AA-2 SITE
18ST677

Introduction

Site 18ST677 is a multi-component site containing a Late Archaic period occupation, a Late Woodland period short-term camp, and a late 17th-century farmstead.

Archaeological Investigations

Phase I and II investigations were conducted by R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates in 1997 and 1998 in advance of proposed residential development at Tudor Hall Farm.

The Phase I survey of this site turned up a Lamoka point, indicating a Late Archaic date for the prehistoric component, and suggesting that the site may be related to 18ST676, which was also thought to be Late Archaic at the time, due to the presence of a Piscataway point. The historic component dates to the late 17th century, and includes 13 wrought nails, 2 North Devon sgraffito sherds, 1 imported stoneware sherd, and 1 Staffordshire slipware sherd, as well as bottle glass, arms, tobacco pipes, activity items, and faunal remains.

The Phase II testing supported the hypothesis that the prehistoric component of 18ST677 reflects an activity locus associated with adjacent 18ST676. The artifacts were generally confined to the northern portion of 18ST677, along the border of 18ST676. Phase II testing recovered a Late Woodland/Contact period Yeocomico sherd among other Native American artifacts, and colonial period North Devon sgraffito ware, North Devon gravel tempered ware, tin-glazed earthenware, an English gunflint, wrought nails, and rouletted tobacco pipes. The consensus view holds that the site is National Register-eligible.

Archeobotanical Studies

Archeobotanical studies included processing and analysis of 19 soil samples collected from Feature AA2-VI. This was a roughly circular feature, approximately 3m in diameter, which contained in its many stratigraphic layers numerous fragments of animal bone, ceramics, and white clay pipe dating to the second half of the 17th century. Flotation processing of 38 liters of Feature AA20-VI fill yielded 195.39 grams of carbonized plant macro-remains (a mean average of 5.142 grams per liter). Botanical artifacts were submitted to Justine McKnight for analysis.

Recovered plant remains included indigenous species, non-native taxa, and cultivated field crops. The recovery of comestible plant remains in conjunction with a variety of faunal artifacts suggests that the feature was directly related to the preparation and consumption of food.

Recovered wood charcoal (10,611 fragments weighing 158.22 grams) included maple, hickory, American chestnut, dogwood, ash, American holly, black walnut, osage orange, oak, and several unidentifiable types. Seed remains (121 seed or seed fragments weighing 0.47 grams) included crotolaria, doveweed, squash, spurge, tulip poplar, deer vetch, knotweed, cherry, dock, nightshade, vetch, grape, and a few unidentifiable fragments. Nut remains were limited to a single fragment (0.04 grams) of walnut family. The field crops maize, wheat, and wheat or oats totaled 1,286 specimens weighing 28.6 grams. The following maize remains were recovered: cob segments (55), cob material (5), glumes (19), cupules (270), cupules with attached glumes (22), cupule fragments (902), and kernel fragments (2). A feature total of 10 wheat kernels were identified, and a single specimen was assigned to the category wheat or oats. The recovery of maize and wheat remains provides substantial evidence for the cultivation of field crops on-site. Identification of maize cob material and un-processed wheat kernels indicates that these grains were not arriving on-site in a pre-processed state (i.e. as meal or flour).

References