Final Report on the 1990, 1991, and 1994 Excavations At
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J. Patterson Park & Museum Library Final Report on the • 1990,1991, and 1994 Excavations at the Hughes Site (18MO1) Excavations Conducted by the American University Potomac River Archaeology Survey Washington, D.C. under Antiquity Permits issued by the Maryland Historical Trust Office of Archaeology Report by Christine A. Jirikowic, Ph.D. November 1999 Richard J. Dent / American University Department of Anthropology Principal Investigator J. Patterson Park & Museum Library Final Report on the - 1990, 1991, and 1994 Excavations at the Hughes Site (18MO1) Excavations Conducted by the American University Potomac River Archaeology Survey Washington, D.C. under Antiquity Permits issued by the Maryland Historical Trust Office of Archaeology Report by Christine A. Jirikowic, Ph.D. November 1999 Richard J. Dent American University Department of Anthropology Principal Investigator TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword vi I. Introduction 1 n. The Potomac Piedmont and Hughes Site Environs 3 m. Paleoecology 8 IV. Culture History of the Project Area 12 The Paleoindian Period 12 The Archaic Period 14 The Early Woodland Period 18 The Middle Woodland 22 The Late Woodland 24 V. Excavations at the Hughes Site 36 Yinger's Excavations at the Hughes Site 37 The AU Excavations: 1990, 1991, and 1994 Field Seasons 46 VI. The Hughes Site: The Archaeological Data 52 The Structure of the Hughes Site 52 Artifacts from the Hughes Site 81 Subsistence Remains 102 Human Burials 103 Radiocarbon Dates 119 VII. Discussion: The Village Community at the Hughes Site. 121 The Hughes Site Setting 121 The Village Community at the Hughes Site 125 11 Site Abandonment 142 Bibliography . 144 Appendices Appendix I: Northwest corner location of excavation units , 157 Appendix II: Artifact Contents of 1990 Test Trench 160 Appendix HI: Results of East-West STPs 162 Appendix IV: Fire-Cracked Rock by Excavation Unit and by Feature 164 Appendix V: Feature Center Point Locations 169 Appendix VI: Postmold Dimensions and Locations 172 Appendix VII: Lithic Artifacts 180 Appendix VIII: Lithic Biface Dimensions 213 Appendix DC: Ceramic Artifacts 230 Appendix X: Synopses of Yinger's Burial Notes 257 Appendix XI: Radiocarbon Assay Reports.......:............................. .....273 Appendix XII: Antiquity Permits 276 Ill LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Location of the Hughes site 4 Figure 2: Potomac River cross-sections 5 Figure 3: Site location 6 Figure 4: Late Woodland village sites in the Potomac Piedmont 29 Figure 5: Keyser complex and related sites 34 Figure 6: Early map of the Hughes site 41 Figure 7: Stearns' 1938 map of the Hughes site 42 Figure 8: Yinger's 1938 map of the Hughes site 43 Figure 9: Modern field configuration 47 Figure 10: Excavation unit designations 49 Figure 11: The AU excavation units and trenches 51 Figure 12: Results of East-West STPs 54 Figure 13: Probable location of the Hughes site in relation to modern land features 55 Figure 14: Contour Map of Quartz Flake Density 58 Figure 15: Contour Map of Shell-Tempered Sherd Density 59 Figure 16: Contour Map of Fire-Cracked Rock Density 60 Figure 17: 1990 Test Trench Artifact Counts 61 Figure 18: Features in Area A 63 Figure 19: Features in Area B 64 Figure 20: Features in Area C 65 Figure 21: Features in Area D 66 Figure 22: Histogram of small basin diameters 72 Figure 23: Postmolds in Area A 77 Figure 24: Postmolds in Area B 78 Figure 25: Postmolds in Area C 79 Figure 26: Postmolds in Area D • 80 Figure 27: Projectile points • 88 Figure 28: Preforms 90 Figure 29: Wedges 91 Figure 30: Miscellaneous lithic items 93 Figure 31: Examples of shell-tempered rim sherds 99 Figure 32: Ceramic lug handles 100 Figure 33: Locations of burial clusters •• 106 Figure 34: Schematic drawing of Burial Cluster A 113 Figure 35: Schematic drawing of Burial Cluster B 114 Figure 36: Schematic drawing of Burial Clusters C andD 115 Figure 37: Radiocarbon dates from the Hughes site 120 Figure 38: Radiocarbon dates from the Hughes site showing two sigma overlap 123 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Radiocarbon Dates for Late Woodland Sites in the Potomac Piedmont 30-31 Table 2: Radiocarbon Dates for Keyser Complex Sites 35 Table 3: Average Number of Quartz Flakes and Shell-Tempered Body Sherds Per Excavation Unit 56 Table 4: Feature Characteristics 67-70 Table 5: Contents of Features 7, 22, 45 & 53 74 Table 6: Iithic Materials by Debitage Type and Total Tool Counts 84 Table 7: Tool Type by Iithic Material 86 Table 8: Biface Type by Iithic Material 87 Table 9: Ceramic Sherds by Temper and Excavation Area 95 Table 10: Sex and Age of Burials by Cluster 107 Table 11: Comparison of Age at Death for the Hughes Site and Two Late Woodland Ossuaries 109 Table 12: Grave Types by Burial Cluster Ill Table 13: Burials with Associated Artifacts 116 Table 14: Population Estimates for the Hughes Site for Different Time Intervals and Two Mortality Rates 128 VI FOREWORD This report is the final report on the excavations^ at the Hughes site (18MO1) conducted by American University's Potomac River Archeology Survey (PRAS) from 1990 to 1994. Much of the text in this document is drawn from my doctoral dissertation (Jirikowic 1995) and, to a lesser extent, from the preliminary report on excavations at the site (Dent and Jirikowic 1990). Unlike previously published documents, however, this report includes the complete results of the 1994 field season and the complete catalog of artifacts recovered during all three seasons. It is hoped that the data presented in this report will serve as a valuable resource for future researchers. Christine Jirikowic 1999 I. INTRODUCTION This report offers a description and analysis of the excavations undertaken by the American University's Potomac River Archeology Survey (PRAS) at the Hughes site (18MO1) in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Hughes site is located within Maryland Archaeological Research Unit 12 in the Piedmont Province of the Potomac Drainage. The site lies on the north bank of the Potomac River within the southwestern portion of the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, administered by the Maryland Forest, Park and Wildlife Service of the Department of Natural Resources. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is situated between the site and the river. Archaeologists have been aware of the Hughes site since its discovery in 1937. Excavations at the Hughes site were undertaken by PRAS with the primary objective of understanding this important site and clarifying its place within regional prehistory. While the project was not directly rooted within the realm of Cultural Resources Management (CRM), we strongly believe that some controlled yet conservation-oriented pure research, such as this, is needed to further the goals of that endeavor. This activity, pure research, has virtually stopped in recent years within the Potomac Valley. Research like this will serve to enrich our understanding of regional prehistory and ultimately promote the prudent management and preservation of the archaeological record. The concept of significance, a guiding precept of CRM archaeology, is driven by our knowledge of the regional archaeological record. Excavations such as that undertaken at the Hughes site play an important role in increasing our understanding of regional prehistory thus furthering and redefining our notion of significance. PRAS conducted fieldwork at the Hughes site during the summers of 1990, 1991, and 1994. Most of the excavations at the site were executed by students enrolled in the Archaeological Field School of the American University, Department of Anthropology. The Department of Anthropology and Summer Sessions Program of American University provided all funding for this research. In 1994 the AU students were joined for ten days by members of the Archaeological Society of Maryland participating in their annual field session. Various volunteers also assisted in the project over the years. The authors, Jirikowic and Dent, served as Field Director and Principal Investigator respectively. Numerous AU students assisted in the processing and sorting of artifacts recovered from the site. The cataloging and analysis of recovered artifacts was conducted by Jirikowic. The faunal remains were analyzed by Elizabeth Moore (E. Moore 1994). In addition to reporting on the AU excavations, this report also includes the description and analysis of previously unpublished data recorded by Nicholas Yinger during his investigations of the site in 1937 and 1938. The most significant of these data concern the remains of the 73 individuals Yinger exhumed at the site. While much of Yinger's records of his excavations are of questionable value, his detailed notes on these burials make a real contribution to our understanding of Late Woodland village life in the Potomac Piedmont. Many people assisted us with this project and are due our heartfelt gratitude. We would first like to thank everyone who worked with us at the Hughes site during the 1990, 1991, and 1994 field seasons. These patient and hard-working folks include all of the American University Summer Field School students from those years, several volunteers, and all of the members of the Archaeological Society of Maryland who participated in the 1994 ASM Field Session. Our special thanks go to the ASM crew chiefs and those ASM members who helped to keep things running so smoothly during some very hectic days. We would also like to thank Tyler Bastian, Maureen Kavanagh, and Dennis Curry for their tremendous efforts during the ASM Field Session. Special thanks are also due to Cliff Horton and others at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and to David Weitzer, who had leased the fields, for their cooperation that made this project possible. Howard MacCord first suggested that we return to the Hughes site for further excavations. His continued support for this project is greatly appreciated. James" Lowry at the Burr Artz Library in Frederick, Maryland generously offered his cooperation and assistance with the Yinger documents curated there.