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Maryland's National Register Properties



Photo credit: Al Luckenbach, 06/1990 		Katcef Archaeological Site
Inventory No.:
Other Name(s): Pigeon House Site, J. Beck Site
Date Listed: 11/8/1991
Location: Anne Arundel County
Category: Site
Period/Date of Construction: c. 4000-750 B.C.
Related Multiple Property Record: Prehistoric Human Adaptation to the Coastal Plain Environment of Anne Arundel County, Maryland
The nomination is marked Not for Public Access. Qualified Medusa accountholders should please contact the MHT Librarian for a copy.
Description: The Katcef Archaeological Site is a series of overlapping camp sites dating from the Clovis phase of the Paleoindian stage through the Late Woodland period. The primary era of site utilization was during the Late Archaic period. Dating of the site is based on diagnostic artifacts recovered by both professional and avocational archaeologists. Limited test excavations revealed vertical stratification (Early Archaic Kirk point below Late Archaic Holmes points in two different areas) and the presence of an in situ rock hearth. Some disturbance of the site may have resulted from 19th century cultivation, early to mid-20th century sawmill activity, and late 20th century sand and gravel quarry operations. Significance: The Katcef Archeological Site is significant for its information potential with the Late Archaic period of the Archaic Stage of development in Anne Arundel County prehistory. The site is significant as an example of the base camp property type. The Katcef site represents a series of seasonal base camps, most heavily utilized during the Late Archaic period, an era of changing climatic patterns. Populations at Katcef probably focused on the riverine resources from the nearby Patuxent River, possibly exploiting the spring spawning runs of local fish species. The floodplain of the Patuxent River would have offered floral resources and game such as deer. Changes in the subsistence and settlement patterns of prehistoric populations may be studied through archaeological research of the Katcef Archaeological Site.

 

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