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Ten Thousand Years of Land Use at Fort Pond: A Portage Haven Phase III Data Recovery Excavations of the Payne Site Montauk, Township of East Hampton Suffolk County, New York Unique Site Number A10303.000810 December 2008 Prepared for: Biondo & Hammer LLP, Montauk, New York Timothy Hogan, Brooklyn, New York Alfred G. Cammisa, M.A./RPA Thomas Amorosi, PhD, Felicia Cammisa, Justine McKnight, M.A., Alexander Padilla 571 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY PR#: 03PR00845 Involved agencies: Town of East Hampton & NYDEC Phase: Phase III Data Recovery Location: Montauk Town of East Hampton Suffolk County Survey Area (Site size): Length of total site: 225ft (69m)north-south Width of total site: 125ft (38m) east-west. Acres of total site: .7 acre (.28 hectares) Site Nucleus (major activity area) Length: 60ft (18m) north-south Site Nucleus Width: 75ft (23) east-west Site Nucleus Acreage: .11 ac (.04h) APE: about 100ft by 80ft or .2 acre (mostly overlapping site nucleus) No. of sq. meters excavated: 28 (plus 7, 1m. sq. previous phase II TU’s) Percentage of site (nucleus) excavated: about 8% USGS: Montauk Point, NY Survey overview: ST no. & interval: na Size of freshly plowed area: na Surface survey transect interval: na No. & size of TU’s: 28, one meter square, TU’s Results: -13 FT’s (cooking pits, oven pits, middens, & hearths) -5 FT’s carbon dated with nut fragments at Late Archaic-Early Woodland (Transitional), Early Woodland, & Middle Woodland Periods -Paleoindian-like unfluted point, Neville Stemmed point, Abbott Zone Incised- like pipe bowl -heavy Mid-Late Woodland (Levannas & Windsor Brushed pottery)use -no cultural stratigraphy Results of Architectural Survey: No. Of buildings/structures/cemeteries in project area: none No. Of buildings/structures/cemeteries adjacent to project area: 1 No. Of previously determined NR listed or eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: none No. Of identified eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: none Authors: Alfred G. Cammisa, M.A./RPA Thomas Amorosi, PhD Felicia Cammisa, B.A. Justine McKnight, M.A. Alexander Padilla, B.A. Date of Report: Report completed December, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to offer thanks to Douglas Mackey of the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Doug’s opinions and assistance are always appreciated. Thanks also to the field and laboratory archaeologists who participated in this project. Their names are listed under Project Participants. We would also like to thank our clients, Andy Hammer of Biondo & Hammer, LLP and the property owner, Tim Hogan for their cooperation, assistance, and patience. We would like to offer a thank you to those that helped to identify a couple of artifact anomalies, specifically, the Paleoindian-like broken point and the smoking pipe bowl fragment with the checkerboard design. Special thanks to Jonathon Lothrop, PhD, RPA of the New York State Museum for his assistance with the Paleo-like point. Thanks also to Edward Curtin, PhD, of Curtin Archaeological Consulting, Inc. Special thanks to Paul Inashima, M.S. for information regarding the pipe bowl fragment design. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................... 1 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING.......................... 2-3 PREHISTORIC SETTING........................... 3-6 Paleoindian Period ............................ 3 Archaic Period ............................. 3-4 Transitional .............................. 4-5 Woodland Period............................. 5-6 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS .................. 7 Phase I Work ............................... 7 Phase II Work............................... 7 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES............................ 8 FIELD METHODS.............................. 8-9 FIELD RESULTS..............................9-11 Stratigraphy ..............................9-10 Excavation Units .............................10 Features ............................... 10-11 LABORATORY METHODS .......................... 11-14 Processing .............................. 11-12 Lithic Analysis..............................12 Prehistoric Pottery Analysis .......................12 Soil Flotation & Floral Analysis ................... 12-14 Faunal Analysis..............................14 LABORATORY RESULTS .......................... 15-28 Lithic Analysis............................ 15-18 Location of Artifacts......................... 18-23 Prehistoric Pottery Analysis ..................... 23-24 Pipes...................................24 Ecofacts .................................24 Floral Analysis............................ 25-26 Faunal Analysis............................ 26-27 Radiocarbon Results............................28 CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS ....................... 