81% of the debitage and cores were quartz, followed by quartzite (13.7%) and chert, argillite, and rhyolite (4.77%). There were 39 tools (1 possible Levanna point fragment (Middle-Late Woodland), 1 Piscataway point fragment (Late Archaic/Early Woodland), 1 possible Vernon point fragment (Late Archaic/Early Woodland), 10 unidentified point fragments, 1 drill made from shale, 2 scrapers, 22 biface fragments, and 1 unidentified uniface tool). There were 98 other lithics (83 hammerstones of sandstone or quartzite, 1 sandstone cobble possibly notched for hafting, 3 pitted/battered cobbles, 4 unmodified rocks , 3 unmodified rocks/chert samples, 2 limonite unmodified rocks and 2 red ochre fragments that were possibly pigment sources). There were 6 groundstone items (2 anvils, 3 manos fragments, and 1 fragment of a possible gorget). There were 398 FCR fragments. A total of 22 ceramic sherds were recovered; 12 with shell temper, 6 with quartz temper, 1 with sand and shell temper, 1 with sand and quartz temper, 1 with mixed grit temper, and 1 with unidentified temper. The shell tempered sherds were identified as 12 Mockley ware (Middle Woodland) and 1 Townsend ware (early Late Woodland). One quartz tempered sherd was identified as Accokeek Creek ware (Early Woodland). Six other sherds were tentatively typed as Potomac Creek ware (Late Woodland).
Phase I and II excavations clearly indicated that intact prehistoric deposits remained in the subsoil despite plowing of the site. Therefore, Phase III mitigation of the site was recommended and commenced in the fall of 1994. The research design proposed for the data recovery was designed to clarify the chronology at the site, the paleoenvironmental setting of the area, and the adaptive strategies employed by the occupants. The Phase I/II grid was re-established at the site. Sixteen 2X2 m (EUs 1-16) and one 1X2 m excavation units (EU 17) totaling 66 m² were excavated; EUs 1-12 and EU 17 were located in the rear pasture and EUs 13-16 were located in the front pasture. In addition, 900 m² of plowzone was machine stripped. Locations of the stripped areas were determined in order to follow up on specific findings of the Phase III excavation units. For the purpose of analysis, Phase II and Phase III excavations were further grouped within the front and rear pastures. Areas A-E were located in the rear pasture and Areas F-H were located in the front pasture.
Three noncultural features (Features 4-6) were encountered in Phase III excavation units and 8 cultural (Features 8-12, 15, 19, 20) and 7 noncultural features (Features 7, 13-14, 16-18, 21) were identified following machine removal of the plowzone. Feature 8 was defined by a small concentration of 4 FCR situated at the interface of the plowzone and the subsoil rather than by a noticeable color distinction between the feature and the surrounding soil matrix. Charcoal flecks and 1 quartz flake were located in the feature. The rocks were distributed in an elliptical pattern and measured about 14 cm wide by 40 cm long. Feature 9 was an elliptical soil stain with a diffuse boundary that measured 60 cm long by 45 cm wide and was 10 cm deep. Several oyster shells and shell fragments and a quartz rock were found in the feature fill. Feature 10 was identified by 15 fragments of FCR and 1 oyster shell in an area about 30 cm wide by 60 cm long rather by a distinct soil stain. The feature was possibly a remnant of a concentration of FCR that had been disturbed during plowing. Feature 11 was identified as an oval soil stain measuring 40 X 30 cm in area with a basin-shaped bottom that extended 13 cm below the base of the plowzone. The feature fill contained FCR, flakes, small bone fragments, and a considerable amount of oyster shell. It was interpreted to be a small cooking/oyster roasting pit. Feature 12 was similar in form and function to Feature 11. It was an elliptical soil stain measuring about 40 X 50 cm in area with a flat bottom and steep sides that extended 19 cm below the base of the plowzone. The feature fill contained FCR, flakes, charcoal, a bone fragment, and a considerable amount of oyster shell. Feature 12 was also interpreted to be a small cooking/oyster roasting pit. Feature 15 was a possible postmold. It was identified as an elliptical soil stain that measured 35 X 27 cm in area with a conical-shaped bottom that extended 25 cm below the plowzone. Charcoal, 2 rocks, and a Rossville point were recovered from the feature fill. Feature 19 was a small basin-shaped hearth or burning feature. It was identified as an oval soil stain that measured 46 X 38 cm in area with a flat bottom and steep sides that extended 10 cm below the base of the plowzone. The dark fill contained charcoal and ash, and occasional oyster shell. Feature 21 was determined to be a possible postmold. It was a circular stain that measured 14 cm in diameter with a flat bottom and parallel sides that extended 13 cm below the base of the plowzone.
