Woodcock Farm (18WO165)

The Woodcock Farm Shell Middens site (18WO165) lies between Green Point Creek and Sinepuxent Bay in Worcester County. It consists of three contiguous shell middens on an overlook above the creek and another shell midden in the woods just to the north. The shell middens are dated to the Late Archaic and Middle to Late Woodland periods.

Local residents had long known of the site and collected artifacts from it. A professional Phase I archaeological survey was conducted in 1994-1995 ahead of the construction of a golfing community on Sinepuxent Bay. The project area of approximately 250 acres was surface collected, followed by the excavation of shovel test pits at intervals of no more than 15 meters. Seven loci of high archaeological potential were identified during the surface collection, and 18WO165 included two of them. One locus contained three shell middens, and was further investigated with 18 shovel test pits. The second locus at 18WO165 was also tested with 18 shovel test pits, as well as a 1m x 1m test unit. The shell middens contained more clam than oyster, and had both lithic and ceramic artifacts.

During Phase II evaluations of the site, 12 test units and three additional shovel test pits were excavated. Numerous pit features were identified, but these were not always fully described, nor were complete artifact counts reported. The available evidence suggests that 18WO165 was a shellfish procurement site utilized intermittently or seasonally over a long period of time. In response to the archaeological findings, the golf community construction plans were modified to avoid significant impact to the site.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)