an archaeological investigation of the geothermal h-vac trench and test pits at the peter wentz...

An Archaeological Investigation of the Geothermal H-VAC Trench and Test Pits at the Peter Wentz

Farmstead

PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Christina M. Sabol

8/16/2013

During the summer of 2013, the archaeological artifacts from the test pits (excavated summer 2011) and the trench (excavated spring/summer of 2012) were processed, cleaned, identified and catalogued. Archaeology fills in the gaps that diaries or general history cannot tell us. It also is one way to identify what a particular person owned. At the conclusion of this study, the staff of the Peter Wentz Farmstead hopes to have a better understanding the types of materials and objects that the three families owned.

Sabol | 1

16 August 2013 PWF Archaeology (H-VAC)

Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 1

Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Natural Environment .................................................................................................................................... 5

Cultural Setting ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Previous Archaeological Digs ........................................................................................................................ 5

Research Design ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Research Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 9

Site Description ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Field Methods for Test Pits ....................................................................................................................... 9

Field Methods for H-VAC Trench .............................................................................................................. 9

Laboratory Methods ................................................................................................................................. 9

Results for the Trench ................................................................................................................................... 9

Stratigraphy and Soils ............................................................................................................................... 9

Features .................................................................................................................................................. 10

Material Culture ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Flaked Stone ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Bone and Shell Artifacts ...................................................................................................................... 10

Historical Artifacts ............................................................................................................................... 10

Dating the Trench ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Results for the Test Pits .............................................................................................................................. 12

Features .................................................................................................................................................. 12

Material Culture ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Stone ................................................................................................................................................... 12

Bone and Shell Artifacts ...................................................................................................................... 12

Historic Artifacts.................................................................................................................................. 12

Dating the Test Pits ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 13

Sabol | 2


Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix A: Table of Trench Artifacts ........................................................................................................ 17

Appendix B: Table of Test Pit Artifacts ........................................................................................................ 22

Test Pit #1 ............................................................................................................................................... 22

Layer 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 22

Layer 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 22

Layer 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 22

Layer 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 23

Test Pit #2 ............................................................................................................................................... 23

Layer 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 23

Layer 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 24

Layer 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 24

Test Pit #3 ............................................................................................................................................... 24

Layer 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 24

Layer 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 25

Layer 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 26

Appendix C: Richard Poole’s Project Proposal with PHMC Letter .............................................................. 27

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 31

Sabol | 3


Table of Figures Figure 1 - Map showing distance and direction from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to The Peter Wentz

Farmstead, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.............................................................................. 4

Figure 2 - A map of where the trench was installed (Not to Scale), PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 ......... 8

Figure 3 - A photograph showing part of the excavated trench, PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 .............. 9

Figure 4 - Photograph of the projectile point with possible knapping sherd, PHMC Site Number:

36MG0035 ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Figure 5 - A photograph of a partially reconstructed teacup (aprox. 10 to 15 percent reconstructed),

PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 .................................................................................................... 11

Figure 6 - A photograph of the two pipe stems recovered in the trench, PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

....................................................................................................................................................... 11

Figure 7 - Image of the stone found in one of the test pits on site. PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 ...... 12

Figure 8 - Two 18th Century pins recovered from the test pits. PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 ........... 13

Figure 9 - Above is an above ground view of the virtual 3-D of Peter Wentz Farmstead. The yellow area

is where the artifacts were recovered. The image above is not to scale. .................................... 15

Figure 10 - Above is a side profile of the geothermal excavation at the Peter Wentz Farmstead. The

virtual 3-D model also show the depths of the basement and window well of the historic house

along with the reconstructed ice house and root celler. The image above is not to scale. ......... 15

Figure 11 - Geothermal test pit map. Drawn by Richard B. Poole. PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035. Image

not to scale. .................................................................................................................................... 16

Sabol | 4


An Archaeological Investigation of the Geothermal H-VAC Trench and Test Pits at the Peter Wentz Farmstead

Christina M. Sabol University of Mary Washington Student of Historic Preservation and GIS Summer Intern at Peter Wentz Farmstead (2009 – 2011, 2013)

Introduction The Peter Wentz Farmstead (PWF) is located in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, approximately 21 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Peter Wentz Sr. immigrated to Pennsylvania from Woderun, Worms, in the Palatine region of Germany. He died in 1749, however, before he died he began dividing his property amongst his children. In the 1750s, Peter Wentz Jr. built a house for himself, his wife (Rosanna) and eventually their seven (7) children. The house was completed in 1758. According to the few records that we have about this family, the Wentz’s owned a slave with the first name of Jack and two indentured servants, although little is known about them. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington – Commander of the American Army – used the house as his headquarters before and after the Battle of Germantown (October 4, 1777). In 1784, Peter Wentz Jr. sold the house to Dewault Bieber. Bieber owned the farm for about ten years before he sold it to Melchior Shultz. Shultz was a minister at the Schwenkfelder Church. The farm was passed through the

Shultz family for 175 years, after which it was sold to Montgomery County in December 1969.1 Due to this significance, Montgomery County restored the farmstead to what it looked like in 1777 and turned it into a house museum. The Peter Wentz Farmstead was listed on the National Register on May 22, 1973. In the summer of 2011 the PWF Staff were informed that a Geothermal Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (H-VAC) unit was to be installed in the historic house during the spring of 2012. As a result, in the summer of 2011, three

(3) two feet by two (2x2) feet test pits were

excavated to find the least intrusive trench for

the pipe to be laid. Richard Poole, Montgomery

County, Department of Parks, Trails and Historic

Sites, headed the archaeology project. The staff

and other volunteers excavated the site due to

the very little time and lack of funding. In Pennsylvania, a test pit is excavated by trowel, not shovel, and

then the dirt is screened through ¼-inch screens.

