phase i archaeological survey of 2811 king street, alexandria, virginia

101 Pages·2015·3.4 MB·English

PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF
2811 KING STREET,
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

by

Mike Klein,
Danae Peckler,
Joseph R. Blondino,
and
Marco González

Prepared for

2811 King Street, LLC

Prepared by

DOVETAIL
CULTURAL RESOURCE GROUP

December 2015

Phase I Archaeological Survey of 2811 King Street,
Alexandria, Virginia

by

Mike Klein,
Danae Peckler,
Joseph R. Blondino
and
Marco A. González

Prepared for

2811 King Street, LLC
12095 Gayton Road
Richmond, Virginia 23238

Prepared by

Dovetail Cultural Resource Group
300 Central Road, Suite 200
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401

Dovetail Job #15-025

December 2015

December 21, 2015
Kerri S. Barile, Principal Investigator Date
Dovetail Cultural Resource Group
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ABSTRACT
Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (Dovetail) conducted a Phase IB archaeological survey of
the property at 2811 King Street in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of 2811 King
Street, LLC. The Office of Historic Alexandria and Alexandria Archaeology requested the
study of the 1.3-acre (0.56-ha) plot of land situated on the northeast side of King Street
between Ivy Hill Cemetery and the Woodbine retirement community. An earlier study
included documentary research and a reconnaissance survey to record the history of the
property, develop a historic context for its interpretation, identify previously recorded and
undocumented historic cultural resources within the immediate vicinity, and to make
recommendations on the need for archaeological investigations related to this project. This
report incorporates and builds upon the previous study and presents the results of the Phase
IB archaeological survey.
Documentary research indicated that the circa-1926 Richard Garvey house was located on
the property, and the circa-1879 Michael and Regina Garvey house possibly stood within the
project area. The results of the shovel testing and metal-detector survey identify a single site
(44AX0228) concentrated in the project area. The major concentration of positive shovel
tests and metal-detector hits occurs within approximately 75-feet (22.9 m) of the adjacent
parking area, though concentrations of artifacts were identified along King Street.
The archaeological survey suggested that the demolition of the circa-1926 Richard and
Agnes Garvey House during the early 1980s and possibly other landscaping disturbed
archaeological deposits associated with the Garvey family house or houses. In addition, a
water line extended from King Street across the project area.
The assemblage of 124 artifacts returned to the lab consisted primarily of domestic refuse,
with ceramics and container glass forming nearly half of the assemblage (n=61).
Architectural debris (n=32) and miscellaneous metal items (n=25) constituted nearly all of
the remaining artifacts. Diagnostic artifacts reflected nineteenth- and twentieth-century
occupations.
All artifacts were recovered from near-surface, temporally comingled contexts. Based on the
recovery of all artifacts from near-surface contexts, the presence of modern materials in
contexts with historic artifacts, and the absence of information that improves significantly
upon that gleaned from documentary sources, additional archaeological work at site
44AX0228 does not appear likely to contribute important new information about the history
of Alexandria or the larger region. Therefore, site 44AX0228 is recommended not eligible
for listing in the NRHP under Criterion D.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... i
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1
PROJECT DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................... 3
ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING .............................................................................................. 7
Geology ................................................................................................................................. 7
Soils....................................................................................................................................... 7
SURVEY METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................. 9
Archaeology Survey.............................................................................................................. 9
Laboratory Analysis ............................................................................................................ 10
BACKGROUND RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 11
Previously Recorded Historic Resources in the Project Vicinity ....................................... 11
Archaeological Resources ............................................................................................... 11
Architectural Resources .................................................................................................. 11
HISTORIC CONTEXT .......................................................................................................... 15
Prehistoric and Contact Period History............................................................................... 15
Pre-Clovis (?–13,000 B.P.) ............................................................................................. 16
Paleoindian Period (13,000−10,000 B.P.) ...................................................................... 16
Archaic Period (10,000–3200 B.P.) ................................................................................ 17
Woodland Period (3200–400 B.P.) ................................................................................. 18
European Settlement ........................................................................................................... 19
Settlement and Early National Period History (1700–1830) .......................................... 19
Antebellum and Civil War Period History (1830–1865) ................................................ 20
Reconstruction and Growth Period History (1865–1914) .............................................. 26
World War I to Present Period History (1914–1970) ..................................................... 29
RESULTS OF FIELDWORK................................................................................................. 33
STP and Metal-Detector Survey ......................................................................................... 33
Site 44AX0228 Description ................................................................................................ 36
Site 44AX0228 Evaluation ................................................................................................. 43
STP and Metal-Detector Survey ......................................................................................... 44
Site 44AX0228 Description ................................................................................................ 47
Site 44AX0228 Evaluation ................................................................................................. 56
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................... 59
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 61
APPENDIX A: ARTIFACT CATALOG ............................................................................... 69
APPENDIX B: STP CATALOG ............................................................................................ 75
APPENDIX C: PUBLIC RECORDS & CHAIN OF TITLE ................................................. 79
APPENDIX D: SITE FORM .................................................................................................. 81

