Archeological Test Excavations at the Mustill House and Store, Site 33 Su 274, at Lock 15 of the Ohio and Erie Canal, Summit County, Ohio, 1998 and 1999

Summary

This report documents Midwest Archeological Center fieldwork at the historic Mustill site located at Lock 15 in the Cascade Locks area of the Ohio and Erie Canal in Akron, Ohio. Located in southern Summit County, this area consists of a series of locks that raised the canal’s waters over the height of land separating the Lake Erie and Mississippi basins. Historic research indicates that the Mustill family, originally from England, lived and operated a store at the western side of Lock 15 from about 1834 into the early twentieth century. Little is known about the earliest years of their occupation, which is better documented after about 1850.

The archeological fieldwork and subsequent data analysis documented here resulted from a partnership between the National Park Service’s Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (now National Park), the Cascade Locks Park Association, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Metroparks Serving Summit County, and the City of Akron to restore the historic house and store located on two small lots at Lock 15. These are believed to be the oldest frame structures still standing in Akron. The Midwest Archeological Center fieldwork was related only to the proposed actions of a National Park Service restoration team that would result in ground disturbance across the property. Additional development work (trails, restrooms, parking, and other components), conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Metroparks Serving Summit County was archeologically examined by others.

Midwest Archeological Center fieldwork focused on evaluating archeological resources along proposed underground utility routes, where house restoration would impact the terrain, and where reconstruction of the store’s historic porch and Meat Market additions was expected to impact the soil around the building. As a result of our fieldwork, conducted in three phases in 1998 and 1999, a large nineteenth century artifact assemblage was collected, several features were preserved in place, and the original, pre-1853 Mustill residence was tentatively identified. Other contributions of the project include a reassessment of the stratigraphic sequence recorded by previous researchers and the documentation of considerably more depth than previously supposed. Little of significance was found near the Mustill House, but significant features and artifact deposits were investigated along all façades of the Mustill Store.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Midwest Archeological Center Technical Reports

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Landowner(s): City of Akron

Repository(s): University of Akron

Record Identifiers

Midwest Archeological Center Accession Number(s): 863; 747a; 747b

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