Introduction
The Broad Creek site (18PR131) occupies a second-terrace
landform in Fort Washington, Prince George’s County. Diagnostic
artifacts and radiocarbon dates support an Early Woodland period
assignment for much of the 18PR131 deposit, along with a strong
late Middle Woodland period occupation. Minor Late Archaic and Late
Woodland period occupations are also indicated by the archaeology.
18PR131 is closely associated with nearby sites
18PR137, 18PR138, and 18PR139, and it has been proposed that they
comprise a single site. A continuous scatter of artifacts links
the individual sites, and diagnostic materials suggest that the
area was repeatedly occupied from the Late Archaic to the Late Woodland
periods.
Archaeological Investigations
John Milner Associates (JMA) conducted Phases II
and III archaeological investigations within a portion of 18PR131
discontinuously between 1987 and 1990 for the Marriott Corporation's
proposed Falcon's Landing Retirement Community. The project area
contained two separate but bordering parcels of land: Parcels A
and B. 18PR131 straddled both parcels. Following Phase III fieldwork,
the Marriott Corporation decided to terminate the development project
and requested only a management summary of the work before ending
the contract with JMA. The archaeological investigation was part
of the due diligence performed before the Marriott project was subject
to review. Thus, no agency required a final report. Subsequently,
Land & Commercial, Inc. proposed to develop Parcel B only. JMA
was retained to complete a report on the investigations of that
portion of 18PR131 located within Parcel B.
Phase II testing identified a large area of intact
archaeological deposits in the southeastern portion of Parcel B.
This area, referred to as Locus 1, contained evidence of Late Archaic,
Middle Woodland, and Late Woodland period occupations. Loci 1 (Parcel
B) and 2 (Parcel A) were the two portions of the site considered
to retain significant information. The remaining portions of Parcels
B and A were determined to be severely disturbed from erosion and
plowing, thus compromising the integrity and significance of the
associated archaeological deposits.
Phase III excavations within Parcel B were directed
to Locus 1. A geomorphological investigation determined that erosion
had blanketed Locus 1 with sediments that originated mainly from
the high Pleistocene bluff located to the east and secondarily from
the summit of the second terrace to the west. Large areas within
Locus 1 were mechanically stripped of this overburden. The field
team placed excavation blocks in areas where Phase II fieldwork
suggested the presence of features, high artifact densities ,or
thick cultural deposits.
Approximately 157 square meters of the area within
Locus 1 was excavated, which produced 20,000 artifacts. For analytical
purposes, the assemblage was divided into three major stratigraphic
units: upper, middle, and lower horizons. These horizons were based
on descriptions of the sediments by the soil scientist. Within each
horizon, the broad distribution of all artifacts was examined, followed
by specific artifact classes.
The view that emerged from the spatial distributions
of general artifacts, fire-cracked rocks, morphologically-identifiable
tools, and temporally diagnostic points and pottery is one of relative
degrees of use and occupation over about six or seven millennia,
from roughly 6000 B.C. to A.D. 1300. While there may be disagreements
about date ranges for some ceramic wares and point types, the co-occurrences
of such artifacts as Accokeek pottery and Piscataway and Teardrop
points supports an assignment of Early Woodland period for much
of the deposit. Likewise, the presence of Mockley pottery, along
with Potts, Fox Creek, Selby Bay, and Rossville points, indicates
a strong late Middle Woodland period occupation. There was evidence
of a less intensive or considerably smaller occupation during the
early Middle Woodland period, judging from the small quantities
of Popes Creek pottery. The earliest occupations, represented by
Morrow Mountain, Brewerton, and Otter Creek projectile points, were
apparently small and locally-based.
The most substantial occupations within Locus 1
produced distinct concentrations of artifact sets. The locations
of tools used in activities and the by-products of those activities
can be best understood in relation to hearths. In some cases, tools,
debris, and fire-cracked rocks were found grouped together. These
groups or debris clusters were interpreted to be the result of sweeping
and cleaning activities. The most intensive occupations were during
the Late/Terminal Archaic, late Early Woodland, and late Middle
Woodland/Late Woodland periods.
No evidence of historic or prehistoric burials
was found. JMA reviewed the evidence on the location of the Piscataway
village of Tessamatuck and concluded that the village was located
on the south side of Piscataway Creek by Captain John Smith, several
miles south of the project area.
Archeobotanical Studies
Archeobotanical investigations were conducted by
Leslie Raymer as part of data recovery efforts at 18PR131. Two-liter
soil samples were collected for flotation from all features and
selected general excavation levels. Macrobotanical remains were
also collected through waterscreening. Thirty-seven 2-liter flotation
samples (31 from Locus 1 and 6 from Locus 2) and 13 waterscreen-recovered
macroplant samples (83 individual specimens) were submitted for
paleoethnobotanical analysis. Because the project contract was curtailed,
archeobotanical information is reported in the report appendix,
but supporting complete context information relating to all of the
features in Locus 2 is not available in Milner’s site report.
Flotation samples were processed using a SMAP-type
flotation device, and efficiency was tested using the standard poppyseed
test (Wagner 1982). Recovery rates for five tested samples were
80%, 78%, 81%, 97%, and 78%. Seventy-four liters of sediment from
37 samples were processed, yielding a total of 25.5 grams of light
fractions and 48.4 grams of heavy fractions. Overall, macro-plant
remains were sparse and poorly preserved. Flotation-recovered plant
macro-remains included 2.4 grams of wood charcoal, 0.1 grams of
bark material, one blackgum seed, one acorn hull fragment, and three
unidentifiable seeds. Non-carbonized (modern) seeds were present
in all of the flotation samples analyzed.
Thirteen samples of charred plant material that
were collected during waterscreening were also analyzed. These samples
contained 60 fragments of wood charcoal, 10 hickory nutshell fragments,
4 unidentifiable nutshell fragments, 1 blackgum seed, and 3 unidentifiable
seed fragments.
Two radiocarbon dates from a rock hearth feature
(Feature 64) are directly associated with recovered archeobotanical
remains. One was “modern,” the other had enormous 1
and 2 sigma ranges and was interpreted as “problematic.”
It had a calibrated median date probability of AD 1587.
Context |
UGA No |
C-13 Adj Age |
Cal 2 sigma low |
Cal Median Probability |
Cal 2 sigma high |
Feature 64 |
6460 |
352 +/-179 bp |
1307 |
1587 |
1953 |
Feature 64 |
6461 |
modern |
References
Raymer, Leslie |
2003 |
The Analysis and Interpretation of Macroplant Remains
from the Phase III Data Recovery Program for the
Proposed Falcon’s
Landing Retirement Community, Fort Washington, Maryland. Appendix
IV to Phase II
and III Archeological Investigations in a Portion
of Site 18PR131, Prince George's County,
Maryland. John Milner
Associates, Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania. |
|
Siegel, Peter E., Charles D. Cheek, and Charles E.
Goode |
2003 |
Phase II and III Archeological Investigations
in a Portion of Site 18PR131, Prince George's County,
Maryland. John Milner Associates, Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania. |
|
Wagner, Gail E. |
1982 |
Testing Flotation Recovery Rates. American
Antiquity 47(1):127-132. |
|