High In The Blue Ridge

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)