Phase I (Identification-Level) Archaeological Investigation Ammunition Storage Point (ASP), Tactical Training Area 5D, Fort Dix Military Installation, Burlington County, New Jersey

Summary

A Phase I archaeological investigation was conducted by Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. for Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, Inc. on behalf of the Historic Preservation Office, Environmental Division, Directorate of Public Works, U.S. Army, Fort Dix, New Jersey at the site of a proposed Ammunition Storage Point (ASP) in Tactical Training Area 5D, Fort Dix Military Installation, Burlington County, New Jersey. Testing occurred in areas subject to direct construction impacts (approximately 20 acres).

Background research indicated the potential for prehistoric cultural resources due to topographic setting and anecdotal evidence for prehistoric materials within or adjacent to the project area. Historic map research indicated the presence of a structure in the area proposed for an Ordnance Operations Building for the ASP facility.

Subsurface testing consisted of the excavation of 371 shovel test pits. Four 500 foot grid blocks were excavated in the ASP, and two short transects were excavated, one in the proposed site for an Ordnance Operations Building and the second in the proposed site for a truck loading area. Testing was limited to the footprint of proposed impacts. Four additional test units were placed within the cellar hole of a former structure. Only 4% of shovel tests produced cultural material, most containing between one and three pieces of military, household or architectural debris. The test units within the cellar hole and three shovel tests at the proposed site of the Ordnance Administration Building contained cultural material indicating the presence of a domestic structure dating to the nineteenth century. Historic maps confirm the presence of a structure in this location as early as 1849. Phase II (evaluation-level) testing is recommended for this site. No further investigation is recommended for the remaining areas of the ASP site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Fort Dix Archaeology and Cultural Resources Archive   •
• National Archeological Database (NADB)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

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

Principal Investigator(s): Charles R. Pennington

Prepared By(s): Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc.

Submitted To(s): Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, Inc.

Record Identifiers

Task Order No.(s): 1

NADB document id number(s): 3000835

NADB citation id number(s): 000000371914

File Information