999 LEVEE
18AG262

Introduction

The 999 Levee Site is a stratified short-term camp site occupied during the Early Woodland and Late Woodland periods.  The site is located in an active pasture adjacent to the Potomac River channel behind the eastern end of Trapp Island.

Archaeological Investigations

The site was identified in June of 2009 by the Louis Berger Group, Inc. as part of an archaeological survey and evaluation study of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park for the National Park Service.

An auger test identified 4.4 feet of late Holocene sediments over an older terrace, possibly Middle Holocene, that showed signs of having been a wetland.  A transect of four shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated along the crest of the river terrace.  The STP closest to the river produced a chert knife, rock-tempered sherds and chert debitage.  This is almost certainly the location were Russel Handsman and crew previously excavated a 2x2 meter test unit in 1976, recovering pottery and lithic debitage.

Results document a small Woodland camp with over four feet of stratigraphy apparently separating material of the Early to Late Woodland periods.

Archeobotanical Studies

A single hand-collected carbon sample was collected during the Berger Group’s Phase I survey.  Deciduous wood charcoal (four fragments weighing 0.01 grams) was recovered. 

References