28-41 Introduction ............................. 28-30 Soils & Stratigraphy ......................... 30-31 Paleoindian Period ............................31 Middle Archaic Period...........................31 Late Archaic & Transitional Periods.................. 32-35 Early Woodland Period......................... 35-36 Middle Woodland Period ........................ 36-37 Middle to Late Woodland Periods.................... 37-41 CONCLUSIONS................................41 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................. 42-47 APPENDIX 1: Figures and Photographs APPENDIX 2: Test Units APPENDIX 3: Inventory APPENDIX 4: Glossary APPENDIX 5: Faunal Tables APPENDIX 6: Flotation Table 3 APPENDIX 7: Carbon Dating Tables/Charts APPENDIX 8: NY State Form APPENDIX 9: Illustrations of Paleoindian broken point, Abbott Zone-Incised pipe bowl, & Windsor Brushed pot sherd LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 Portion of the Montauk Point, NY USGS. FIGURE 2 Phase I and II Shovel Tests and Test Units (Cammisa 2003). FIGURE 3 Portion of the County Soil Survey. FIGURE 4: Subsurface contours of Fort Pond. FIGURE 5: Phase III excavation units. FIGURE 6: Feature locations. FIGURE 7: Artifact distributions and densities by feature. FIGURE 8: Artifact distribution and densities by test unit. FIGURE 9: Dates for features based on diagnostic artifacts and/or carbon dates. FIGURE 10: Profile of FT’s 1 (hearths) and 10 (midden). FIGURE 11: Profile and plan of FT 6 (hearth). FIGURE 12: Profile and plan of FT 7 (cooking pit). FIGURE 13: Profile and plan of FT 13 (oven). FIGURE 14: Diagnostic artifact distribution for Middle to Late Woodland. FIGURE 15 Diagnostic artifacts from the Early Woodland Period. FIGURE 16: Diagnostic artifact distribution of Late Archaic and Transitional Periods. FIGURE 17: Diagnostic artifact distribution for earliest inhabitants (Paleoindian-like point and Middle Archaic Neville Stemmed point). LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTO 1 Looking south at work in progress. PHOTO 2 Features 1, 2 , and 3 - Hearth(s), Midden, & Hearth. PHOTO 3 Features 4 and 5 - Hearth & Pit. PHOTO 4 FT’s 6, 7, 8, 9, & 11 - 2 Hearths, 2 Pits, & 1 Midden. PHOTO 5 Feature 12 - Oven: plan & profile shot. PHOTO 6 Feature 10 - Midden, plan shot (top) & profile shot (bottom). PHOTO 7 Feature 7 - Pit bottom of FT. PHOTO 8 Feature 13- Oven: plan & profile shot. PHOTO 9 Paleoindian-like point from TU 3. PHOTO 10 Neville stemmed point from TU 14. PHOTO 11 Pipe bowl fragments from TU's 6 & 13 (compare to Abbott Farm pipe bowl design - inset). PHOTO 12 Netsinker from TU 20. PHOTO 13 Spear-like Vosburg point from TU 4. PHOTO 14 Wading River, Rossville, & Levanna points from TU 5. PHOTO 15 Levanna point from TU 21. PHOTO 16 Typical Clearview Stamped (rocker stamping) pottery. PHOTO 17 Other pottery types: North Beach Brushed-like, Sebonac Stamped- like, Windsor Brushed, Matinecock Stamped-like. INTRODUCTION Between November 7 and 25, 2007, TRACKER-Archaeology Services, Inc. conducted a Phase III data recovery of the Payne Site, located in Montauk, New York. This project was originally generated by the town under SEQRA in 2002. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation will also be an involved agency. A prehistoric site was encountered in 2002 (Cammisa et al 2002A). The ensuing Phase II was completed in 2003 (Cammisa et al 2003A). At the opinion of TRACKER- Archaeology Services and the New York State Historic Preservation Office, a Phase III data recovery was requested and conducted during the fall of 2007. The purpose of a Phase III data recovery is to gather the maximum amount of information available on site given a reasonable amount of effort and expense. The data recovery would hopefully contribute to the growing body of historical information and answer specific research questions of local and regional interest. Much of the information would conceivably substantiate existing concepts and also hopefully break new ground. Research institutions utilized during the course of these investigations included the New York State Historic Preservation Office and the library at TRACKER- Archaeology Services. The Payne Site was situated on an approximate 1 acre parcel along South Edgemere Street. It is bounded on the west by Fort Pond, on the east by South Edgemere Street, and on the north and south by private properties. However, the current (2007) project area (APE) is restricted largely to the proposed building envelope. The study was conducted by TRACKER-Archaeology Services, Inc. of Monroe, New York for the Biondo & Hammer of Montauk, New York, and the owner Timothy Hogan of Brooklyn, New York. PROJECT PARTICIPANTS Principal Investigator Alfred G. Cammisa, M.A., R.P.A. Field Director Alexander Padilla, B.A. Crew Chief Jean Cascardi, B.A. Field Technicians Michael Barrett, B.A. Kelly Foxworthy, B.A. Kristin Swanton, B.A. Data Analyses/Co-Authors/Other