EPA WORK ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 028-2L16 EPA CONTRACT NUMBER: 68-W8-0110 EBASCO SERVICES INCORPORATED 5" ^ & 3 3 DRAFT STAGE 1A CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OLEAN WELLFIELD SITE OLEAN. NEW YORK JUNE 1992 NOT1CE The information in this document has been funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEAP) under ARCS H Contract No. 68-W8-0110 to Ebasco Services Incorporated (Ebasco). This document has been formally released by Ebasco to the USEPA. This document does not, however, represent the USEPA position or policy, and has not been formally released by USEPA. 201015 E1239.LYN EBASCO June 2, 1992 ARCSII-92-028-025 Mr. Thomas Taccone Remedial Project Manager U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 26 Federal Plaza 7th Floor, Room # 747 New York, New York 10278 SUBJECT: ARCSII PROGRAM - EPA CONTRACT NO. 68-W8-0110 OLEAN WELLFIELD SITE - WA. NO. 028-2L16 RESULTS OF STAGE 1A CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY AT THE OLEAN WELLFIELD SUPERFUND SITE Dear Mr. Taccone: Ebasco is pleased to submit the results of the Stage 1A Cultural Resources Survey for the Olean Wellfield site in Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at (201) 460-6434 or Mark Moese at (201) 460-5920. Very truly yours, Dev R. Sachdev, Ph.D., P.E. ARCSII Program Manager DRS:hm Enclosure > IKON\II-M\I I /).-..: 160 CH1BB A\ FNL f • LYNDHIRST. N I 301016 EPA WORK ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 028-2L16 EPA CONTRACT NUMBER: 68-W8-0110 EBASCO SERVICES INCORPORATED DRAFT STAGE 1A CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OLEAN WELLFIELD SITE OLEAN, NEW YORK JUNE 1992 PREPARED BY: REVIEWED BY: Mark D. Moese Ph.D. Ming Kuo Ph.D., P.E. Site Manager Technical Support Manager Region II Ebasco Services Incorporated Ebasco Services Incorporated APPROVED BY: Dev R. Sachdev, Ph.D., P.E. ARCO H - Program Manager Ebasco Services Incorporated E12391.YN 301017 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC CONTEXT 1 2.1 Prehistory 1 2.2 Historic Period 4 2.3 Previously Recorded Sites 9 2.4 Previous Archeological Investigations 14 3.0 WALK-OVER RECONNAISSANCE AND SITE VISIT 15 4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 31 5.0 REFERENCES 34 Appendix I: Soil Borings E1239.LYN 301018 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE FIGURE 1: Project location and soil boring locations 2 FIGURE 2: U.S.G.S. Topographic Quadrangle, 1898 8 FIGURE 3: Geils' Map of Olean, 1856 10 FIGURE 4: Town of Olean, from Beers' Atlas, 1869 11 FIGURE 5: U.S.G.S. Topographic Quadrangle, 1938 12 FIGURE 6: U.S.G.S. Topographic Quadrangle, 1961 13 E1239.LYN 301019 LIST OF PLATES PLATE PLATE 1: Plan of culvert on Genesee Valley Canal, showing cross section of canal, west of project area 6 PLATE 2: 1872 map of section of Genesee Valley Canal, west of project area 7 PLATE 3: Alcas Cutlery, front of building, viewed from E. State St. 16 PLATE 4: Alcas Cutlery, rear of building; canal/berm abuts fence 16 PLATE 5: Clean Tile Company, 1913 section of building, on E. State St. 18 PLATE 6: Olean Tile Company, rear of building; river to left of photo 18 PLATE 7: Map showing Olean Tile Company buildings, ca. 1917-1918; note sanitary sewer line and old railroad tracks/canal ROW 19 PLATE 8: Olean Clean All, rear view from old railroad berm/canal ROW 20 PLATE 9: Olean Clean All, old railroad berm/canal ROW 20 PLATE 10: Olean Clean All, area behind building; note manhole adjacent to old railroad berm/canal 21 PLATE 11: Mastel Ford Lincoln Mercury, front of building viewed from E. State St. 21 PLATE 12: Mastel Ford, area behind building 22 PLATE 13: Campbell (Griffin) Oil, viewed from E. State St.22 PLATE 14: Sandburg Oil, view of area behind buildings 24 PLATE 15: Sandburg Oil, area behind buildings; view eastward along old railroad berm/canal 24 PLATE 16: Plowed field, south of Sandburg Oil 25 PLATE 17: Residential area 25 E1239.LYN 111 301020 LIST OF PLATES (Cont'd) PLATE PAGE PLATE 18: View of railroad berm near residential area. 26 PLATE 19: Olean Wholesale Grocery Co-op, front of building, viewed from Haskell Road 26 PLATE 20: Olean Steel 28 PLATE 21: Olean Steel 28 PLATE 22: McGraw Edison, view facing east from Dugan Road; lawn area 29 PLATE 23: McGraw Edison, view facing east from Dugan Road 29 PLATE 24: Private dump; note wetland with standing water, fill in foreground 30 PLATE 25: Private dump, note barrel lying in wetland area 30 PLATE 26: AVX, view facing south from Seneca Ave. 32 PLATE 27: Borrow pit; note large excavated area (view north toward river) 32 PLATE 28: Borrow pit, view toward south; note pond in background, concrete feature 33 PLATE 29: Borrow pit; close-up view of feature 33 E1239I.YN iV 301021 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Olean Superfund site lies south and southeast of East Olean, New York (Figure 1). The site actually comprises 13 separate areas, including factories, oil storage facilities, a private dump, a borrow