In the spring of 2012, a backhoe came in with

large buckets to dig the trench. The staff sifted

through the dirt and bagged the artifacts recovered, based on the type of material. The original path for

1 Cram and Nord 2001

Peter Wentz

Farmstead

Philadelphia Google

Figure 1 - Map showing distance and direction from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to The Peter Wentz Farmstead,

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Sabol | 5


the trench would have disturbed the cobblestone cart way leading up to the house from the road; the

archaeology forced the contractor to find a new path, to lay the pipes.

The goals of the project are to record, label, electronically catalogue and prepare the artifacts for long term-storage. Very little is known about the actual Wentz Family, however, the record shows that Peter Wentz was the second wealthiest person in the county at the time. The house is currently furnished according to what other wealthy German-Americans owned during the period. From the archaeological investigation, the staff hopes to learn more about what the family owned and then furnish the house with items that resemble those unearthed.

Natural Environment Peter Wentz Farmstead sits 269 feet (82 meters) above sea level and east of the Appalachian Mountains.2 The Zacharias Creek runs along the property before draining into the Schuylkill River Watershed that eventually drains into the Delaware River before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean. Natural animals that can be found on the site include red foxes, coyotes, white-tailed deer, and a number of various rodents. Domesticated animals that live on site include horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats and chickens. Since the Farmstead is still functioning as a farm, the main plants are hay and grass. Outside the kitchen door of the historic house is, a garden with herbs and crops that would have been grown in the 18th Century. According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, Southeastern Pennsylvania is classified as having a humid subtropical climate zone.3 The summers are hot and humid with several heat waves. The spring and fall are mild and the winter is cold with an average snowfall of about two to three (2 - 3) feet of snow.

Cultural Setting Pennsylvania German farm families woke up when the rooster crowed and the women would

start breakfast while the men worked in the barn and carried out other outdoor chores. The children would have helped with house jobs and/or preparing breakfast. After the chores were completed, the family would regather to say the morning blessing and eat breakfast together. The Pennsylvania Germans were religious people they had a Bible in more than one (1) room of the house and the family went out of the way to keep the Sabbath holy. They were thrifty people, who believed in superstitions from witch doctors to keeping the bend of the horseshoe on the bottom as to keep the luck from escaping. Children ages five (5) and six (6) attended school to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic.4

Previous Archaeological Digs Previous archaeology work shows the architectural and agricultural development of the site. In

May of 1975, an archaeological excavation was initiated to find evidence of the kitchen garden. The garden was thought to have been constructed in 1758, the same year the family moved into the house. After three (3) days of excavating test pits, an additional two (2) days were given to find the corners of the fenced area, and if it would be possible to determine spacing and dates of the deposit of the post. The excavation consisted of two (2) trenches two feet by ten (2 x 10) feet long. Six (6) postholes were

2 "Community Background."

3 Kottek, and Rubel

4 Aurand 1947

Sabol | 6


discovered. In postholes #1 and #3 decayed organic material was found and when tested the results determined that the post were made from cedar. Posthole #1 contained one (1) hand - headed machine cut nail in undisturbed soil placing the TPQ around 1790. As a result of this excavation the staff became aware of how large the garden could have been.5

In the Fall of the same year (1975) another investigation was launched with the purpose focused on the "window wells, associated with the cellar windows on the north side of the house. The original grade adjacent to the north and west sides of the house was to be established; and finally, it was to be determined whether evidence of an eighteenth century porch, was originally attached to the front or west, first floor façade of the main house. The foundation of the porch was preserved beneath the stone slab porch presently situated adjacent to the main entrance". A four by six (4 x 6) foot trench was excavated by the west end of the north elevation of the house. Remains of the original wells were discovered on both sides of the base of the cellar window. The remains of the east elevation of the window well were about 14 inches below the top of the cellar window. The artifacts found in the trench dated from 1795 to 1835. Since the window wells were not original to the house the most likely time of installation would be post 1820 due to the type of nail found. At this time, the Shultz Family would have been living in the house. The porch that is seen in a photograph from the 1960s is located on the west elevation. The three large stone slabs were removed and two (2) four (4) by six (6) test pits were excavated adjacent to the front entrance. Trenches were later excavated north and south of the test pits. The stone foundation extended under the stone slab to a distance of 33 inches (about 2 ¾ feet) west of the wall under the house. During the excavation, the foundations of the "porch" appeared to be deteriorating from erosion. The excavation in the porch area on the west elevation of the Peter Wentz residence contained evidence that suggested a porch dependency, formerly attached to the first floor west porch in the same location. The dependency pre-dated the stone slab "porch" in the same location. The excavation uncovered paired stone-lined postholes, the center points of which were located 48 inches (about 4 feet) west and 48 inches (about 4 feet) north and south of the center point of the front doorsill. The fill of the porch area contained artifacts that had been deposited after 1800s. Therefore, the previous archaeologist concluded that, the porch area had been filled to support the stone slab porch. Posthole #4 lies beneath slab #2 and the artifacts that were found inside it include: six (6) sherds of pearlware with black transfer design and machine cut nails. From this, the archaeologist concluded that the porch was constructed after 1830. The archaeologist also believed that the stone porch was installed after the basement window and a second frame porch that replaced the original frame porch in about 1800.6