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List of Figures

Figure 3: Boundaries of the 2811 King Street Project Area ..................................................... 4
Figure 4: Survey of 1,000-Acre Tract of Charles Alexander Sr., 1818 .................................. 21
Figure 5: “Sketch of the Seat of War in Alexandria and Fairfax County” V. P. Corbett, May
1861................................................................................................................................. 23
Figure 6: “Map of n. eastern Virginia and vicinity of Washington” ...................................... 24
Figure 7: “Map of the environs of Washington compiled from Boschkes' map of the District
of Columbia and from surveys of the U.S. Coast Survey…1861 to 1865” .................... 25
Figure 8: 2005 Aerial (USDA) of Area Overlaid with “Portion of 1865 Map of Environs of
Washington D.C. from Original Surveys in Engineers Department Showing Vicinity of
the Project Area” ............................................................................................................. 25
Figure 9: Detail of Virginia Title Company’s “Map of Alexandria County, Virginia” ......... 27
Figure 10: Detail of “Map of Alexandria County, Virginia”. ................................................. 28
Figure 11: “Portion of the 1904 Baist Map of the Vicinity of Washington, D.C. Showing the
Project Vicinity and Neighborhoods Along Leesburg Turnpike” ................................. 28
Figure 12: Richard B. Garvey Deed of Dedication Filed October 9, 1950. ........................... 31
Figure 13: Current Tax Parcel Boundaries Overlaid on Modern Aerial ................................. 32
Figure 4: Plan Map Showing STPs and Metal-Detector Hits with Potential Historic Artifacts
......................................................................................................................................... 34
Figure 5: Plan Map Showing Excavated/Total Metal Detector Hits by Blocks. .................... 35
Figure 6: Location of Site 44AX0228 on the United States Geological Service (USGS)
Alexandria, VA 7.5-Minute Quadrangle ........................................................................ 36
Figure 7: Profile Drawing of STP E-1. ................................................................................... 37
Figure 8: Profile Drawing of STP B-4. ................................................................................... 37
Figure 9: Profile Drawing of STP B-7. ................................................................................... 38
Figure 10: Project Area Boundaries Overlaid onto the 1937 Aerial Photograph and a Modern
Aerial............................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 4: Plan Map Showing STPs and Metal-Detector Hits with Potential Historic Artifacts.
......................................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 5: Plan Map Showing Excavated/Total Metal Detector Hits by Blocks.. ................... 46
Figure 6: Location of Site 44AX0228 on the United States Geological Service (USGS)
Alexandria, VA 7.5-Minute Quadrange.......................................................................... 47
Figure 7: Profile Drawing of STP E-1. ................................................................................... 48
Figure 8: Profile Drawing of STP B-4. ................................................................................... 48
Figure 9: Profile Drawing of STP B-7. ................................................................................... 49
Figure 10: Project Area Boundaries Overlaid onto the 1937 Aerial Photograph and a Modern
Aerial............................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 19: Project Area Boundaries Overlaid onto 1937 Aerial Photograph.. ....................... 55

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List of Tables

Table 1: Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites Within 0.5 Miles (0.8 km) of the Project
Area. ................................................................................................................................ 11
Table 2: Previously Recorded Architectural Resources Within the Current Project Area. ... 12
Table 1: Artifacts Recovered from STPs. ............................................................................... 38
Table 2: Artifacts Recovered from Metal Detector (MD) Hits. .............................................. 39
Table 1: Artifacts Recovered from STPs. ............................................................................... 49
Table 2: Artifacts Recovered from Metal Detector (MD) Hits. .............................................. 50

List of Photos

Photo 1: View Northwest of the Project Area and King Street. ............................................... 3
Photo 2: View West Showing the Water Main in King Street and the Marked Water Line in
the Project Area................................................................................................................. 5
Photo 3: View West along the Southern Edge of the Project Area Showing the Adjacent
Parking Lot........................................................................................................................ 5
Photo 4: A Sample of Artifacts Recovered During the Archaeological Survey. .................... 43
Photo 4: A Sample of Artifacts Recovered During the Archaeological Survey. .................... 54
Photo 4: A Sample of Artifacts Recovered During the Archaeological Survey. .................... 56

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