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Everhart Rockshelter (18FR4)

Site History

The Everhart Rockshelter site (18FR4) is a Early, Middle, and Late Archaic and Early, Middle, and Late Woodland rockshelter located in Frederick County on a floodplain adjacent to Catoctin Creek. The front portion of the shelter is 10 feet high, 15 feet wide, and 10 feet deep. The floor of the shelter extends about 6 feet beyond the edge of the overhang, then slopes sharply to the level of the floodplain 6 feet below. At the rear of the shelter, the walls and ceiling gradually narrow to form a 4 foot square tunnel 15 feet long. This tunnel slopes upward and leads to a small rear chamber with a floor level about 8 feet higher in elevation. This rear chamber is 6 feet deep, 10 feet wide, and 4 feet high. There is a small opening about 2' in diameter, located midway along the west wall of the back chamber, thus providing a rear entrance for the shelter.

Archaeological Investigations

This rockshelter was excavated by avocational archaeologist Spencer Geasey and August "Gus" Selckmann between 1951 and 1953. The front of the shelter and terrace area immediately adjacent contained the most artifacts. It was excavated to a depth of about 24 inches. "Dark earth" was 18 inches thick, and there were 2 fire pits.

Of the 231 lithic artifacts recovered from the site, 146 were of rhyolite, 45 of quartz, 35 of chert, 3 of quartzite, and 2 of jasper. Diagnostic points included LeCroy, Stanly, Otter Creek, Brewerton side- and corner-notched, Snook Kill, Bare Island, Savannah River, Meadowwood, Vernon, Susquehanna Broadspear, Rossville, Orient Fishtail, Potts, Hellgrammite, Selby Bay, Jack's Reef Pentagonal, and Heck Rockshelter. Diagnostic ceramics included Marcey Creek plain (3 vessels), Selden-Island cord-marked (2 vessels), Accokeek cord-marked (2 vessels), Mockley cord-marked (2 vessels), Shepard cord-marked (10 vessels), Page cord-marked (6 vessels), Keyser cord-marked (1 vessel), Townsend-Rappahannock incised (2 vessels), Townsend-Rappahannock fabric-impressed (3 vessels), Albemarle quartz-tempered fabric-impressed (3 vessels), Albemarle chert-tempered cord-marked (2 vessels), Albemarle rhyolite-tempered net-impressed (1 vessel), Albemarle rhyolite-tempered net-impressed (1 vessel), Radford knot-roughened net-impressed (1 vessel), and New River plain (1 vessel). In addition, 2 fragments of untempered clay elbow pipes were recovered, as well as 2 bar-type atl-atl weights, 1 cylindrical pestle, 1 grooved axe, 1 anvil stone, 17 hammerstones, and 8 steatite bowl fragments.

Geasey reported the site and its location to the Maryland Geological Survey in 1970.

References

Geasey, Spencer O.

1993   "A Comparative Analysis of Flaked Lithic and Ceramic Assemblages from Three Rock Shelters in Frederick County, Maryland." Maryland Archeology 29(1&2):43-53.

(Edited from archeological site survey form, Maryland Historical Trust)

Associated Artifacts

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Rim with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Lip-Nicking
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek rim steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment straight rim lip-nicking Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Body/Base with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek mended body/base steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment flat bottom undecorated Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Body with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Lug Handle
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek body steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment lug handle Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Base with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek mended base steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment flat bottom undecorated Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Body/Base with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek mended body/base steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment flat bottom undecorated Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Body/Rim with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Lip-Nicking
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek mended body/rim steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment straight rim lip-nicking Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Base with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek base steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment flat bottom undecorated Early Woodland Period

Marcey Creek

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Base with Plain/Smoothed Surface Treatment, Marcey Creek type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Marcey Creek base steatite tempered plain/smoothed surface treatment flat bottom undecorated Early Woodland Period

Selden Island

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Body/Rim with Cord-Marked Surface Treatment, Selden Island type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Selden Island Selden Island mended body/rim steatite tempered cord-marked surface treatment straight rim undecorated Early Woodland Period

Selden Island

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Rim with Cord-Marked Surface Treatment, Selden Island type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Selden Island Selden Island rim steatite tempered cord-marked surface treatment straight rim undecorated

Selden Island

Image of ceramic, Steatite Tempered Mended Body/Rim with Cord-Marked Surface Treatment, Selden Island type, Undecorated
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Selden Island Selden Island mended body/rim steatite tempered cord-marked surface treatment straight rim undecorated Early Woodland Period

Brewerton Corner Notched

Image of stone projectile point made of Chert, Corner-Notched shape, with a Expanding stem, Straight blade, and Straight base shape. Brewerton Corner Notched type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Brewerton Corner Notched corner-notched chert straight blade expanding stem straight base Late Archaic Period

Brewerton Side Notched

Image of stone projectile point made of Rhyolite, Side-Notched shape, with a Expanding stem, Straight blade, and Straight base shape. Brewerton Side Notched type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Brewerton Side Notched side-notched rhyolite straight blade expanding stem straight base Late Archaic Period

Brewerton Side Notched

Image of stone projectile point made of Chert, Side-Notched shape, with a Expanding stem, Excurvate blade, and Straight base shape. Brewerton Side Notched type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Brewerton Side Notched side-notched chert excurvate blade expanding stem straight base Late Archaic Period

Calvert

Image of stone projectile point made of Quartzite, Stemmed shape, with a Straight stem, Excurvate blade, and Straight base shape. Calvert type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Calvert stemmed quartzite excurvate blade straight stem straight base Early Woodland Period

Lamoka

Image of stone projectile point made of Chert, Side-Notched shape, with a Expanding stem, Excurvate blade, and Straight base shape. Lamoka type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Lamoka side-notched chert excurvate blade expanding stem straight base Late Archaic Period

LeCroy

Image of stone projectile point made of Rhyolite, Bifurcate shape, with a Expanding stem, Serrated-Straight blade, and Bifurcate base shape. LeCroy type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter LeCroy bifurcate rhyolite serrated-straight blade expanding stem bifurcate base Early Archaic Period

Madison

Image of stone projectile point made of Chalcedony/Flint, Triangular shape, with a N/A stem, Excurvate blade, and Concave base shape. Madison type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Madison triangular chalcedony/flint excurvate blade N/A stem concave base Late Woodland Period

Potomac

Image of stone projectile point made of Mottled Rhyolite, Triangular shape, with a N/A stem, Excurvate blade, and Concave base shape. Potomac type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Potomac triangular mottled rhyolite excurvate blade N/A stem concave base Late Woodland Period

Rossville

Image of stone projectile point made of Rhyolite, Contracting Stem shape, with a Contracting stem, Excurvate blade, and Convex base shape. Rossville type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Rossville contracting stem rhyolite excurvate blade contracting stem convex base Early Woodland Period

St Albans

Image of stone projectile point made of Rhyolite, Stemmed shape, with a Straight stem, Serrated-Excurvate blade, and Bifurcate base shape. St. Albans type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter St. Albans stemmed rhyolite serrated-excurvate blade straight stem bifurcate base Early Archaic Period

Susquehanna Broadspear

Image of stone projectile point made of Chert, Stemmed shape, with a Expanding stem, Excurvate blade, and Straight base shape. Susquehanna Broadspear type.
18FR4 Everhart Rockshelter Susquehanna Broadspear stemmed chert excurvate blade expanding stem straight base Late Archaic Period