In May of 1976, another investigation began. The main purpose of this excavation was to find the dimensions, material and the direction of the cart-way, which was in use from approximately 1758 to 1850. Remains of a former pigsty were uncovered when the excavation was done for the proposed alignment of a sewer pipe from the visitor center to the septic tank south of Shultz Road. Southeast of the Wentz House there was a pile of ruins believed to be a foundation to a building, this too would be excavated. For the cart-way the investigation started at the intersection of Schultz Road and the cart-way, approximately 200 feet east of the house, to the arbitrary point located 50 feet west of the Wentz House. According to archival research done later there was a small house located on the property prior to the large stone house being erected in 1758. "While limited excavation was done adjacent to sections of the buried stone foundation walls of the presumed log house indicated that the body of the building was 16 feet by 16 feet in the horizontal dimension." According to measurements taken by the

5 Righter, The Kitchen Garden at Peter Wentz Farmstead 1975

6 Righter, The Window Wells, Front Porch, and Grade at Peter Wentz Farmstead 1975

Sabol | 7


archaeologist the north, west and east walls were all 1.67 feet thick and the south wall was only 1.25 thick. Inside the stone foundation evidence of a hearth was recorded, however, there is a debate as to whether or not it was a hearth. Also found was strong conclusive evidence of a turbine mill. The archaeologist also believed that the salmon bricks lined a bake oven, despite no record of this oven existing until the stone house was built. It was believed that the bricks from this supposed bake oven were reused in the building of the second rebuilding of the mill walls. This theory was based off the fact that similar bricks and mortar were found among the stones of the south foundation wall.7

In April of 1984, the last of excavation with reports was begun. The purpose of this excavation was to define and interpret the remains of the Ice House and Root Cellar. Until a short time before the excavation began, a three-car garage stood over the remains of these outbuildings. After demolition of the garage, remains of a building were discovered under the rubble. The other purpose of this excavation was to uncover and define the historic structural remains, document the extent of the remains and to determine the age of the buildings along with the original function. The excavation concluded with the identification of the Ice House and the Root Cellar and dated them to the time the original house was built.8

Research Design In the summer of 2011, Montgomery County announced that an H-VAC/Geothermal system

would be installed in the historic house. The project was funded with federal money from the Department of Energy (DOE); Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, along with Pennsylvania Title 37 requires federal agencies that carry out actions that could potentially affect the historic site to take account of these actions and submit a proposal to the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).9 The protection of Section 106 extends to any site that is listed on the National Register for Historic Places and Peter Wentz Farmstead is listed on the National Register, another reason as to why the archaeology excavation had to be completed. One of the most critical elements that can trigger section 106 is the presence of a form of federal decision-making; with DOE involved in the project, the state contacted the site to alert them of this law. Section 106 is the ultimate decision maker as to whether and how a site will be affected and whether or not the project will continue as planned or be suspended (temporarily or permanently).10

Thanks to Richard Poole, a staff member with over 30 years of archaeology experience, the county allowed the excavation to occur and thus an investigation was carried out in the proposed location of the trench. The project engineer, Anthony J. Lello, of Highland Associates provided the design plans for where the drilling and trenching would occur. (See Figure 3) The excavation also allowed a chance to learn about the families that once called this farm home; nevertheless, it was primarily a rescue dig.

7 Jack McCormick and Associates 1976

8 John Milner Associates, Inc 1984

9 Stipe 2003

10 United States. Cong. 89

th Cong.

Sabol | 8


Figure 2 - A map of where the trench was installed (Not to Scale), PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Sabol | 9


Research Methods

Site Description The site is approximately 9.9 acres (4.0 ha). There are about 108 acres in farm fields.11

The Zacharias Creek runs along the property on the southeast border before draining into the Schuylkill River Watershed that eventually drains into the Delaware River before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean. Bounding the northwest end of the property is Shearer Road.

Field Methods for Test Pits Three (3) test squares with the dimensions of two feet by two feet (2 x 2), were

excavated until pan was reached (about 18 to 24 inches), as to determine any impact on unknown features and cultural artifacts. The test squares were excavated by trowel and every six (6) inches constituted a level. All material was screened through a ¼-inch screen. The excavation was overseen by Montgomery County Department of Parks and Heritage Services personnel, and completed in groups of County employees and volunteers.12

Field Methods for H-VAC Trench It was recommended by Richard Poole that a Memorandum of Agreement should be

acquired with the contractor(s) to remove and isolate the first eighteen (18) to twenty-four (24) inches of soil within twenty-five (25) feet of the historic Wentz house for inspection by farm staff. The County staff oversaw all aspects of the project.13

Laboratory Methods The artifacts were separated and sorted into individual Ziploc bags. The test pit artifacts

were given a number starting with 2011.006.___. The layers were kept separate by placing the bagged artifacts into a larger bag marking it with the test pit and layer number. The test pit and layer were also recorded in PastPerfect. For the trench dig, the artifacts again were separated by material and glaze color. The base number for the trench artifacts was 2012.001.___. Again, they were recorded into the PastPerfect system, along with a photograph of the item(s).

