ARCHEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW AND ASSESSMENT BLOW-ME-DOWN FARM SAINT-GAUDENS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE CORNISH, NEW HAMPSHIRE FINAL Prepared for: National Park Service Northeast Regional Archeology Program 115 John Street Lowell, MA 01852 Prepared by: James Lee, M.A., Principal Investigator Eryn Boyce, M.A., Historian JULY 2017 This page intentionally left blank. This page intentionally left blank. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY The following technical report describes and interprets the results of an archeological overview and assessment carried out at Blow-Me-Down Farm, part of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in the Town of Cornish, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. The primary goals of this AOA were to: review existing archeological data; generate new archeological data through shovel testing and background research; catalog and assess known and potential archeological resources on this property; and make recommendations concerning the need and design of future studies (National Park Service 1997:25). The Blow-Me-Down Farm occupies a 42.6-acre parcel located between the Connecticut River to the west, New Hampshire Route 12A to the east and Blow-Me-Down Brook to the south. The property, which has a history extending back into the 18th century, served in the late 19th century as the summer home of Charles Beaman, a significant figure in the development of the Cornish Art Colony. The farm was purchased by the National Park Service in 2010 as a complementary property to the adjacent Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing element of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Historic District in 2013. The background research conducted in connection with this investigation has focused the work done in the past and a comprehensive history of the property is presented. Archaeological testing was conducted of known his- toric resources on the property and several new historic period resources were identified. However, these inves- tigations did not identify any evidence of precontact-period archaeology, despite the property being considered to have significant precontact archaeological potential. Assessments are presented for all of the resources iden- tify as well as recommendations for the conservation and management of these resources. Avenues for future archaeological research at Blow-Me-Down Farm are also offered. i This page intentionally left blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS page Management Summary ......................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................................... v List of Photographs ............................................................................................................................................vii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................... xi 1. Introduction A. Project Description and Scope-of-Work ..............................................................................................1-1 B. Previous Research and Principal Sources of Information ...................................................................1-1 2. Natural Environment ...................................................................................................................................2-1 3. Cultural History A. Pre-Contact Background ......................................................................................................................3-1 B. Historical Background .........................................................................................................................3-4 4. Previous Archeological Research ................................................................................................................4-1 5. Documented Disturbances A. Prehistoric Period .................................................................................................................................5-1 B. Pre-Beaman Period (Before 1882) .......................................................................................................5-1 C. Beaman Period (1882-1950) ................................................................................................................5-1 6. Results of Archeological Field Investigations A. Field Methods ......................................................................................................................................6-1 B. Survey Results ......................................................................................................................................6-1 7. Known and Potential Archeological Resources A. Pre-Contact Archeological Resources .................................................................................................7-1 B. Historic Archeological Resources ........................................................................................................7-1 8. Recommendations ......................................................................................................................................8-1 9. Updates to the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Archeological Overview and Assessment .................................................................................................................................................9-1 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) page References ........................................................................................................................................................ R-1 Appendices A. Coordinates of Shovel Tests ...............................................................................................................A-1 B. Summary of Subsurface Testing ......................................................................................................... B-1 C. Artifact Inventory ................................................................................................................................ C-1 D. Updated NPS Archeological Sites Management Information Systems (ASMIS) Database Forms ..D-1 E. New Hampshire Archeological Site Registration Forms .................................................................... E-1 iv LIST OF FIGURES page 1.1. Detailed Location of the Blow-Me-Down Farm .....................................................................................1-2 1.2. Plan of Blow-Me-Down Farm ................................................................................................................1-3 1.3. Site Plan of Blow-Me-Down Farm, 2012 ...............................................................................................1-4 2.1. USGS Topographic Map of the Vicinity of Blow-Me-Down Farm .......................................................2-2 2.2. Soils Map of the Blow-Me-Down Farm Property ..................................................................................2-4 3.1. Plan of the Town of Cornish, 1894 (1764) .............................................................................................3-5 3.2. Chase, Plan of the Grant of Moses Chase, 1894 (1772) .........................................................................3-8 3.3. Holland et al., A Topographical Map of the Province of New Hampshire, 1784 ..................................3-9 3.4. Cady, Plan of the Allotment of the Township of Cornish, 1803 ...........................................................3-11 3.5. Chapman et al., Plan of the Town of Cornish, 1805 .............................................................................3-12 3.6. Carrigain, New Hampshire, 1816 .........................................................................................................3-13 3.7. Walling, Topographical Map of the County of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1860 ................................3-17 3.8. Hurd & Co., Town and City Atlas of the State of New Hampshire, 1892 ...........................................3-25 3.9. Munroe et al., Claremont Quadrangle, U.S. Geological Survey, 1929 ................................................3-32 3.10. Dryfhout, Property of William E. Beaman, Blow-Me-Down, Cornish, New Hampshire, 1935 ........3-33 3.11. Aerial Photograph, 1956 .......................................................................................................................3-36 3.12. Sheaff, Town of Cornish, N.H., 1973 ...................................................................................................3-37 3.13. Dryfhout, Blowmedown Farm, Blow-Me-Down, Cornish, New Hampshire, 1935 ............................3-38 4.1. Archaeological Testing Map from Phase IB Archaeological Survey, 2013 ...........................................4-2 5.1. Survey of the Blow-Me-Down Property with Potential Disturbance Highlighted .................. opposite 5-2 6.1. Historic Aerial Photograph of Blow-Me-Down Farm, 1956, Overlaid with Insurance Survey Plan, 1835 ..................................................................................................................