Phase I Cultural Resources Survey for the Sawmill Parkway Extension
Delaware County, Ohio
HDC completed a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey over a six mile corridor associated with the proposed construction of the Sawmill Parkway extension. Over forty previously unrecorded archaeological resources were identified as a result of this survey with none being recommended as potentially eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The architectural history survey recorded two buildings over 50 years in age but did not identify any architectural resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. HDC successfully completed the project by frequent communications with landowners and the client, and by adjusting field methods and schedules to address the concerns of private citizens.
Phase II Archaeological Assessment of18FR611 and 18FR612, Frederick County, Maryland
HDC conducted a Phase II archaeological assessment of sites 18FR611 and 18FR612 in Frederick County, Maryland. HDC excavated 102 shovel test units and 14 1-x-1-meter test units at the two sites. Seven sets of structural remains were documented at 18FR612 associated with a nineteenth century farmstead. A total of 2,636 artifacts were recovered from the two sites, with 137 artifacts from 18FR611 and 2,410 artifacts from 18FR612. Paleosols were identified in the floodplains of both sites that contained prehistoric artifacts. Prehistoric components identified at site 18FR611 include Late Archaic, Late Archaic/Transitional Archaic, and Middle Woodland. Site 18FR611 contains undisturbed paleosols with prehistoric artifacts and high amounts of charred floral material, suggesting a high potential to reveal important data about the use of floodplain settings during the Late Archaic and Middle Woodland in the Catoctin Creek watershed. The historical component of Site 18FR612 is a typical small farm compound of the period. George Miller and Terry Klein’s ranking system for evaluating historical farmstead research potential was found to be very useful in assessing the eligibility of site 18FR612.
Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery of the Possum Hollow Site (33CT645)
Clermont County, Ohio
HDC completed the mitigation of site 33CT645, a stratified prehistoric site with significant utilization during the Late Archaic and Early Woodland Periods. The data recovery entailed mechanical stripping of recent alluvial and plow zone deposits, and the hand excavation of all cultural features. As a result of this fieldwork 28 cultural features and over 3,000 artifacts were documented. Public outreach consisted of an article published in Ohio Archaeologist, an avocational magazine.
All phases of investigation at the Possum Hollow site added significantly to the existing body of data on the Late Archaic and Early Woodland periods in the East Fork of the Little Miami drainage. A large sample of well-dated Late Archaic and Early Woodland pottery was recovered and the Late Archaic roots of pottery technology in the Central Ohio Valley were confirmed. Based on the uniformity of feature types and artifact assemblages across time, there is a strong cultural continuity, in terms of lifeways and artifact assemblages, between the Late Archaic and the Early Woodland periods in this area of the Ohio Valley.
Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery at the Harmony Brickworks
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
HDC performed a data recovery of the historic brickworks component of site 36AL480 in connection with the construction of the Braddock Dam. Fieldwork included high-density topographic mapping of the site, shovel test unit excavation, excavation of test units, and the trenching and mechanical excavation of large blocks to reveal structural features. The Harmony Brickworks operated between 1889 and 1901 at Leetsdale, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, about 12 miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh. The factory contained two banks of kilns, a large hot floor complex, and associated out buildings.
The focus of the Phase III Data Recovery project was the main hot floor complex. Excavations revealed that a great deal of the technological elements of the brick drying process were relatively intact. Analysis of the excavation results led us to conclude that the Harmony Brickworks was fairly typical brickworks for its size and period, which experimented with new hot floor technologies, while at the same time using an old kiln type that produced a large amount of low-quality brick.