Results for the Trench

Stratigraphy and Soils The stratum was a midden. It is not required for a salvage dig at a historic site to record the soil according to the composition or Munsell color. According to various people, the site has disturbed soil, and part of the site is considered a plow zone. At one point Shultz Road ran all the way through the property.

11

National Register of Historic Places 12

Field-notes from Richard Poole 13

IBID

Figure 3 - A photograph showing part of the excavated trench, PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Sabol | 10


Features No features were found in the trench area.

Material Culture The artifacts in the trench varied from architectural elements such as brick, clay tiles, window glass and nails to pottery ranging from fine to course material. There were some unique finds as well, for example, a projectile point, two (2) pipe stems and 18 fragments of pig bones. For a summary table of the amount and the type of artifacts recovered, see Appendix A.

Flaked Stone

Through the screening process, the museum

educator Kimberly Boice found a projectile

point. In the archaeological lab, the projectile

point was identified as being a Lehigh/Koens-

Crispin broadspear point. The point was made

from white quartz and through serration it was

determined that this point was made during the

Late Archaic Era.14

Bone and Shell Artifacts

Again, through the screening process 18 bone fragments were found along with

one (1) oyster shell. Richard Poole identified the bone fragments as pig. Pig would be

the most expected type of bone to find at this site since it is a staple in the diets of

Pennsylvanian German families. There is not enough information to determine whether

all of the bones belonged to the same pig. The oyster shell could not have been

deposited at the earliest until the 20th Century, due to the hole located at the top of the

shell. The hole at the top came from a worm that was not introduced from Japan to the

West Coast of America until the later part of the 20th century. The seashell was most

likely a souvenir that someone brought home from a trip.

Historical Artifacts

The glass artifacts collected ranged in color from deep aqua blue to light green

to clear windowpane glass. A few of the glass pieces were rims from small bottles,

possibly pharmaceutical to perfume bottles. Due to the lack of any pieces below the

rim, the use of these bottles cannot be determined. The brick fragments that were

recovered show no signs of ware or fire marks, due to this it cannot be said with any

level of certainty as to what these bricks were used for. Some theories that have been

proposed over the summer include a brick floor in the summer kitchen, exterior brick

from a chimney or a brick from the mill site. There were over 1,300 pieces of redware

pottery discovered from the trench; some of the pottery was able to be identified and

14

Custer 2001

Figure 4 - Photograph of the projectile point with possible knapping sherd, PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Sabol | 11


pieced together, however, the majority of the redware pottery was grouped and then

bagged with a number. The finer pottery was also sorted and while some pieces were

no more than a flake of glaze smaller than a

fingernail, they appeared to be the same

type of pattern as other vessels discovered

from other digs. They were bagged and

given numbers, however, in PastPerfect a

note was made that they could be

associated to other pieces. Whether they

are from the same vessel or part of a set

cannot be determined at this point. Other

pieces were much larger and in one case, 40

of the 88 pieces were reassembled.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent has been

reassembled with another five (5) percent of the associated pieces in a Ziploc bag.

Unfortunately, as in the case of what is believed to be a belt buckle (about 45 percent

has been recovered), there was not enough information for some objects to be

definitely identified and thus pictures

were taken, the objects were

measured and a detailed description

was given. Finally, there were two

pipe stems recovered in the trench

one had part of the bowl still attached

while the other was less than half an

inch long and split down the center.

The pipe stem with part of the bowl

still attached had a hole diameter of

5/64th inch, dating the pipe to 1710 to

1750. That is not to say that it was not used before or after these dates but this is when

that hole size was most popular. The other pipe steam measured to be 6/64th, dating it

to 1750 to 1800.15

Dating the Trench Since the soil at the site has been disturbed so greatly, there is no way to date the trench. The

trench contains artifacts as old as the Late Archaic Era up to the present century. One way to

understand the trench is to look at it as if it was a time capsule of everyone whom lived at the site,

whether it be the First Americans or generations of immigrants looking to start a new life in the New

World.

15

Hume 1969

Figure 5 - A photograph of a partially reconstructed teacup (aprox. 10 to 15 percent reconstructed), PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Figure 6 - A photograph of the two pipe stems recovered in the trench, PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

Sabol | 12


Results for the Test Pits The stratum was a midden. The test pits are located in a plow zone and the soil has been heavily disrupted; the soil color is not relevant because the only time that it changed was when pan was reached.

Features The original path of the geothermal trench would have cut through the original cobblestone cart way, a feature that was discovered in the 1970s, but never fully excavated. Due to this the geothermal trench was re-mapped and an additional test pit was excavated to make sure that there were no features present in that location.

Material Culture The artifacts in the three geothermal test pits ranged from architectural elements such as brick, mortar, plaster, window glass and nails to pottery ranging from a small amount of fine to course material. There were some unique finds as well, for example, a metal button, two (2) 18th Century pins, two (2) pipe stems and fragments of pig bones. For a summary table of the amount and the type of artifacts recovered, see Appendix B.