pit and a residential area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is conducting a remedial investigation of contaminated soils and groundwater in these areas. To comply with provisions of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, USEPA is obligated to conduct a Stage 1A cultural resources survey. The aim of this study is to determine whether cultural resources (archeological sites or standing structures) which are listed or are potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and may be affected by remedial activities, exist in the project area. This study, performed by Ebasco cultural resource specialists in April, 1992, entailed: examination of historic maps and archival materials in the files of the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation, Historic Preservation Division (which functions as the New York State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO]), the New York State Museum (NYSM), the Cattaraugus County Historical Society in Little Valley, and the Assessor's and Engineer's Offices of the City of Olean; review of relevant literature and previous cultural resources surveys in the region; and on-site reconnaissance. These procedures are in accordance with guidelines in the CERCLA/SARA Environmental Review Manual (January 1988). 2.0 PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC CONTEXT 2.1 Prehistory The Olean site is located along the northern bank of the Allegheny River, east of East Olean. This location is near the northern edge of the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau; thus, the southern front of the Laurentian continental ice sheet lay a short distance away at the glacial maximum, ca. 18,000 BC (uncalibrated C14 years). As observed by Lantz (1984:211), "The upper Allegheny River Valley from Warren County up river to Olean, New York, is probably the most culturally prolific region in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania....The broken mountain country was not easily traversed by man, whereas, the river valley with its glacial outwash terraces, although not necessarily direct, was level and afforded a fairly dry passage. Thus, it funneled people through the valley corridor. Geographically, the 'Allegheny Corridor' is connected to far reaching stream valley systems. The Allegheny River valley and connecting valley systems provided favorable geological features for trail camps as well as for hunting and fishing stations". E1239.LYN 301022 is IIif* *• --~J •orness ~ '•Park ' PRIVATE DUMP» , • • JT'-^SM^yL **8*&&^: m^ •NAFFCT *OM> CAMPBELL OIL* AREA ALONO -*« Landing Strip '/• i& 30 I 1 I . AREAS EXAMINED DURING STAGE 1A CULTURAL ' —— ' V. I Ji. ,V.\ ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY e till C _ X . SOIL BORING (TENTATIVE LOCATIONS) 0 • PRP LEAD CLEAN SOURCE CONTROL RI/FS © > MONITORING WELL BORING (EW-SERIES) 3000 -PRP LEAD J ® . SOIL BORING TO BE PERFORMED BY EBASCO PROJECT LOCATION -. DURING ARCS N PROGRAM KILOMETER < MONITORING WELL BORING TO BE PERFORMED BY EBASCO DURING ARCS II PROGRAM ERVSGO Cattaraugus County yielded numerous prehistoric finds to 19th century collectors, but few sites have been rigorously excavated in recent times. Parker (1922) lists six principal archeological centers in the county; one of these is "the Allegheny valley from Vandalia running through Olean to Carroll on the east". The earliest known human inhabitants of the region were the Paleo-Indians, who probably arrived about 9500 BC (calibrated date, ca. 11,500 BC). Their most characteristic implements were fluted points. As elsewhere, Paleo-Indian material is scarce; in nearby western Pennsylvania, there is only one site per 186 km2 (Lantz 1984:218). Ritchie (1965:4) mapped three fluted point finds in Cattaraugus County; the one well-defined locality on his map is between Elkdale and Great Valley. Lantz (1984:211,224) reports another 16 fluted point loci along the Allegheny, southwest of Salamanca. Curiously, no Paleo-Indian material is reported from McKean County, Pennsylvania, nor from eastern Cattaraugus County. Paleo-Indians may have traversed the Allegheny River Valley en route to mine outcrops of Onondaga chert in western New York. Few Early (8000-6000) or Middle (6000-4000) Archaic artifacts or sites are known in western New York. Population seems to have increased throughout the region during the Late Archaic (4000-1700 BC). Parker (1922) noted the presence of sites in Cattaraugus County with "implements similar to those termed Eskimoan"; this presumably refers to Laurentian Late Archaic assemblages. Ritchie (1965:42) mapped a concentration at the western edge of the county of beveled adzes, characteristic of the Lamoka phase (ca. 2500-2000 BC). Parker also mentioned an occupation of the region that "yields large notched flints and soapstone fragments"; this would be termed today a Frost Island or Susquehanna tradition occupation, dating from the Terminal Archaic or Transitional period (1700-1000 BC, uncalibrated).