Double Pipe Creek (18FR592)

The Double Pipe Creek site (18FR592) in Frederick County, MD is an apparent short-term resource procurement camp with a Late Archaic temporal affiliation. The site was known to local collectors prior to its registration in the state site files, but their activities are thought to have been rather limited. It is located along Double Pipe Creek in eastern Frederick County. Soils on the site are classified as Penn Shaly Loams.

The site was first professionally examined in 1985 during a highway survey project. Realignment of Maryland Route 77 necessitated the completion of a Phase I survey prior to the onset of construction. The Phase I work consisted primarily of surface survey utilizing opportunistic surface exposures within the new road right-of-way. Despite the site’s location (at that time) in a no-till cornfield, surface visibility was sufficient to lead to recognition of the site, and a small collection of artifacts was recovered. Prehistoric artifacts encountered during the Phase I survey include a metarhyolite Fishtail-like point, 4 other projectile points/point fragments, 1 knife, 4 biface fragments, 5 utilized flakes, and 51 other flakes. Two historic artifacts, whiteware sherds, were also recovered.

Following completion of the Phase I survey, Phase II testing was conducted in order to determine the site history, boundaries, purpose, integrity, significance, and the potential impact to the site due to the road realignment. During the early stages of the Phase II examination, it was thought that the newly aligned highway would pass directly through the center of the site. Thus, the entire area tentatively defined during Phase I as being within the boundaries of 18FR592 was gridded up using a 2 meter grid line interval. The gridded area was plowed and disked to provide suitable ground visibility. An attempt was made to wait for a washing heavy rainfall, but none occurred after several days; and field collection was then started. A soaking rain took place, however, midway during the collection and the previously surveyed section of the site was re-collected to assure a consistent surface database. To facilitate a preliminary field analysis of the surface collection, the recollected unit artifacts were combined with artifacts secured from the same square by the earlier study. Two areas of moderate artifact concentration were recognized in the eastern portions of the site, and two areas of light artifact scatter were noted in the western portions of the site (some just outside the defined site boundaries). The body of artifacts is located on ridge slopes and their bases adjoining the creek floodplain. Such a context likely indicates that the artifacts have been transported via slope erosion and plowing.

Mid-way through the process, revised plans for the highway were received by project personnel, which indicated that the project-right-of-way would now pass farther to the south, bypassing all but a small portion of the site (as bounded during Phase I). Four 2 X 2 excavation units were placed within the new highway project alignment, three of which are outside the defined boundaries of the site. The fourth unit was just within the site boundaries, but was not within any of the artifact concentration areas (moderate or light) identified during Phase I. Each unit was excavated by natural soil and cultural layers, broken by 10 cm levels as needed. Soil was screened through hardware cloth. No features were encountered during any stage of research, and all artifacts were recovered from the plowzone.

A total of 64 prehistoric artifacts were recovered during Phase II testing, only 4 of which came from within the alignment project right-of-way. The flaked lithic assemblage includes 5 projectile points, 2 preforms, 4 unfinished bifaces, 2 unidentified biface fragments, 1 bifacial blade fragment, 3 cores, 1 chopper, 2 utilized flakes, 29 primary flakes, 5 secondary flakes, 1 tertiary flake, and 8 pieces of flake or shatter. 1 ground stone object was encountered, a sandstone pestle. The prehistoric artifacts recovered from the Phase II test units include 1 projectile point (probable Susquehanna Broadspear), 1 utilized flake, 1 decortication flake, 13 primary flakes, 3 secondary flakes, 2 tertiary flakes, 12 flake fragments, 1 piece of fire-cracked rock, and 2 large mammal bones. In all cases, meta-rhyolite was the most abundant raw material. A few historic artifacts were also recovered; redware and whiteware sherds along with some brick fragments.

Little can be said regarding the nature of the Double Pipe Creek site. The available information seems to indicate that it was a short-term camp utilized during Late Archaic times. Odds are that the site is heavily disturbed based on the observed distribution of artifact concentrations. However, testing within the defined site boundaries was limited to a single, peripheral 2 X 2 unit. Thus, its integrity (and ability to address significant research questions) is still in question.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)