Phase I Report of Archaeological Investigations of the State
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Phase I report of archaeological investigations of the State University of New York College at Oneonta Upland Field Station Renovation Project, Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York. National Science Foundation Grant NSF 09-562. Prepared For: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Peebles Island Resource Center P.O. Box 189 Waterford, NY 12188 Prepared By: Renee B. Walker, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Anthropology SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY Management Summary (Appendix A) SHPO Project Review Number (if available): Not available Involved State and Federal Agencies: State University of New York College at Oneonta Phase of Survey: IA and IB Location Information Location: Cooperstown, NY County: Otsego Survey Area (Metric & English) Length: 24 meters (78.74 feet) Width: 10 meters (32.80 feet) Number of Acres Surveyed: .059 acres USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map: Cooperstown Archaeological Survey Overview Number & Interval of Shovel Tests: 18 shovel test pits (intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 7.5 meters) Number & Size of Units: 18 shovel test pits, 30 centimeters in diameter Results of Archaeological Survey Number & name of prehistoric sites identified: None Number & name of historic sites identified: None Number & name of sites recommended for Phase II/Avoidance: None Results of Architectural Survey Number of buildings/structures/cemeteries within project area: One Number of buildings/structures/cemeteries adjacent to project area: None Number of previously determined NR listed or eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: None Number of identified eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: None Report Author(s): Renee B. Walker Date of Report: June 10, 2010 Phase IA Literature Search and Sensitivity Assessment I. Introduction Project Description An archaeological investigation of the State University of New York College at Oneonta (SUNY Oneonta) Upland Field Station (also known as Moe Pond) was conducted to determine if any archaeological resources would be impacted by the renovation of the existing laboratory building. This property is located in Otsego County, NY near Cooperstown (Figure 1). The building is currently located in the area of a structure destroyed in the 1930s. The existing building was constructed in 1968 after the state acquired the property in 1967, and this building will be part of the new construction (Figure 2). The current laboratory is being renovated under a National Science Foundation grant (NSF 09-562, Figures 3A & 3B). Area of Potential Effect (APE) The Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the project is the proposed renovation of a current building, which is a 5 m wide by 11m (16 by 36 ft) long structure. The APE is an area approximately six meters to the north of the existing building, two meters to the east, three meters to the south and two meters to the west. The existing building is going to be moved approximately six meters to the north and a new structure (attached to the existing building) is going to be built to the south (see Appendix F for existing structure and approximate APE). Site Walkover An initial walkover of the property conducted in May revealed significant ground cover, but an older “foundation” could be viewed under and adjacent to the existing structure. A gravel area south of the existing building was visible through the grass and covered an area about 3 meters north-south by 5 meters east-west. II. Phase IA Background Research Past and Present Land Uses The property under investigation is located about two miles from downtown Cooperstown in the uplands above Lake Otsego. The property was farmed during the Late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. It was acquired by George Crogan in 1769 after the signing of a treaty between “Indians” and “Whites” that set a boundary line for areas of the northeast (O’Callagan 1849, Figure 4). Following the Revolutionary War, the land that later became Cooperstown was purchased by Judge William Cooper in 1785 (called the “Cooper Patent” or the “Ballston Purchase, Figure 5) and established as a village in 1786 (W. Cooper n.d., J.F. Cooper 1976;). William Cooper was the father of James Fenimore Cooper, the famous author who, in addition to writing his well known novels, also chronicled life in early Cooperstown (eg. J.F. Cooper 1921). In 1868, Cooper sold the property to William H. Averell (Beers 1868, Figure 6). This was later sold to James J. Byard, Jr. in 1903. Byard owned several properties in the area and called this farm “Luludale” for his wife, Lulu. During the time that Byard owned the property it was listed in the 1903 atlas as a profitable farm in the area, specializing in dairy and hops production (Barthel 1903, Figure 7). The Clark family acquired the property in 1933 at which time it is believed (Harman, personal communication, 2010) that the structure was torn down (Figure 8). A dam was built in 1934 that created what is currently known as Moe Pond. In 1967, the Clark Family Foundation gave the land as a gift to the State University of New York College at Oneonta. Since being acquired by SUNY Oneonta, the site has served as a research station for biological faculty and students working on a variety of projects. Environmental Setting According to the USDA soils map, the project area is within the Mardin channery silt loam, 8 to 15 percent slopes, found in landforms of Drumlinoid ridges, hills, and till plains. The depth to restrictive feature is between 15-66 centimeters (6-26 in) to fragipan and the soils are moderately well drained (Appendix A). The USDA soils map is included in Appendix B. The expectation for depth of the cultural deposits is that deposits will probably not exceed 66 centimeters (25 in). There is little potential for deeply buried soils from colluvial, alluvial or other activity. Site File Search A check of the site files within a 1 mile radius around the project location lists a single site (NYSM#5502). The file records describe the site as a camp, but no other specific information is available (Appendix C). The site is presumably prehistoric, but no time period was specified. This site is located approximately 1 mile southeast of the project area and west of Blackbird Bay on Otsego Lake. The potential for prehistoric sites in the area is minimal. There is only one indeterminate camp site in a one mile radius of the area. Also, the project area is small, thus limiting the possibility of discovering an ephemeral upland camp. The potential for discovering an historic site is more substantial, given that the site had a structure dating to the late 19th through the earliest 20th centuries. There may be features or architecture associated with this structure located in the project area. Thus, under the National Park Service guidelines for determining significance of the site, it falls under category D: "has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history" (Little, et al. 2000:28). Disturbance Disturbance of the site area occurred in the early 20th century when the original structure was taken down and moved. Following this, the site was presumably abandoned until 1968 when the current structure was built. The current structure was built on pylons on top of the earlier “foundation” (Photograph 1). There was also some grading of an adjacent area and a layer of gravel for a parking area (Photograph 2). III. Testing Recommendations It is recommended that shovel test pits (STPs) be excavated in the project area, around the historic “foundation” and current structure. Current NYSAA guidelines recommend an interval of 7.5 meters (295 in), with a radial interval of 1 meter if any cultural materials are recovered from the STPs. Phase IB Survey I. Site Location and Conditions-Archaeological Site Description The project area is located in the uplands above Lake Otsego, outside of Cooperstown, NY. Historic records indicate that a farmhouse was located in the project boundary prior to destruction of the structure in the early 20th century and the building of the current structure in the mid-20th century. Field Conditions Testing of the project area was conducted from June 2 to June 7, 2010. Conditions were warm and dry, ground visibility was extremely low due to tall grass and weeds in the area. The crew consisted of one person, the author of this report. II. Field Methods and Procedures The methodology of testing was to clear the area of vegetation and lay out a grid around the current laboratory building that would test all areas to be impacted by the proposed project. To this end, meter tapes were used to lay out four transects around the perimeter of the current structure and within the area of potential impact. Due to the layout of the current structure and the project area, initial STPs were laid out in either 5 or 7.5 meter (16-24 ft) intervals. When positive shovel test pits were encountered, additional STPs within 1 meter (3.3 ft) were also excavated. In addition, four STPs were placed within one meter of a limestone wall that is visible to the east of the existing building. III. Results of Phase IB Survey In order to investigate whether any prehistoric or historic material would be impacted by the rehabilitation of the current structure, a total of 18 shovel test pits were excavated in the project area (see Appendices D, E, and F; Photographs 1-6). These STPs were excavated in a perimeter around the existing building (Appendix F). The STPs were spaced between 5 and 7.5 meters (16-24 ft) apart. Of these initial STPs, five were positive (STP #1, #8, #9, #11, and #13, photographs 7-10).