Chapter 3 - Cultural Resources Report - 1996
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EVALUATION OF SELECTED CULTURAL RESOURCES  AT FORT MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY:  CONTEXT FOR COLD WAR ERA,  REVISION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES DOCUMENTATION,  AND SURVEY OF EVANS AREA  AND SECTIONS OF CAMP CHARLES WOOD by  Mary Beth Reed  Mark Swanson  NEW SOUTH ASSOCIATES  Stone Mountain, Georgia  Subcontractor for Geo-Marine, Inc.  and  Rebecca Procter  Marsha Prior June 1996

MISCELLANEOUS REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS  NUMBER 125  Geo-Marine, Inc.  550 East Fifteenth Street  Plano, Texas for  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  Fort Worth District  819 Taylor Street  Fort Worth, Texas

This chapter outlines the prehistoric and historic background for Monmouth County, New Jersey, and for Fort Monmouth itself.  Prehistoric material is presented very briefly here, as no sites or artifact material bearing on that era were recovered in the present study.  The historic period is covered in greater detail, but the reader is referred to Fitch and Glover (1989) and the Klein et al. (1984) cultural properties management report for more information on both topics.

PREHISTORIC PERIOD

Paleo-Indian Period (10,000 - 8000 B.C.)

Material dating to the earliest cultural period in North America, the Paleo-Indian (Table 1), is known from avocational collections from at least 12 locations in Monmouth County.  This material consists of isolated finds of fluted projectile points, part of a Coastal Plain assemblage representing the second highest frequency of Paleo-Indian points in New Jersey.  Also in the county is the Turkey Swamp site, in Freehold, containing remains of the Dalton-Hardaway Phase of the Late Paleo-Indian period in its deepest strata (Cavallo 1978).  This site, along with small amounts of Paleo-Indian material from the Kandy Bar Ranch site and Timber Swamp Brook, comprises the most significant local evidence of occupation by mobile hunter-gatherers of the period.

Early Archaic Period (8000 - 6000 B.C.)

Much information on the Early Archaic comes from private collections, but research into the provenience of this material suggests that Early Archaic populations in the area favored riverine, lacustrine, and coastal settings.  Known sites range from small processing stations to base camps (Mounier 1978).  It is thought that these populations, like those of the preceding Paleo-Indian, were small and mobile, but that they utilized resources within limited territories.  Bifurcate-base points, diagnostic of the Early Archaic, occur at 12 of the 36 sites investigated by Cross (1941) on the Coastal Plains of New Jersey.  One of these, the Hop Brook Camp site, is located in Lincroft in Monmouth County.

Middle Archaic Period (6000 - 4000 B.C.)

Sites of the Middle Archaic are better documented for coastal New Jersey than the preceding period, although none is currently reported from Monmouth County itself.  Sites include Red Valley, Koens-Crispin, Salisbury (Cross 1941), and Indian Head (Cross 1941; Mounier 1978), which contain artifacts identified as part of the Poplar Island Complex.  The greater visibility of these remains may be due to larger populations or to occupation of more diverse ecological settings.  Local sources of argillite, shale, and quartzite for tool manufacture were extensively utilized during the period.  Submerged coastal sites may exist for this period, given the rise in sea level subsequent to deglaciation. Diagnostic projectile points include:  Neville and Stark points of southern New England and Stanley Stemmed points of North Carolina.
 

Late Archaic Period (4000 - 1000 B.C.)

Material of the Late Archaic is better documented than that of any previous period, and the frequency and distribution of these sites is fairly well-known for the Coastal Plains.  Small stemmed points and traits of the Susquehanna tradition are well represented.  In Monmouth County, Late Archaic sites include Owen Hunter, site 28-Mo-133, Field, Swimming River II, and Little Silver, the last less than one mile north of Fort Monmouth.  On the installation itself is evidence of Late Archaic occupation in the form of the Hank Ricci surface collection, representing six localities within the fort.  Artifacts include a fully grooved axe, a jasper biface, a Small-stemmed point, a Broad-stemmed point, and a stone ball.

The latter part of the period is termed the Transitional Archaic, dating to about 1500 - 500 B.C.  Material of this period in southern and central New Jersey is labeled the Koens-Crispin Complex, containing sophisticated assemblages of broad-stemmed points, scrapers, atlatl weights, celts, adzes, and stone vessels.  There is evidence that ceramics were introduced in this period (Cross 1941; McCann 1957).  In addition, an elaborate mortuary pattern associated with cremation is reported, compared by some to the Watertown Complex of New England.
 

