Wiles II Site (18FR110)

The Wiles II site (18FR110) in Frederick County, MD is a small lithic scatter that was probably occupied throughout the Late Archaic and into the Woodland. The site, situated near the Monocacy River and within the boundaries of the Monocacy Battlefield Park, has been known to local collectors for over 75 years. The field notes of John J. Snyder at the Maryland Historical Trust, indicate that he was collecting in this vicinity as early as 1932. During a Phase I survey of the Monocacy Valley in the late 1970s, the site was re-identified and the researchers had the opportunity to examine a local collection of points from the site. This collection included 2 Savannah River stemmed points, 1 Susquehanna Broadspear, a Selby Bay stemmed, and 1 Selby Bay side-notched (Variant B).

The first professional testing at the site was conducted by R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates in the spring of 1990 as part of the Monocacy Interceptor Sewer Line project. This testing involved controlled surface collection and excavation of 100 shovel tests and 5- 1 X 1 m units. An auger test was placed in the bottom of each of nine shovel tests. No intact cultural features were encountered.

Six of the shovel tests and all five of the test units recovered prehistoric materials; however, 1,187 of the 1,433 prehistoric artifacts recovered came from the surface collection. Diagnostics in the assemblage include a Morrow Mountain I point, a Savannah River Broadspear, 2 Brewerton Side-notched points, a Halifax Side-notched, a Lamoka-like point, 1 Susquehanna Broadspear, a point that is either a 2nd Susquehanna Broadspear or an Orient Fishtail, a Macpherson Side-notched point, 2 Guilford Lanceolates, 2 Rossville points, a Lackawaxen Stemmed point, 2 Selby Bay stemmed, 2 Selby Bay Lanceolates, a Selby Bay Side-notched Variant B point, 3 Selby Bay Side-notched Variant C points, and a large generalized triangular point (probably Levanna).

The site was revisited during the Phase I survey associated with the I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study. A number of shovel tests were dug throughout the site, but no artifacts were recovered.

In the summer and fall of 2001, the National Park Service conducted a controlled surface collection at the site to refine the site's boundaries and chronology. Six diagnostic artifacts were collected including a Selby Bay/Fox Creek Stemmed point fragment, a Selby Bay/Mockley Phase quarry blade, a Selby Bay stemmed blade fragment, a Selby Bay-phase blade fragment, and a Savannah River variant. An additional outlying Selby Bay point was collected to the north of the site.

The site was revisited again in 2003 as part of a water main installation project running parallel to the previously installed sewer line. Thirty-two shovel tests, four 1 X 2 m test units, two 1 X 1 m units, two 1 X 10 m deep trenches, and four shallow strip trenches were excavated within the portion of Site 18FR110 contained within the project corridor. Thirty four prehistoric and 9 historic artifacts were recovered.

There are few intact soils that might contain cultural features. Limited mechanical stripping failed to find any prehistoric features. The quantities and nature of the prehistoric assemblage within the project corridor, even in a primary context, are not sufficient to address important research questions. Thus, the site can only be characterized as a heavily disturbed and very diffuse lithic scatter. The diagnostic artifacts recovered to date, seem to indicate occupations ranging from the Late Archaic through Late Woodland.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)