Stone

Although no one on site is sure how this triangular, shaped stone was used or how a circular divot with a ½” diameter across and ¼” deep was formed; the most likely theory is that this stone was underneath the hinge attached to a gate and the constant opening and closing wore a hole into the stone.16

Bone and Shell Artifacts In total, there were 23 fragments of bone and one (1) oyster shell recovered from the test pits. As previously mentioned, pig was a staple food in the Southeastern Pennsylvania German diet. As the team was digging, it was a common thought that what was being unearthed was part of a trash pit. Another bone fragment found was disintegrating and even though Richard Poole was able to excavate the bone without it completely falling apart it was not able to be preserved. The oyster shell that was recovered is thinner than a human fingernail and is approximately an inch long by a half-inch wide. This shell shows no sign of the red worm disease as the other shell showed, nevertheless, it cannot be dated without a carbon-14 dating test and even then, it could only provide us a certain level of accuracy.

Historic Artifacts Like the trench the test pits contained a large number of broken redware pottery sherds with different types of glaze and slip patterns. Most of the redware could not be reconstructed. There was a significant amount of glass found in the test pits, with the color ranging from dark blue to dark green, with clear glass as well. The properties of the glass included being curved, flat, thin and thick. There was not enough

16

Field-notes from Richard Poole

Figure 7 - Image of the stone found in one of the test pits on site. PHMC Site Number:

36MG0035

Sabol | 13


Figure 8 - Two 18th Century pins recovered from the test pits. PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035

of each type of glass to reconstruct any particular object. Again not much can be determined about the glass found on-site without a large number of hours devoted to each piece. A large amount of mortar and coal were found in all three (3) of the test pits. If the site had undisturbed soil, finding a large amount of mortar in one layer and very little in another would lead the archaeologist to theorize that a building would have

been constructed. One unique object that was found during the test pit excavation was a fully intact silver-plated button that dates from 1837 to 1865.17 This date range determines that the button was from the Shultz occupation of the site. The size of the button is about two (2) cm in diameter. Another interesting discovery was the two (2) 18th century pins. One way that these pins can be dated is from the method of seriation. It is extremely rare to find pins

still intact and in good condition due to the fact of their small size and the material used to make them. Metal

objects corrode and eventually are eaten away bit by bit. Two (2) more pipe stems were found in the test pits and one pipe hole diameter 5/64”, while the other is 4/64”.

Dating the Test Pits Since the soil at the site has been disturbed so greatly, there is no way to date the test pits. One

way to understand the test pits are to look at them as if they were a time capsule of everyone whom

lived at the site, the earliest artifact dates from 1710 to 1750 and the latest artifact from the present

century.

Conclusions Archaeological investigations at the Peter Wentz Farmstead in the summer of 2011 and the late spring

of 2012 focused on the recovery of artifacts from a geothermal HVAC installation from the DOE. Since

the DOE is a federal organization, Section 106 and Pennsylvania 37 required Montgomery County to

complete an excavation to make sure that no historic features were disturbed. Prior thoughts about the

site were not proven wrong, however, with the evidence that was found a new question arises: did a

tenant(s) live on the site prior to Peter Wentz Jr. settling/farming the land? The evidence for this

include two (2) pipe stems and a Chinese Porcelain teacup or bowl. The pipe stems were at the height

of popularity from 1710 to 1750.18 The Chinese Porcelain dates from 1660 to 1800, with a mean ceramic

date of 1730.19 Although some artifacts have been dated to one of the families, the fact remains that

17

Hume 1969 18

Hume 1969 19

South, Stanley

Sabol | 14


we could not date over 85 percent of the collection. This is because the redware cannot be dated and

the other pottery dates are so wide that any of the families have owned them. Other ecofacts, such as

the pig bones and oyster shells could be carbon-14 dated; however, the carbon-14 test will only be able

to give a certain percent of accuracy with a large date range. The metal artifacts need to have the rust

removed before any further identification can be made. Peter’s brother owned a brick and tile factory

in Skippack, Pennsylvania so if the farmstead would like to determine the location of origin of the bricks

there is the possibility of completing a chemical analysis. The bricks would need to have a small piece

removed and dissolved in a solvent, then placed in a GCMS. In addition, mud/soil samples would need

to be taken from the different creeks and riverbeds in Skippack, Pennsylvania and there could be a close

match. Due to pollution and other environmental factors, this process is better in theory than in the

field. Since there was no map of the stratigraphy to provide better context, a virtual 3-D model was

created to show this better.

Acknowledgments A special thanks to Richard B. Poole, Mark A. Turdo, Kimberly D. Boice, Jay Ryan, Jim Nichols, Dianne M.

Cram, and to all the volunteers who helped during the excavations. Additional thanks to the Historic

Preservation Professors at the University of Mary Washington.

Sabol | 15


Figure 9 - Above is an above ground view of the virtual 3-D of Peter Wentz Farmstead. The yellow area is where the artifacts were recovered. The image above is not to scale.

Figure 10 - Above is a side profile of the geothermal excavation at the Peter Wentz Farmstead. The virtual 3-D model also show the depths of the basement and window well of the historic house along with the reconstructed ice house and root celler. The image above is not to scale.

Drawn By: Christina Sabol

PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035 Drawn By: Christina Sabol

Sabol | 16


Figure 11 - Geothermal test pit map. Drawn by Richard B. Poole. PHMC Site Number: 36MG0035. Image not to scale.

