An Archaeological Assessment of Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A Wealth of Hidden Resources An Archaeological Assessment of Spotsylvania County, Virginia Submitted by: Submitted to: William and Mary Virginia Department of Historic Resources Center for Archaeological Research and County of Spotsylvania 2007 A Wealth of Hidden Resources: An Archaeological Assessment of Spotsylvania County, Virginia WMCAR Project No. 06-17 Submitted by: Submitted to: William and Mary Center for Virginia Department of Historic Archaeological Research Resources The College of William and Mary 221 Governor Street P.O. Box 8795 Richmond, Virginia 23219 Williamsburg, Virginia 23187 and County of Spotsylvania Planning Department, Development Services Division 10304 Spotsylvania Avenue, 4th Floor Authors: Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408 Elizabeth J. Monroe with contributions by Courtney Birkett Stephanie Sapp Oliver Mueller-Heubach Project Director: Joe B. Jones 2007 i Abstract This document represents an assessment of the archaeological resources in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It is based on the records of sites officially recorded with the Depart- ment of Historic Resources before the end of July, 2006. In addition, information from 17 archaeological sites identified through limited survey conducted by WMCAR staff aug- mented the database of known sites and informed the definitions of archaeological sensitivity. The intent of the assessment is to provide managers of archaeological sites, especially at the local level, with a handy reference describing the nature of the current sample, identifying sensitive areas of archaeological potential, and providing recom- mendations for taking archaeological sites into account during the planning process. Spotsylvania County contains numerous archaeological resources of regional and na- tional significance, especially those relating to the period of early European settlement, the industrial heritage of the county, and the Civil War. Acknowledgments Projects of this scope are completed only with the contributions of many people. All that aided this effort deserve some credit and as many as possible deserve mention. Staff of the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research played various roles and pro- vided all manner of support. Eric Agin manipulated the data through various GIS analyses and produced the final graphics, David Lewes transformed a rough file into a present- able report, and Courtney Birkett assisted with data compilation and editing. We are especially appreciative of guidance and assistance provided by Department of Historic Resources personnel, particularly Bob Jolley, Quatro Hubbard, and Lyndsay Graham. Spotsylvania County personnel provided considerable logistical support and useful con- ceptual guidance. Foremost among them are Wanda Parrish and Andrew Deci in the Development Services Division of the Planning Department, and Jennifer Calamos with the Department of Information Services. Carroll Hayden provided important informa- tion on the archaeological resources present in the eastern portion of the County, and served as a liaison and guide. A number of local landowners generously granted the WMCAR staff permission to enter their properties during the limited fieldwork phase of the project; in particular we would like to thank the Smiths, Pappases, Daminskis, Mr. Kirklighter, Mr. Orndorf, Ms. Blankenbaker, and the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The cooperation we received from various organizations holding collections and records of Spotsylvania archaeological sites was unfailing. ii Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................ii Figures ............................................................................................................................. iv Tables ............................................................................................................................... iv 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................1 Methods .......................................................................................................................2 User’s Guide ................................................................................................................4 2 Background Contexts ....................................................................................................7 Introduction ................................................................................................................7 Prehistoric Context ....................................................................................................7 Historical Context ................................................................................................... 13 3 Compilation, Assessment, and Update of Known Resources ............................ 25 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 25 Description of Known Resources ........................................................................ 25 Assessment of Known Resources ........................................................................ 46 4 Identification of Sensitive Areas ............................................................................... 53 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 53 Defining Sensitivity Areas ..................................................................................... 54 Application of the Sensitivity Definitions .......................................................... 56 5 Management Recommendations and Guidelines ................................................. 59 Summary of Priority Ranking and Eligibility Determinations ....................... 59 Summary of Sensitive Areas ................................................................................. 60 Management and Planning Recommendations................................................ 61 Bibliography of Known Sources ............................................................................... 65 Appendix A: Glossary of Archaeological Terms Appendix B: Directory of Collections/Archive Repositories Appendix C: Explanation of Data Records and Inventory of Known Resources iii Figures 1 Historic map of Spotsylvania County, 1820 .......................................................... 18 2 Portion of Civil War–era map showing Spotsylvania County, 1863 ................ 21 3 Historic map of Spotsylvania County, 186–........................................................... 22 4 Distribution of archaeological sites (n=416) and large survey tracts ................ 26 5 Distribution of archaeological sites by voting district .......................................... 29 6 Distribution of archaeological sites by zoning ....................................................... 32 7 Distribution of archaeological sites according to the Comprehensive Plan..... 34 8 Distribution of archaeological sites by drainage ................................................... 36 9 Distribution of archaeological sites by soil association ........................................ 38 10 Distribution of mining sites ....................................................................................... 40 11 Distribution of sites with known (a) historic and (b) prehistoric archaeological components .................................................. 42 12 Frequency of prehistoric and historic components by era .................................. 44 13 Archaeological sites listed as eligible or potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register ......... 48 14 General extent of high-, moderate-, and low-sensitivity areas ........................... 56 15 Example of sensitivity areas in a representative area of Spotsylvania County ........................................................ 58 Tables 1 Summary of prehistoric contexts ................................................................................8 2 Comparison of selected county/city site samples ................................................. 27 3 Archaeological components by voting district ...................................................... 30 4 Archaeological components according to zoning................................................. 33 5 Archaeological components according to the Comprehensive Plan................. 35 6 Archaeological sites according to drainage ........................................................... 37 7 Archaeological sites by soil associations ................................................................. 39 8 Archaeological components by time periods ......................................................... 44 9 Prehistoric components by type (function) ............................................................ 45 10 Historic components by type (function) ................................................................. 45 11 Archaeological sites potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register .......................... 47 12 Prioritized ranking for archaeological sites in Spotsylvania