Early and Middle Woodland Period (1000 - A.D. 900)

Early and Middle Woodland material is poorly represented in southern New Jersey, but research at the Abbot Farm and Racoon Point sites in the southwestern part of the state suggest a broad-based subsistence resulting in occupation of diverse environmental zones in the Inner Coastal Plains.  An increasing dependence on seasonal exploitation of local resources is apparent, with horticulture possibly a part of this strategy.  Pottery becomes fully integrated into the material culture at this time.  Evidence that the Outer Coastal Plains was more oriented toward marine resources comes from the Tuckerton Shell Midden.  Within Fort Monmouth itself, Early Woodland occupation is documented at site 28-Mo-129 by a Meadowood projectile point and at a shell midden, site 28-Mo-126.  The Swimming River I site represents the only definitive Middle Woodland expression in the immediate area, with Jack’s Reef points, gouges, axes, scrapers, knives, drills, net sinkers, and potsherds (Fitch and Glover 1989).
 

Late Woodland Period (A.D. 900 - 1600)

A mixed foraging/farming economy characterizes the Late Woodland of this area, with a tendency toward riverine locations.  It is suspected that Monmouth County had a relatively high density of Late Woodland sites, based on known samples of pottery and other artifacts.  The heavily urban exploitation of the area has undoubtedly contributed to the destruction of late sites.  Hop Brook Camp site and Swimming River Lake I and II contain Late Woodland material in the vicinity of Fort Monmouth.  A possible Late Woodland presence is suggested by a Levanna point collected on the surface at Camp Charles Wood (Klein et al. 1984).
 

Protohistoric/Contact Periods (A.D. 1600 - 1700)

The Delaware, or Lenape, tribe occupied southern New Jersey at the time of European contact.  The first sustained interaction began in the 1630s, increasing in intensity throughout the rest of the century.  Ethnohistoric references are scant for the New Jersey coast, but it is suggested that within the contact situation, Native Americans came to occupy a smaller number of sites for more extended periods.  Not only population concentration, but serious attenuation took place as a result of disease, settlement pressure, and hostile interaction with Europeans.  By the eighteenth century, most Delaware had left the area.  A small group, the Sand Hill Delaware, continued to identify themselves as a cultural entity into the mid-twentieth century (Weslager 1972).

Identification of Contact-period sites depends on the presence of European objects such as metal gun parts or hoes along with native material of Late Woodland appearance.  These sites have been difficult to locate and often cannot be clearly distinguished in the face of scanty material remains.  Sites occupied by native
 families who remained behind after the Delaware exodus were heavily enculturated, and their habitations almost indistinguishable from those of poor non-natives.  An additional factor in site identification for this period is the evidence that early European settlement tended to be along well-known Native American paths such as the Burlington Path.  The native habitation areas presumably associated with these established paths would thus have been subject to greater disturbance and obliteration by European incursion.  Historic records indicate that there were Delaware villages along the coastal areas near Fort Monmouth in the 1600s, but no sites have yet been identified.
 

HISTORIC PERIOD

Colonial Period (ca. 1660 - 1775)

Early European settlement in Monmouth County is characterized by the cultural diversity of early New Jersey in general.  English rule replaced Dutch in the early 1660s, and the first two settlements, Shrewsbury and Middletown, were established under the Navasink Patent by Quakers and Baptists, respectively.  Dutch farmers from Long Island, New York, entered the county in the 1680s.  A significant African population was also present, both slave and free, comprising about 10 percent of the total by 1745.  Political boundaries of townships and municipalities in the colonial period reflect a separatist trend among the various cultural groups.  Fort Monmouth, including Camp Charles Wood and the Evans area, is located in what was originally the Shrewsbury township.  In 1801, the township of Howell was formed from part of Shrewsbury, enclosing territory now occupied by the Evans area.

The colonial economy was primarily one of agriculture and forestry, with some water-powered industries present.  Fishing and shellfishing augmented agriculture on the coast.  In the early 1670s, an ironworks was established on Wampum Brook near modern Eatontown, where a waterfall offered a natural power source.  The lumber industry expanded in response to the need for charcoal for the ironworks, but continued to be important after the local iron industry declined.
 