Sabol | 17


Appendix A: Table of Trench Artifacts

# of Artifacts

Brief Description of the Artifact(s)

12 Clay roof tile 14 Brick fragments 29 Light green flat glass 17 Light green curved glass 2 Aqua curved glass 1 Dark green bottle rim glass 2 Light green bottle rim glass 6 Clear ribbed glass (glass?) 3 Clear bottle base with a five pointed star inside a circle on the underside of base 1 Brown glass curved 47 Clear glass 1 Opaque clear glass 35 Clear flat glass 45 Green flat glass 1 Opaque slight green tint, flat glass 1 Gray curved glass 4 Special: Light green flat thin glass 2 White quartz projectile point 1 5/64” Pipe stem with part of bowl attached 1 4/64” Pipe stem, broken in half down center 2 1 ¼” wire nails 1 Large nut and screw encased in rust 1 Unidentifiable semi-circle encased in rust 3 2 ½” wire nails 1 1 ½” wire nail patina forming 21 Unidentifiable small nails? 10 Unidentifiable large nails? 2 1 ¼” nails 3 1 ¼” hand-headed cut nails 1 2” nail 1 Metal grommet from a cloth article 2 Buckle fragments 42 Redware vessel w/ black dull glaze 19 Brown/Black glaze on a wheel thrown redware vessel 68 Redware pottery with brown glaze 63 Speckled red/brown glaze on redware vessel

Sabol | 18


8 Brown glaze on redware vessel 26 Gray lead glaze on redware vessel 15 Red speckled glaze on redware vessel 6 Light brown glaze on redware vessel 22 Redware pottery with black glaze 99 Red lead glaze redware vessel 242 Unglazed redware pottery 7 Redware pottery with black glaze 73 Dark red glaze on redware vessel 29 Brown speckled glazed redware vessel 2 Wire insulator from 1900 5 White rim with blue body Mocha ware 478 Fired earthen clay (NOT POTTERY) 2 Blue Transfer creamware 9 Underglaze blue Chinese Porcelain 5 English Pink Transferware 10 Purple Transferware creamware with green overglaze 17 Red and blue spongeware 2 Green edged pearlware 1 Green transfer creamware 55 Creamware pottery with chipped white glaze 21 White glazed creamware 1 Blue featherware 16 Green featherware 2 Green boarder creamware (leaf design?) English delft blue teacup 1 Green and brown creamware 2 Creamware with green and purple leaf and light blue stripe 1 Blue spongeware 12 Tulip with green leafs and other colors 13 Rim and side of a 21 cm diameter brown glaze inside & out redware vessel 29 Total of redware vessel with 10 cm base with black glaze inside only 1 9 cm diameter base redware vessel 2 20 cm rim black glaze inside only of redware vessel 2 17 cm rim brown lead glaze inside only of redware vessel 2 19 cm rim brown glaze inside only redware vessel 2 Redware with brown speckled glaze in the shape “L” 6 Green shell-edged pearlware (plate, saucer?) 1 Unidentifable dark and light purple stripes on earthenware 1 Unidentifable white material with brown glaze and curved 2 Blue edged pearlware with floral pattern 14 White glazed pottery (needs more research) 1 20 cm rim with green lead glaze inside redware vessel 4 20 cm rim brown lead glaze inside redware vessel 1 19 cm rim brown lead glaze inside redware vessel

Sabol | 19


1 22 cm rim brown glaze inside and black glaze on outside rim redware vessel 1 20 cm rim brown lead glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 20 cm rim brown lead glaze inside redware vessel 1 24 cm rim brown glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 19 cm rim brown glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 15 cm rim brown glaze inside black glaze under outside rim of redware vessel 1 23 cm rim brownish-red glaze inside the redware vessel 1 17 cm rim red glaze inside and under outside rim of redware vessel 1 14 cm rim red glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 19 cm rim red glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 16 cm rim painted black on rim with red-brown glaze inside of redware vessel 1 18 cm rim red glaze inside and on rim of redware vessel 1 19 cm rim brown matte glaze on rim; tortoise glaze under lip & inside redware

vessel 1 ½ piece of 25 cm rim painted black from a redware vessel 1 20 cm brown lead glaze on the inside of the redware vessel 1 25 cm rim painted black with brown glaze inside redware vessel 1 25 cm rim red glaze on rim and inside of redware vessel 1 ½ piece of rim sherd from unglazed redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd from unglazed redware vessel; size unknown 2 ½ piece of rim sherd from black matte glaze on back of the lip of the redware

vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd from brown glaze inside redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd from unglazed redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd (back) from unglazed redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd (back) from black lead glaze on the top of the rim of the

redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd (front) from brown lead glaze redware vessel; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim sherd (front) from black lead glaze redware vessel; size unknown 1 Piece of a 15 cm base from a redware vessel with brown glaze inside only 1 Piece of a base sherd from a brown glazed redware vessel; size unknown 1 Piece of a base sherd from a brown glazed inside redware vessel; size unknown 1 18 cm rim, redware vessel, unglazed 2 25+ cm rim, brown glaze on rim of redware vessel 2 Rim sherds from unglazed redware vessel; size unknown 2 Top of rim sherds glazed black from redware vessel; size unknown 4 Green & white slip on redware vessel outside and inside glaze 2 Blue, white, green slip on redware vessel outside decorated 2 Yellow rim slip inside only on redware vessel (wheel thrown) 1 Brown glaze with yellow slip on earthenware vessel 8 Red glaze with yellow slip on redware vessel 1 White & red slip on inside of redware vessel rim; size unknown 1 ½ piece of rim (front) red-brown glaze inside; size unknown 1 Redware vessel with red glaze and slip design; size unknown 1 White ceramic with line and “egg” motif below rim 3 Scalloped edge creamware (1762-1820) 2 Poor quality stoneware with grayish dull glaze

