Burhans (18FR853)

This site was originally identified in March of 2006 during Phase I investigations of the streetscape at New Market by John Milner Associates. The site is an urban houselot located at 69 West Main Street in New Market, Frederick County, Maryland. Testing was conducted in the rear yard of the house with 28 shovel tests excavated. Testing identified a 60 x 60 ft yard surface adjacent to the house. The remaining portion of the lot contains a historic plowzone. Artifacts date from the first half of the 19th century and are associated with the occupation of the residence. Artifacts recovered include 13 light yellow creamware, 3 plain pearlware, 12 whiteware (1 flow blue, 2 shell-edge), 1 plain yellowware, 1 aqua blown-in-mold bottle glass, 2 white glass mason jar lid liner, 1 hand wrought nail, and 7 cut nails.

Phase II testing of this site was conducted between 15 and 21 June 2006. Field methods included the excavation of two shovel test pits and eight test units. The original plan was to excavate six 5x5' test units, but in the end, an additional two 2x5' units were placed to analyze site stratigraphy. The two Phase II shovel tests contained 96 artifacts, and the eight Phase II test units yielded 5,049 artifacts. The fill layers from the test units included 2,939 artifacts. The historic yard surface deposits contained 455 artifacts. Colluvial deposits from two units contained 589 artifacts. The plowzone identified in two other units included 691 artifacts.

Phase II testing resulted in the identification of two yards surfaces, six post holes, a septic drain feature, a water pipe trench, and various fill episodes. The excavations also narrowed the location of intact yard surface deposits to a 40x40' area in the north yard of 69 West Main Street. Only TU3 (6m northwest of NW corner of house) contained two intact yard surfaces. TUs 2 and 8 (8-13m north of the house) contained the truncated remnants of an earlier surface. The late surface, only seen in TU3, dates from the first half of the 20th century. The earlier surface dates from the second half of the 19th century. The disturbance to the yard surface deposits in TUs 2 and 8 is the result of activities associated with improvements and additions to the house over the years. The fill layers that cap the yard surface deposits are probably redeposited soils from within the site.

Phase I shovel tests and TU5 (34m north of house) identified a plowzone in the north half of the site. A large amount of nails were recovered from the plowzone of the test unit. Though historic documentation does not show a structure in the north lot, the high concentration of nails in this area suggests that a structure once stood in the vicinity. A plowzone was also identified in TU6, located 30' south of TU 5 (and 22m north of house). In this area the soil was tilled for a flower garden. The plowzone in this area is limited to the boundaries of the flower bed and is not related to the plowing episode in the north half of the site.

The area of TU1 (17m northwest of the NW corner of the house) has been disturbed by activities associated with the installation or removal of a septic drain. No intact yard surface deposits occur here. TUs 4 and 7 are located along the present east property boundary (10 and 16m north of house, respectively). These areas show evidence of disturbance associated with grading and erosion, a result of the grading activities on the neighboring lot to the east and the steady slope of the landscape. Six post-hole features were encountered within TUs 1, 2, 3, and 8. Three of the features were found in TU3, under the 20th-century yard surface. These features may be associated with activities related to laundry, animal husbandry, or small-scale farming.

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