high in the blue ridge
DESCRIPTION
Archaeology at Catoctin Mountain Park, focus on historic settlement. Presented at Society for Historic Archaeology Conference (2012)TRANSCRIPT
High in the Blue Ridge
Archaeology and the Historic Landscape at Catoctin Mountain Park
Conducted by:The Louis Berger Group, Inc.
Gregory Katz, RPA
Study conducted for:National Park Service,
National Capital Region
Catoctin SAIP Study
• Survey of 2,700 acres out of 6,000 (45% of park)
• Identified 119 new sites
• Phase II evaluation of 9 sites
Appalachians
CatoctinGreat Valley
Potomac R.
Rugged Landscape Abundance of rocks,
trees, and streams
Shortage of flat, tillable land, and open pasture
Big influence on area’s history
Living on the Mountain Small farms
Lumber industry
Support trades (e.g. blacksmithing, shopkeeping)
Tourism
Moonshining
Rocks: the Native Landscape
Rocks: Thin Soils Variable
across park, but generally quite thin and stony
Not well-suited for most forms of agriculture
Streams Two large
streams: Owens Creek and Hunting Creek
Good mill seats
Forest Composition is mostly oak Eastern part of park was chestnut prior to the
blight Used for timber and for fuel - charcoal
Catoctin Furnace 2 miles from park Burned local charcoal Employed
teams of colliers
Catoctin Mountain provided wood
Operated ca. 1775-1903
Life on the Mountain: Farmsteads Small with diverse production
Strong “Dutch” influence (Palatinate/German and Swiss descent)
Income from produce and timber products
Participated in a very local economy
18th & Early 19th Century Farms Crops were grains and vegetables
Small plots
Parcels vary greatly in size
Active farmland was 4-5 acres per farm
Small Farms ca. 1810
18th & Early 19th Century Farms Log and stone
houses
Some sheds, root cellars, and small barns
Often banked- dug into a hillside
Ike Smith Farm ca. 1937 (CATO tract file 93)
Mid-to-Late 19th Century Farms More livestock and pasture land
Corn, grains, and orchard fruit
Active farmland grew to 35 acres per farm, on average
Farms ca. 1913
Stone Field Walls Unplanned and
gradually accumulated
Found along field edges and property lines
Terrace Garden Site
Terrace Garden Site: History Possibly part of 1773 patent, iron prospecting
Owners mostly of German descent; farmers Creager family (1796-1830s) Series of owners (1830s-1870) Wilhide family (1870-1937)
Terrace Garden
The Farm at Acquisition (1937)
CATO tract file 111
Wooded
Crops
PastureHouse
Terrace Garden
The Farm at Acquisition (1937)
Wilhide Farm ca. 1937 (CATO tract file 111)
Terrace Garden: Redwares
Sawmill House Site
Sawmill House Site: History Patented in 1797
Probably settled ca. 1800 by Ignatius Brown
Browns were farmers and possibly millers
Sawmill operated until the late 1890s
Sawmill House Site
Schatzer Farm ca. 1937 (CATO tract file 109)
The Farm at Acquisition (1937)
Sawmill House Site: Ceramics
Horse Trail Oasis Site
Horse Trail Oasis
Horse Trail Oasis Site: History Land was patented in 1782
House probably built ca. 1850 as a tenancy James, Joseph, and Isabella Prior; laborers
Owned by the Buhrmans from 1874-1915; farmers
House destroyed prior to 1911
Horse Trail Oasis: Sample Artifacts
Horse Trail Oasis: Tobacco Tags
Acknowledgements
•Stephen Potter, NPS-NCR•Mel Poole, Holly Rife, Jeremy Murphy, and Becky Loncosky, NPS-CATO•John Bedell, Charles LeeDecker, Lisa Kraus, and Jason Shellenhamer •Field crew: Jen Babiarz, Chelsea Borchini, Robin Kuprewicz, Jackie Maisano, Mary Patton, Tiffany Raszick, Emily Walter, and Brian Wenham
Late 19th & Early 20th Century Farms Frame houses, often with stone
foundations
Larger barns and sheds
Charles Brown Farm ca. 1937 (CATO tract file 92)