Potomac Pasts: Papers Honoring the Career of NPS Archeologist Dr. Stephen R. Potter

DOCUMENT Citation Only Laura Galke.

Section 110 archaeological investigations at Manassas National Battlefield Park (MANA) sparked breakthroughs in the recognition of quartz crystal caches and the meaning of colonoware: contributions which continue to shape historical archaeology. These categories of material culture have become emblems for spirited discussions about the dimensions of meaning, identity, and agency. The corpus of work from MANA continues to influence and contribute to understanding multivariate dimensions of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only karen mudar.

Dr. Stephen Potter, National Park Service National Capital Region Regional Archeologist, will retire in 2016, after 39 years of service. During his tenure, he saw to implementation of many archeological projects, including a nine year project to identify and document archeological resources along the entire 184 mile length of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP. Potter is also a noted writer. Commoners, Tribute, and Chiefs: Development of Algonquian Culture in the Potomac Valley is the first...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew Reeves.

Engaging with amateur metal detectorists is something that is not new to the discipline of archaeology today, however, some twenty years ago it was a relatively new phenomena. That was the time that Stephen Potter introduced me to working with a relic hunting club in Northern Virginia when I was directing projects at Manassas National Battlefield Park, The success of these projects in both engaging volunteer metal detectorists and results from the artifacts recovered made these surveys a...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Clarence Geier.

On October 19, 1864 the massive Union encampment of General Philip Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah underwent a surprise attack by the Confederate Army of the Valley commanded by Gen. Jubal Early.  What was an initial Confederate success became an overwhelming Union victory which resulted in Union control of the agricultural wealth of the Shenandoah Valley through the remainder of the war.  Diverse projects in historical archaeology have been conducted across lands included in the Cedar Creek...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Joseph Balicki.

After the Federal Army aborted the Mine Run Campaign, the 2nd Corps, 3rd Division, 2nd Brigade was ordered to return to their campgrounds near Brandy Station, Virginia. These camps were front-line short-term bivouacs of troops on active campaign. The material culture these soldiers possessed differs from troops in permanent camps, rear-echelon camps, and winter quarters. The artifact assemblage found in a front-line camp reflects one activity: warfare. In such situations, ammunition, weapons,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Greg Katz.

Dr. Stephen Potter has a long-standing interest in Great Falls Park, a unit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), in Virginia. The park is located in the Potomac Gorge, a rocky area where rapids divide the upper and lower Potomac River valley. Breathtaking in its beauty, Great Falls was also an important feature of the Native American and Colonial era landscapes. The falls were able to be crossed, but not without difficulty and danger. Native American petroglyphs are concentrated in...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lisa Kraus. Jason Shellenhamer.

Catoctin Mountain has always been a challenging landscape, but one that rewards perseverance. Native Americans negotiated its rocky slopes in search of rhyolite for stone tools, and hunted and camped along the freshwater streams and springs. Workers from the nearby Catoctin Iron Furnace burned its ample timber for charcoal to fuel the ironworks. Innovative farmers and homebuilders created flat terraces for their houses and gardens on the mountainside. During the Prohibition era, some of the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Charles H Leedecker.

The Monumental Core in the District of Columbia contains some of the nation’s most iconic landscapes, landmarks and memorials. The modern landscape bears little resemblance to the natural environment or the nineteenth-century city. For thousands of years, Native Americans camped along the bank of a tidal creek. After the City of Washington was established in 1790, the creek was transformed first into a canal, then a foul sewer that carried the city’s waste into the Potomac River.  Areas of open...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kate Birmingham.

From 2010 to 2012, National Park Service archeologists, students, and volunteers conducted archeological investigations of the L’Hermitage plantation at Monocacy National Battlefield. The plantation was established in 1794 by the Vincendieres, French Catholic planters who came to Maryland to escape the Saint-Domingue slave revolution. They brought 12 enslaved laborers with them. By 1800 they owned 90 enslaved people. Traditional field methods, historical research, and genealogical studies were...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Darlene E. Hassler. Justin P. Ebersole.

Harpers Ferry is fortunate to have a rich history of nearly 60 years of professional archeological endeavors. Over half of that has been under the tenure of Regional Chief Archeologist Dr. Stephen Potter. His relentless enthusiasm and support, as well as encyclopedic knowledge, were pivotal in driving new research within the park. Recently, the focus has been on the Armory site. While the Armory is best known for its history of firearm technology, the archeological investigation revealed a...

DOCUMENT Citation Only John Bedell.

Between 1999 and 2011 the Louis Berger Group carried out a series of archaeological investigations in the Potomac Valley for the National Capital Region of the NPS. These investigations were planned by Dr. Potter as a connected series of studies, working westward up the river. The work included four years in the Prince William Forest Park, followed by four years in Rock Creek Park and then three years for each of three sections of the C&O Canal National Historic Park, culminating at Oldtown,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Douglas Owsley. Karin Bruwelheide.

In 1988, archaeologist Stephen Potter supervised the excavation of four battlefield burials found by relic collectors on the Roulette farm of Antietam Battlefield. Archival research into the discovery location, and the analysis of the artifacts and meager bone fragments, linked these men to the Irish Brigade. Nearly thirty years later, Civil War human remains continue to be the subject of inquiry. This review cites examples from several Civil War sites and contexts to illustrate how the process...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Virginia Busby.

The future of Historical Archaeology, cultural resource management, and the National Park Service are richer because of the contributions of Stephen R. Potter including his encyclopedic knowledge, robust research and syntheses, indefatigable energy, and his ability to partner, share, and support growth of the field, individual researchers, and public experiences and understandings.  Beneficial outcomes of his NHPA Section 110 management studies along the C&O Canal include his support of...