Consultations with North Carolina Division of Archives and History
Prior to the initiation of fieldwork, representatives of R.A. Management (Randy Allen, Gene Euchler, David Luddy, and Hector Benitez), the North Carolina SHPO/OSA (Lawrence Abbott, Dolores Hall, and Renee Gledhill-Early), and ACC (Bobby Southerlin) met to discuss the project. It was agreed that ACC would devise a survey plan to guide investigations.
The primary purpose of the survey plan was to insure that appropriate methods and techniques would be used to locate and evaluate cultural resources within the study area. Survey strategies and site delineation procedures were proposed based on specific conditions within the project tract. This plan included steps to evaluate each identified site’s significance relevant to criteria established for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The main points of the survey plan were:
- Conduct background research for the project area, including a review of existing archaeological and architectural data at OSA and Archives and History’s Survey Planning Branch;
- Conduct systematic surface collection in plowed fields;
- Conduct systematic shovel testing in wooded areas;
- Carefully delineate all identified sites’ boundaries using close interval (10, 15, or 20 meters) surface collections and/or shovel tests;
- Make appropriate recommendations based on the sites’ NRHP eligibility (no additional work for ineligible sites and further evaluation for eligible sites).
The Principal Investigator conducted consultations throughout the project with a number of OSA personnel, including Lawrence Abbott, Dolores Hall, and Susan Myers. These consultations focused on site definition criteria and the most effective methods to define the boundaries of sites consisting of dispersed surface scatters of artifacts. Consultations were also conducted with Renee Gledhill-Early in the Survey and Planning Branch regarding the disposition of the Spicer house, a middle nineteenth century house located in the tract.(Back to top)
Background Research
Background research began with a review of maps, archaeological files, and reports on investigations in the region at the OSA. Because at least one recorded historic structure stood in the tract, files and records at the Survey and Planning Branches were also consulted. The Spicer House (Resource ON56) was located in the north-central part of the tract. This house was built circa 1860 by John Foy Spicer or his son Daniel (Pezzoni 1998).
A number of libraries and records repositories in Jacksonville (Onslow County Courthouse), Wilmington (New Hanover County Public Library), and Raleigh (N.C. Archives and History: Onslow County Estate Records and Onslow County Wills) were visited to construct a chain of title on the Summerhouse tract and to collect more data on the Spicer family. The files reviewed included U.S. Census records, recorded deeds and other notes on sales transactions, and wills for a number of Spicer family members. Additional background research was conducted at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History’s Map Library, where a United States Department of Agriculture soil survey of Onslow County map from 1921 was located.
Maps, aerial photographs, and soil data were reviewed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Office in Jacksonville. These resources helped better understand the tract, its past land use, and on-site soils.
Reports on recent work conducted at Camp Lejeune, including Abbott and Norris (2003), Abbott et al. (2003), Millis (2002), Voigt and Simpson (2000), were reviewed and provided valuable information on the local and regional history and prehistory in the project area.(Back to top)