Sabol | 20


2 White glaze creamware 1 Red-purple pearlware with white and green stripe 1 White glaze creamware 13 Light blue glaze creamware 18 Light blue glaze creamware 17 Light blue glaze creamware with flow blue stripes on the inside rim 14 White glaze creamware 25 White glaze creamware 8 White glaze creamware 7 White glaze creamware 16 White glaze creamware with one piece that has flow blue design 14 White glaze creamware 5 White glaze creamware 9 White, light blue, gray tint glazed creamware 6 White glaze creamware 11 White glaze creamware 10 White glaze creamware 24 White glaze creamware 2 White glaze thick creamware 2 Redware with white glaze pottery 4 Redware pottery with brown and yellow glaze 1 Redware pottery with green slipware 1 Redware pottery with red and black glaze with green slip 2 Redware pottery with poor quality reddish-brown glaze 2 Redware pottery with black glaze 3 Redware pottery with brown lead glaze 25 Redware pottery with black glaze inside and out 1 Redware pottery with red glaze inside 4 Redware pottery with red glaze inside 3 Redware pottery with dark red glaze inside 2 Redware pottery with gray glaze on the rim 4 Redware pottery with red glaze 3 Redware pottery with red glaze 2 Tortoise glaze on redware pottery 3 Redware pottery with dark red glaze 1 Redware pottery with black glaze inside 2 Redware pottery with light brown glaze 6 Redware pottery with red glaze 9 Redware pottery with yellow-brown glaze 10 Redware pottery with red glaze and a line of yellow slip 18 Redware pottery with dark red or black glaze 2 Redware pottery with red glaze and possible white slip 21 Redware pottery with red glaze 4 Redware pottery with gray-black glaze 1 Redware pottery with yellow-brown speckled glaze 11 Redware pottery with black glaze

Sabol | 21


2 Plastic 3 Petrified lime mortar 1 Plaster with wood grain texture (possibly from lath) 1 Wood about ¼” in size (possibly lath) 1 Oyster shell with red worm hole at the top 18 Bone fragments (possible pig bones)

Sabol | 22


Appendix B: Table of Test Pit Artifacts

Test Pit #1

Layer 1

# of Artifacts Brief Description of the Artifact(s)

48 Mortar 18 Coal 2 Wire Nail 1 Bone Fragment 2 Light Green Glass 1 Whiteware 1 Black Curved Plastic 1 Brick

Layer 2


178 Coal 47 Mortar 1 Wire Nail 3 Cut Nails 3 Light Green Flat Glass 1 Clear Flat Glass 5 Redware Pottery With Black Lead Glaze 15 Redware Pottery (unglazed = 14; glazed = 1) 2 Green Plastic 10 Rocks/Pebbles 1 Unidentifiable 1 Bone?; Unidentifiable N/A Loose bits from mortar and rust (too small to separate)

Layer 3


11 Unglazed Redware 2 Redware Pottery with Brown Glaze Inside 4 Unglazed Redware 1 19 cm Redware Rim with Brown Glaze Inside 2 Redware Pottery with Brownish-Yellow Glaze Inside 4 Redware Pottery with Brown-Red Glaze Inside 1 Kaolin Pipe Stem; 5/64th Hole Diameter 3 Purple Transferware with Green Overglaze 1 Creamware with Blue Underglaze 2 Pins with Round Ball Heads 3 Nails 1 Concreted Iron (Pintel, from hinge?)

Sabol | 23


5 Flat Light Green Glass 1 Flat Clear Glass 2 Animal Bone Fragments 100+ Coal 51 Mortar

Layer 4


1 Fully Intact Button 6 Nails 10 Clear Flat Glass 1 Light Green Glass 1 Light Green Glass 1 Mid Green Glass 5 Unglazed Redware 91 Coal 63 Mortar

Test Pit #2

Layer 1


4 Curved clear glass 2 Light blue-green curved glass 1 Dark Green flat glass 3 Light green glass flat 1 Dark Blue Curved Glass 1 Clear Curved Glass 2 Clear Very Thin Curved Glass 1 Clear Flat Glass 28 Coal 10 Bone (Pig?) 1 Lime 1 Cut Hand-headed Nail 3 Unidentified Ferrous Objects (Nails?) 34 Unglazed Redware Pottery 10 Redware Vessel with Speckled Glaze 4 Redware Vessel with Red Lead Glaze; Wheel Thrown 1 19 cm rim from a wheel thrown redware vessel with brown glaze inside 1 Redware with red glaze and yellow slip 4 Redware with red glaze on both sides 114 Redware vessel; most of the speckled glaze has chipped off 1 Redware 5 Redware pottery with dark lead glaze 10 Redware pottery with speckeled lead glaze

Sabol | 24


5 Redware pottery with black glaze 13 Creamware with white glaze 2 Redware with red glaze 1 Melted Metal? 1 Earthenware unglazed vessel 1 Redware vessel rim with red glaze 1 Redware vessel with red-orange glaze 1 Redware with red speckled glaze 3 Redware vessel base (20 cm) with dark red glaze

