Phase 1 Archaeological Survey of Areas 4100 and 4200, McGuire Air Force Base, New Hanover Township, Burlington County, New Jersey

Summary

A Phase I archaeological survey was conducted for Areas 4100 and 4200 at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, New Jersey. The area of these parcels is 48.06 acres (Area 4100) and 29.59 acres (Area 4200). Military use of these parcels, once part of Fort Dix, dates from World War I. Temporary World War II wooden, single-story hospital structures stood here until they were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. A warehouse (Building 4145) in the eastern portion of Area 4100 is currently used. At the northern perimeter of Area 4100 is a railroad grade from which ties and tracks have been removed. Concrete curbing, drains, and utility lines are in both areas. Forests and brushy fields have grown around roads and building sites. The ground is level, and the soil is classified as Urban Land.

All of the land surface was inspected. Intensive surface inspection did not find any cellar holes or foundations. Subsurface testing was done at 50-ft (15-m) intervals in areas that did not show obvious surface disturbance. When disturbance was not evident, shovel test pits were excavated to culturally sterile subsoil and recorded with a Munsell Color Chart. In Area 4100, 155 shovel test pits and 201 shovel probes were excavated. In Area 4200, 81 shovel test pits and 67 shovel probes were excavated. Only a few artifacts were found in Area 4100 and none in Area 4200. These artifacts date from the early 1900s and may be associated with the Harker location.

Elsewhere in the project areas, no prehistoric sites or historic sites of integrity dating from before the military use of the properties were encountered. Artifacts were recovered from all survey units in each area. Among them are asphalt and concrete fragments; plastic, metal, and ceramic pipes; tar paper; coal slag; and recent trash. No further research is recommended in either Area 4100 or 4200.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• McGuire Air Force Base Archaeology and Cultural Resources Archive

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Air Force Base

Contributor(s): Nancy Brighton; Jim Gresh; A. Frank Servello; Katherine J. Roxlau; Toni R. Goar; Eric G. Meyer; David P. Staley

Principal Investigator(s): Richard D. Holmes

Sponsor(s): TRC Mariah Associates Inc.

Submitted To(s): U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District; U.S. Air Force/ Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois

Record Identifiers

Delivery Order(s): 0804

Contract No(s): DACA63-92-D-0011

File Information