State Hospital Site (18DO173)

The State Hospital Site (18DO173) is a prehistoric lithic reduction and resource procurement site with a small historic 19th and 20th century artifact scatter across the site. The site stretches across two knolls of an unnamed wetland that feeds Shoal Creek and lies approximately 400 m south of the Choptank River in Dorchester County, Maryland. The site is situated on the Eastern Shore Hospital Center property and is bordered by Linden Road on the east and by Park Road to the north. The soils present at the site correspond to Galestown loamy sand and Woodstown sandy loam. Overall, the site measures approximately 220 m north-south by 150 m east-west and lies at an elevation of 20 m above mean sea level.

Site 18DO173 was first identified in 1988 during a survey of the Eastern Shore Hospital Center property by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). Work at that time consisted of uncontrolled surface collection from the portion of the site lying south of the wetland (later designated as Field 2). A total of 18 prehistoric items were collected. These included 16 pieces of debitage and 2 biface fragments. Only 1 historic artifact was recovered (a sherd of 19th blue transfer-printed refined earthenware).

A second Phase I survey of the Eastern Shore Hospital Center property was conducted in 1997. Surveying a low knoll lying to the north of the wetland feeding Shoal Creek, a small prehistoric scatter was identified. Three shovel tests spaced 20 m apart located 6 pieces of debitage and 1 fire-cracked rock (FCR). Due to its proximity to the site as identified in 1988, the knoll (designated Field 1) was included to expand the boundaries of 18DO173. Phase II evaluation of the site was requested by the Maryland Historical Trust in order to delineate the vertical and horizontal prehistoric component and to determine whether the component had integrity and research potential.

Phase II testing commenced in 1998. The goals were to delineate the boundaries of the prehistoric site and to determine the temporal and functional characteristic of the site. The site was re-identified and horizontally delineated via pedestrian survey along transects spaced 3 m apart. Surface collection within 6 X 6 m blocks in areas with good surface visibility was also executed. Five 1 X 1 m test units that were evenly distributed across the site area were also excavated.

194 prehistoric artifacts and 193 historic artifacts were recovered during the Phase II investigations. Artifacts from the State Hospital Site (18DO173) were recovered primarily from the surface and the plowzone. The site has been disturbed by agricultural activity. With this disturbance and the lack of diagnostic artifacts in the prehistoric assemblage, the site has diminished the potential for asking questions dealing with prehistoric activity on the Delmarva Peninsula. Due to the spatially dispersed nature of the historic assemblage at the site, this component lacks stratigraphic integrity and further research potential.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)