Layer 2


1 Green Flat Glass 1 Cut Nail 1 Redware with Orange Glaze and Yellow Slip 5 White Glazed Creamware 4 Redware with Black Glaze 1 Mortar 2 Redware Vessel with Part of Base (10cm) with Brown Glaze 1 Redware with Red Glaze and Narrow Yellow Slip 5 Brick Fragments 1 18 cm Redware Rim Sherd with Red Glaze 9 Fired Earthenware Pottery with Speckled Glaze 11 Fired Earthenware Pottery (Unglazed) 18 Fired Earthenware Pottery (Unglazed) 7 Fired Earthenware Pottery (Unglazed) 6 Fired Earthenware Pottery (Unglazed)

Layer 3

Nothing found, pan reached.

Test Pit #3

Layer 1


1 Oyster Shell 23 Coal 6 Mortar 2 Fired Mortar? 2 Nails (Cut?) 1 Unknown Ferrous Material 4 Bone (Pig?) 1 Redware vessel with black glaze 3 Redware vessel with brown glaze 1 Fired earthen clay

Sabol | 25


7 Redware vessel with red glaze and yellow slip 12 Redware sherds unglazed 10 Redware vessel with red glaze 54 Redware sherds unglazed 1 18 cm redware rim with brown glaze 1 Pearlware with 2 very thin and narrow blue stripes 1 Blue Transferware 1 Mochaware with green, white and red stripes 1 Creamware with embossed design and green glaze 5 Creamware with white glaze 3 Creamware with white glaze 1 Light blue-green flat glass 1 Light green flat glass 1 Light green flat glass 1 Light green flat glass 3 Clear flat glass 2 Clear curved glass 1 Plaster 1 Unknown

Layer 2


1 2 Mortar 1 Stone with ½ inch where impression wide and ¼ inch deep 1 Medium green colored flat glass 4 Light Green flat glass 1 Light Green flat glass 1 Light Green flat glass 2 Clear flat glass 2 Clear curved glass 1 Clear curved glass 1 Clear flat glass 1 Clear flat glass 2 Clear flat glass 1 Melted metal mixed with coal?? 12 Coal 5 Pig bone 12 Nails 1 Blue transferware 5 White glazed creamware 4 White glazed creamware 5 White glazed creamware 2 23 cm redware vessel rim with yellow-brown glaze and slip 16 Redware vessel with red-brown glaze 19 13 cm redware vessel base with Brown glaze 5 Brick

Sabol | 26


30 Redware; unglazed 2 Unknown 2 Unknown

Layer 3

Nothing found, pan reached.

Sabol | 27


Appendix C: Richard Poole’s Project

Proposal with PHMC Letter

Sabol | 28


Sabol | 29


Sabol | 30


Sabol | 31


Bibliography Aurand, A. Monroe, Jr. Home Life of the Pennsylvania Germans. Harrisburg: The Aurand Press, 1947.

"Community Background." N.p.: n.p., n.d. 7-31. Web. 22 June 2013.

<http://www.worcestertwp.com/Ch2%20background.pdf>.

Cram, Dianne, and Philip Nord, . "The Guide to Interpretation of the Peter Wentz Farmstead." 2001.

Custer, Jay F. Classification Guide for Arrowheads and Spearpoints of Eastern Pennsylania and the

Central Middle Atlantic. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2001.

Hume, Ivor Noël. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. New York: Random House, Inc., 1969.

Jack McCormick and Assocaties. "The Cartway, Mill and Log House." Archaeology Findings Report, 1976.

John Milner Associates, Inc. Archaeological and Architectural Investigations of Selected Outbuildings at

the Peter Wentz Farmstead, Worcester Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. 1984.

Kottek, and Rubel. "A1FI." World Maps of Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification. Institute for Veterinary

Public Health, 2011. Web. 10 Aug. 2013. <http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/>.

National Register of Historic Places, Peter Wentz Homestead, Worcester Twp., Montgomery,

Pennsylvania, #73001656

Poole, Richard B. "Geothermal Trench Recovery." Archaeology Field Notes, 2012.

Righter, Elizabeth. "The Kitchen Garden at Peter Wentz Farmstead." Archaeology Findings Report, 1975.

Righter, Elizabeth. "The Window Wells, Front Porch, and Grade at Peter Wentz Farmstead." Archaeology

Findings Report, 1975.

South, Stanley. "Revealing Cultural Process Through the Formula Concept. In Method and Theory in

Historical Archaeology." pp. 201-274. Academic Press, New York, 1977.

Stipe, Robert E. A Richer Heritage: Historic Preservation in the Twenty - First Century. Chapel Hill: The

University of North Carolina Press, 2003.

United States. Cong. 89th Cong., 2nd sess. Cong 89-665. N.p.: n.p., n.d. National Historic Preservation

Act of 1966. National Park Service. Web. 8 Aug. 2013. <http://www.nps.gov/history/local-

law/nhpa1966.htm>.

an archaeological investigation of the geothermal h-vac trench and test pits at the peter wentz...

Documents

test pits

field methods

research methods

geothermal hvac trench

laboratory methods

trench excavated springsummer

archaeological artifacts

table of figures