Soils samples were collected from Features 7 and 20 for flotation. Soils samples were also collected from Features 8-12, 15, 19, and 20 for flotation, to use for phytolith and pollen analyses, and to determine soil chemistry.
Twenty flotation light fraction and 20 flotation heavy fraction samples were taken from 11 features and 1 excavation unit (EU2) at the Aud site during the Phase III study. The recovered macroplant remains included 17.3 g (114 fragments) of wood charcoal (4 American Chestnut, 5 Elm, 25 Hickory, 3 Maple, 15 Oak, 20 ring porous, 14 unidentified dicot, 11 Pine, 1 Cedar, and 18 conifer), 3 charred seed fragments (1 bedstraw, 2 unidentified), 3 charred hickory nutshell fragments, and about 500 uncharred seeds that were determined to be modern in origin. The recovery of modern uncharred seeds from almost every feature demonstrated that most of the subplowzone deposits at the site have been subjected to some degree of post-depositional bioturbation. The heavy fractions yielded 517.9 g of oyster shell, 2 unidentified animal bone fragments, and 139 lithic artifacts (135 quartz flakes and shatter, 3 chert flakes, and 1 pecked cobble). The analysis indicated that preservation and subsequent recovery of macroplant remains from the Aud site were both very poor. No significant differences between features or feature classes could be assessed. Analysis of the wood charcoal data suggested that the forest structure during the Late Archaic and Late Woodland periods was similar to that recorded in the Colonial period; however, the regional forest which was then dominated by hardwoods is in contrast to the modern pine dominated successional forest that is found in the project area today. The detailed analysis can be found in Appendix VII of the original report.
Results of the analysis of 20 phytolith samples suggested that the limited amount of phytolith material recovered is indicative of extremely intense weathering activity or a low initial silica deposition or a combination of both. Degradation due to mechanical abrasion, a result of the sandy sediments, is the most likely explanation. Samples from Features 11, 15, and 19 contained greater amounts of phytoliths, although most particles were weathered. In general, samples from features had higher amounts than non-feature samples. The only conclusion that could be derived from the limited data was that grasses were not a strong contributor. The detailed analysis can be found in Appendix IV of the original report.
A 75 cm long soil core sample (“Pete’s Bog Core No. 1”) was taken from the bog adjacent to the site in order to provide a basis for assisting in reconstructing the local environment. Two sections of the core sample were submitted for radiocarbon dating. The base of the core was dated to 6380±100BP and sediment retrieved from 48-52 cm was dated to 1560±60 BP. Calibrated ages were determined using the CALIB version 6.0 to 2 sigma and produced dates of AD 386-631 and 5531-5204 BC respectively. Results of the pollen analysis indicated that the historic period is marked by a dramatic increase of ragweed in the pollen profile. From top to bottom, Pete’s Bog Core No.1 was divided into 4 pollen zones: ragweed, holly, sphagnum (peat moss), and cedar. The full report on the pollen analysis can be found in Appendix III of the original report.
Analysis of the soil chemistry determined that the alkaline conditions and enhanced fertility levels at the site were profiles indicative of human activity. All of the samples were much more alkaline and much higher in calcium than would be typical for natural soils. While this may in part be due to agricultural liming, prehistoric deposits of shell or other waste products are probably more significant contributors. Higher concentrations of phosphorous, magnesium, and particularly calcium were identified within the features than in the soils outside of the features. Potassium content showed little variation in or out of features. The detailed pedological and geomorphological analysis can be found in Appendix II of the original report.
A sample of 29 oyster shells collected from Features 11 and 12 were examined to identify the season of death and microhabitats of the shell. Results of the analysis suggested that the shells were collected between the late spring and mid-summer. The microhabitat indicated was a mixed mud and san substrate, and a shallow water setting. The strong similarity in shape and appearance of the shells within each feature denotes that both pits were used over a relatively brief period of time. The oyster shell analysis is available in full in Appendix V of the original report.
