Page 30 - Maryland Historical Trust - Archaeology Colonial MD

figure 13
Partially excavated palisade fence.
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impressing shallow lines in the soft clay using fossil shark teeth, and then filling the impressions with white clay to highlight them. Among the designs are geometric forms, animals, deer (more common), and fish. These pipes were traded to the colonists and tend to date to the ca. 1635–1675 time period. When Keeler mapped the distribu- tion of early large bore white clay pipes, he found them scattered around the main house and in a midden that had developed in the back yard. In contrast, the terra cotta pipes were concentrated around a building used as a servant’s quarter and kitchen, with lesser amounts around the main house (see distributions maps — figures 15 and 16). Hence, the spatial location of these two types of pipes told something not otherwise known – these were used by different social groups within the St. John’s household. Imported pipes seem to have been preferred by the residents of the main plantation house while the terra cotta pipes were more commonly smoked by servants and perhaps slaves. Such status-related usage could not be determined by studying the artifacts themselves. Subsequent research suggests that the frequency of terra cotta pipes on sites is a good measure of the level of interaction between the Piscataway people and English colonists.
Spatial analysis pioneered by Keeler point- ed to a major source of archaeological knowledge
that historical archaeologists were not system- atically collecting. Were there other possibilities with the plowed soil? For example, did the chem- ical composition of the soil show any differences due to human activities? This line of inquiry was facilitated by a visit from the then University of Maryland soil scientist John Foss. After discus- sions with Stone and Keeler, he recommended a sampling strategy for the soil and agreed to run their chemical analysis at his lab. The results displayed remarkable variation.
Concentrations of calcium, phosphate and potassium were seen clustering in different areas. Near the kitchen there was much calcium in the soil, probably due to an oyster shell dump and the deposition of lime water used to make hominy. Phosphate showed a massive clustering in the back yard, in the same area where many artifacts were recovered. This was a midden space and the very high values implied it was an area where not only trash, but human waste was routinely deposited. Low values were seen in other areas near doors and gates, implying walkways were maintained in a rel- atively clean condition. Despite two centuries of plowing, the signature of human activity remained in the soils of St. John’s, if the archaeologists were creative enough to find it.
Study of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts from St. John’s began in the mid-1970s.