A Path Less Traveled: An 18th-Century Historic Archaeological Context as Alternative Mitigation of the Reedy Island Cart Road Site

Summary

The alternative mitigation for the Reedy Island Cart Road Site envisions a historic context that will provide a capstone synthesis for evaluating the significance of 18th-century archaeological resources in southern New Castle County. During the U.S. Route 301 project the Reedy Island and Bohemia Cart Roads have emerged as important archaeological features; the cart roads link heretofore unrecognized 18th-century resources, mainly small dwelling and nucleated farm sites, to a trans-peninsular transportation network between the Delaware and Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore.  The cart roads terminated at now-obscure landings and anchorages. This "unseen" transportation network tied interior areas to the Atlantic economy and more specifically to Philadelphia, complete with side passages and smuggling routes to avoid official scrutiny. Identification, analysis and cross comparisons of the material culture of these and other similar sites provides significant information about 18th-century trading and settlement patterns, cultural affiliations, distribution of wealth, and cultural landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016   •
• New Highway Uncovers New Histories: Archaeology Mitigations From the U.S. Route 301 Mega Project in Delaware

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 691