A sample of stone tools edges and surfaces were subjected to Cross-Over Immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) analysis to determine the presence and identification of animal blood residues. Of the 20 artifacts that were sampled, 2 were positive for rabbit and 3 were positive for deer. No grass residue was detected. Details of the CIEP analysis are available in Appendix VI of the original report.
Charcoal samples were collected for radiocarbon dating from Features 11, 12, 15, and 19. The samples from Features 11, 12, and 19 were all wood charcoal. All dates were calibrated using CALIB version 6.0 to 2 sigma and were within the early Late Woodland period. They were AD 995-1216, AD 968-1209, and AD 889-1186 respectively. The sample from Feature 15 was carbonized plant remains. The resulting calibrated date was AD 1798-1944. This indicated that either the remains were recovered from a root- or rodent-disturbed context or they actually date from the historic period.
A total of 16,682 prehistoric artifacts (77% oyster shell) were retrieved during the Phase III investigations. There were 3,129 pieces of debitage and 25 cores. There were 22 chipped stone tools (1 drill, 1 pebble tool, 4 unifacial tools, 11 scrapers, and 5 retouched flakes). There were 50 projectile points, point fragments and bifaces (preforms) including 1 possible Kirk-series serrated point (Early Archaic), 1 possible Morrow Mountain point (Middle Archaic), 1 Otter Creek point, 1 Holmes point, and 1 Brewerton side-notched point (Late Archaic), 4 Piscataway points, 5 Piscataway-like bifaces, 5 Rossville points (Early to Middle Woodland), 1 Calvert point (Early Woodland), 1 Side-notched point fragment (possibly Early Woodland), 7 Selby Bay points (Middle Woodland), 7 Levanna points (Late Woodland), and 15 unidentified points. It was suggested that the Morrow Mountain point fragment may actually be related to the large early stage bifaces from the site collection that were identified as Piscataway preforms. A percentage of the Piscataway and Rossville points and bifaces were made from rhyolite, which was represented by only 13 pieces of debitage in the assemblage. Rhyolite was more common during the Middle Woodland period. There were 31 other lithic items (16 hammerstones, 13 choppers, 1 split cobble, and 1 flaked cobble). There were 325 FCR.
There were 81 ceramic sherds including 33 Accokeek sherds (15 cord marked, 2 net marked, 5 plain, and 11 eroded) (Early Woodland), 2 possible Pope’s Creek sherds and 35 Mockley sherds (6 cord marked, 10 net impressed, 5 plain, 14 eroded) (Middle Woodland), 1 Sullivan ware sherd, 3 Rappahannock incised sherds, 1 Rappahannock plain, 1 Townsend sherd, and 1 Potomac Creek sherd (Late Woodland). Four of the sherds were rim fragments.
Faunal remains included 12,895 oyster shells and shell fragments and 3 animal bone fragments. As the oyster shells are largely restricted to the plowzone, it was suggested that they were associated with more recent prehistoric activity (e.g. Late Woodland). Floral material included 114 fragments of wood charcoal, 3 charred seed fragments, 3 charred hickory nutshell fragments, and 1 unidentified remain.
A total of 8 historic artifacts were recovered from the Phase III study. There were 5 architectural items (1 brick, 2 pieces of flat glass, 1 unidentified nail, and 1 metal hook) and 2 kitchen items (1 whiteware sherd and 1 creamware sherd). There was 1 tobacco item (a pipe bowl fragment). These artifacts represent a diffuse scatter and not an occupational presence at the site.
The material culture from the Aud Site (18ST634) indicates that it was occupied throughout most of prehistory in Southern Maryland. Occupational intensity increased dramatically by the Early Woodland period. The front pasture of the site appeared to be primarily limited to Late Woodland occupations while the rear pasture produced evidence for Archaic through Woodland occupations. The diversity of lithic types suggested a curated tool assemblage that was not primarily oriented to hunting. The site likely served repeatedly as a seasonal residential camp, probably occupied by a few families who exploited specific estuarine-wetland habitats. The Aud site is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D. The site has the following prehistoric themes identified in the "Maryland Comprehensive State Historic Preservation Plan": environmental adaptation, settlement, and technology.
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