Catoctin Furnace, Bathhouse/Springhouse/Raceway (18FR321)

Catoctin Furnace is a group of archaeological sites associated with a 10,000-acre iron working furnace complex dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries in Frederick County, Maryland. The collection includes materials from the foundry site (18FR320), a springhouse site (18FR321), an African-American slave cemetery (18FR323), and a 19th-century miner’s house (18FR324). These sites were documented in 1977 during a Phase I survey by Orr and Son for the proposed dualization of U.S. Route 15 between Putnam Road and Maryland Route 77 in Thurmont. Catoctin Furnace represents a valuable resource for documenting the development of the iron industry in the United States and increasing understanding about the lifestyles and material culture of its workers.

The earliest structure at 18FR321 had a mortarless fieldstone foundation measuring 12 feet on each side, and a brick entry step, and appeared to function as a springhouse for the refrigeration of foods. A one-inch thick wooden trough was placed around the interior of the stone walls to channel spring water into a metal catch basin in the southeast corner. Water escaped through a barred grill on the downhill side, which continued in use after renovations converted the building into a bathhouse. The building was abandoned in 1915, when indoor plumbing was installed in the Auburn Mansion, and its fieldstone walls were later used to construct a driveway.

During the Phase I survey in 1977, Orr and Son excavated one two-by-two-foot test unit in the northwest corner of the building, revealing six courses of fieldstone three feet below the ground surface. An additional two-by-two-foot test unit was placed in the structure’s interior, uncovering a stone floor at a depth of 18 inches. Orr and Son also conducted Phase II investigations at 18FR321 in 1979. Four trenches were excavated to subsoil at the corners of the building, perpendicular to the walls, and were expanded to explore up to half of each wall. In addition, two pathway trenches were dug, one in front of the doorway and one eight feet east of the southeast corner. Stratigraphic layers were excavated separately, and all soil was screened through 1/8-inch mesh. The Phase II investigation excavated approximately 50% of the site before it was buried for the dualization of U.S. Route 15.

A total of 7,815 artifacts were recovered during the investigations at the Catoctin Furnace Springhouse/Bathhouse/Raceway Site. Artifacts date the construction of the springhouse to the early 19th century, and included items which are considered to be functionally related to its activities. Four hundred and fifty ceramic sherds, dating from c.1820-c.1860, include American stoneware and earthenware vessels, and a large amount of transfer-printed and blue and green shell-edged pearlwares and whitewares. The majority of the ceramic sherds are kitchen-related wares representing dishes and crocks for food storage and refrigeration. Architectural debris, such as nails, plaster, and brick fragments, were also common.

The conversion to a bathhouse is evident in the artifacts dating from the second half of the 19th century. Sixteen complete bricks and a large number of hand-molded brick fragments were discovered in the fill that elevated the stone floor. Other architectural debris included flagstone spalls, nails, mortar, and plaster. Ceramics and glass bottle fragments also dated from the late 19th century.

(Edited from Archaeological Collections in Maryland)