The Revolution and the Early Federal Period (1775 - 1810)

A major Revolutionary battle was fought in Monmouth County near present-day Freehold, west of Fort Monmouth.  After an inconclusive confrontation, the British army retreated northeastward to Sandy Hook.  Sandy Hook was occupied by royalists and British forces throughout the war period, and Monmouth County was subject to periodic raids.

The economic devastation and disruption of the Revolution was considerable, but the early Federal period was generally one of growth.  Demographic expansion came primarily from increase within the region rather than from immigration.  More commercial and social functions were controlled by urban entities, industry grew and expanded into new areas, and transportation was significantly improved.  Agriculture, forestry, and marine industries continued to dominate the economy.  The clearing of forests and the use of chemical fertilizers increased the amount of land that could be devoted to planting.  Also in this period, coastal New Jersey saw the beginnings of its resort and tourist industry, still significant today.
 

Early Industrial Period (1810 - 1865)

New Jersey’s history is bound intricately to the rise of the large population centers of New York and Philadelphia.  By virtue of its geographic location, the state’s economic and social development was oriented strongly toward these centers.  Between 1810 and 1865, the culture of New Jersey was dramatically altered by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and the rise of railroads.  The modern setting of the state was formed in large part during this period.

Monmouth County was outside the main transportation corridor between New York and Philadelphia, thus its rural landscape was less impacted by industrialization.  Nevertheless, growth associated with this development stimulated the rearrangement of political boundaries in the area in the nineteenth century.  Several new townships were created from parts of the original Shrewsbury township.  Economically, perhaps the most significant changes in the early Industrial period involved improved agricultural techniques and increased mechanization of farming.  This increased mechanization is also associated with a greater movement into cities as a result of decreased demand for hand labor on farms.  Development of shore and mineral springs resorts continued in New Jersey in the mid-nineteenth century.  Steamboat transportation and railroads accelerated development in the area and influenced the shift toward a more urban settlement pattern.  Relatively speaking, the vicinity of Fort Monmouth remained more rural than other parts of New Jersey, as the changes in transportation were felt less and were not as essential to the continuation of the primarily agricultural economy.
 

Late Industrial Period (1865 - 1917)

In the late nineteenth century, Monmouth County continued to experience the growth of industrial society at a lower level than some other parts of New Jersey.  A rural economy focused on poultry and truck farming was predominant in the northeastern part of the county near Fort Monmouth.  Improvements in transportation, however, were important in helping small-scale farms to provide goods to nearby urban areas.  Along the southern coastline of the county, communities experienced growth as a result of the resort and recreation industry.  This period was notable for the expansion of resort-related enterprises, especially clubs, casinos, and horse racing (Hunton and McCabe 1984:31-32).

Two developments in the Late Industrial period are particularly relevant to the history of Fort Monmouth itself.  First is the Monmouth Park Racetrack, opened in 1870, which was to become the site of Fort Monmouth, Main Post.  Second is the opening of the Marconi Company by famous engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi.  As the American center of the Marconi operation, this company provided receiver equipment for commercial transatlantic radio (Anonymous 1946:26; Zahl 1970a).  The buildings and site of the Marconi Company were later to become the location of the Evans area of Fort Monmouth.
 

Early Modern Period (1917 - 1940)

Beginning in 1917, the military began a limited but permanent role in the cultural history of Monmouth County.  The establishment of Camp Alfred Vail, which became Fort Monmouth, initially had a fairly small impact on the surrounding area.  The county did become increasingly suburbanized in the early twentieth century, with agriculture declining somewhat.  Mobilization for World War II is reflected in increased population near Fort Monmouth.  The advent of automobiles played a large role in the shift to a more suburban settlement pattern.  Also during this period, Fort Monmouth established its Camp Charles Wood and Evans areas on sites previously occupied by the Monmouth Country Club and the Marconi Company, respectively (see Chapter 4).
 

Late Modern Period (1940 - present)

The later years of the twentieth century have been witness to an increasing effect on the area by the military presence at Fort Monmouth.  Population increase, increased demand for labor and goods, and a general rise in industrial development can all be partially linked, directly or indirectly, to the influence of the military presence.  Urban growth, however, has tended to remain concentrated around nodes of transportation, thus the predominant landscape remains suburban.

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