ARCHAEOLOGICAL and ARCHITECTURAL DATA RECOVERY
for the
PRIVY SITE at BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
UPTON, TOWN of BROOKHAVEN
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK
Prepared by:
David J. Bernstein, Ph.D.
Daria E. Merwin, M.A., R.P.A.
The Institute for Long Island Archaeology
Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York 11794-4364
August 2009
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
SHPO Project Review Number
Involved State and Federal Agencies
U.S. Department of Energy
Phase of Survey
Stage 3 archaeological and architectural data recovery
Location
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Upton, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County
Minor Civil Division: 10302
County: Suffolk
Survey Area
Number of Acres Surveyed: approximately 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare)
Area Excavated for Data Recovery: approximately 3 square meters
(32 square feet) (shovel test pits and 1x1 meter units)
USGS 7.5 minute Quadrangle Maps
Moriches, New York (1967)
Archaeological Survey Overview
Number and Interval of Shovel Test Pits: 10, generally 2 meters
(6.6 feet) apart
Number and Size of Units: four 1x1 meter (3.3x3.3 foot) squares
Results
Based on the results of archival research and fieldwork, the extant
outhouse structure dates to the first half of the twentieth century.
Specifically, it may originally have been built as a shed at Camp Upton
around 1917, sold at auction and relocated in 1921, and used as an
outhouse in the 1920s and 1930s. Evidence that the structure was not
first designed as an outhouse includes the presence of large fixed
windows (hampering privacy), lack of ventilation features, and that the
bench appears to be a later addition. The majority of artifacts
recovered from within and around the privy vault consist of
architectural debris (mostly nails and window glass fragments). Only a
few personal items were found in the privy fill, including a broken
pencil and fragments of three shell buttons.
Recommendations
The outhouse building has been thoroughly documented with measured
drawings and photographs, and therefore no further architectural
investigations are recommended. However, because questions
regarding the Privy Site’s age, context, and associations still exist, and
because there may be other nearby privy vaults that could yield
additional information, it is recommended that construction (clearing,
grading, etc. extending deeper than 15 centimeters [6 inches]) at the
approximately 0.5 acre site be monitored by an archaeologist.
Report Authors
Daria E. Merwin, M.A., R.P.A.
Institute for Long Island Archaeology, Stony Brook University
Date of Report
August 2009
ii
TABLE of CONTENTS
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
LIST OF FIGURES, TABLE, AND PHOTOGRAPHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
BACKGROUND RESEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Environmental Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Historic Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Architectural Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Archaeological Field Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laboratory Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
12
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RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Architectural Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Archaeology of the Privy Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Site Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soils and Stratigraphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Artifacts and Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A: New York State Cultural Resources Inventory Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction to Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix B: Shovel Test Pit and Excavation Unit Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
iii
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LIST OF FIGURES, TABLE, AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Figure 1.
Map of Long Island showing the location of the project area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Figure 2.
1967 USGS topographic maps, Moriches, New York and Wading River, New York, 7.5 minute
series showing the location of the project area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 3.
Cultural resources survey at the Privy Site, Brookhaven National Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Figure 4.
Suffolk County soil survey showing the location of the Privy Site in Riverhead sandy loam . . . . 5
Figure 5.
1934 aerial photograph showing the location of the Privy Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 6.
1917 U.S. Army Quartermaster map showing boundaries of leases made by the Federal
government from private landowners at the start of World War I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 7.
1934 Hallett et al. Type Map of Camp Upton prepared for the CCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 8.
Drawing of the south (front) elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 9.
Drawing of the west elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 10.
Drawing of the north (rear) elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 11.
Drawing of the east elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 12.
Postcard of World War I Camp Upton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 13.
North wall soil profile drawing of 1x1 meter units S1/W2 and S1/W1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table 1.
Summary of artifacts recovered from 1x1 meter excavation units at the Privy Site . . . . . . . . . . 27
Photograph 1.
Looking northwest toward the extant outhouse at the Privy Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Photograph 2.
Moss-covered mound east of the standing outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Photograph 3.
Excavation units placed beneath the extant outhouse to expose and investigate the privy vault . 13
Photograph 4.
Looking north at the south (front) elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Photograph 5.
Looking east at the west elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Photograph 6.
Looking south at the north (rear) elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Photograph 7.
Looking west at the east elevation of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Photograph 8.
View of the lower interior of the outhouse showing construction details, looking north . . . . . . . 22
Photograph 9.
View of the upper interior of the outhouse showing roof framing and planking details . . . . . . . 22
Photograph 10.
Graffiti on the interior west wall of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Photograph 11.
Another example of graffiti on the interior west wall of the outhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Photograph 12.
North wall soil profile of 1x1 meter units S1/W2 and S1/W1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
iv
INTRODUCTION
This report presents the results of archaeological and architectural data recovery investigations performed at
the Privy Site at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, Town of Brookhaven (Minor Civil Division
10302), Suffolk County, New York (Figures 1 and 2). The study was conducted by the Institute for Long Island
Archaeology (ILIA) at Stony Brook University in June and July 2009. The site is located north of Astronomy Way
in the largely undeveloped southeast portion of the BNL property (Figure 2), in an area informally known as the
Biology Fields. The study area (Figure 3) is approximately 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare) which may be impacted by
clearing, grading, and other ground disturbance associated with proposed construction of a solar energy array. All
artifacts, field notes, photographs, and other data generated by the investigations are temporarily curated at ILIA,
and will be transferred to BNL upon completion of the study.
No previous cultural resources studies have been performed at the Privy Site. The location of the site was
known to Dr. Tim Green and Mr. Mark Davis of BNL’s Environmental Protection Division. It was initially believed
that the standing outhouse structure (Photograph 1) was possibly associated with Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
activities of the mid-1930s, and that additional outhouses once stood nearby (Photograph 2). The purpose of this
investigation is to recover above- and below-ground data pertaining to the construction and use of the Privy Site
prior to proposed solar array construction. This required archaeological survey and excavation, along with
architectural documentation consisting of measured drawings and photographs.
The archaeological investigation detailed in this report was performed in accordance with the guidelines
outlined in the Standards for Cultural Resource Investigations and the Curation of Archaeological Collections by
the New York Archaeological Council (1995, online at http://nyarchaeology.org/mainpages/about/standards.htm)
and the New York State Historic Preservation (SHPO) Archaeological Report Format Requirements issued in May
2005. The architectural study follows the guidelines given in the National Park Service’s (2005) Preservation Brief
43: The Preparation and Use of Historic Structure Reports (http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief43.htm)
and in the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering
Documentation (http://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/index.htm, HABS Documentation Level 3).
Figure 1. Map of Long Island showing the location of the project area.
1
Figure 2.
1967 USGS topographic maps, Moriches, New York (bottom) and Wading River, New York (top),
7.5 minute series (scale 1:24,000), showing the location of the project area.
2
Figure 3. Cultural resources survey at the Privy Site, Brookhaven National Laboratory.
3
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
Environmental Setting
Brookhaven National Laboratory is located near the center of Suffolk County, approximately 96 kilometers
(60 miles) east of New York City (Figure 1). It is on the Terryville outwash plain, a broad sandy feature created
during the last glacial period over 15,000 years ago (Sirkin 1995). The Ronkonkoma terminal moraine is just to the
south of BNL. The nearest mapped source of fresh water is the headwaters of the Peconic River, located
approximately one kilometer (0.6 mile) to the north and northeast (Figure 2). Topography in the study area is
relatively flat, with an average elevation of 17 meters (55 feet) above mean sea level.
Soils at the Privy Site are dominated by Riverhead sandy loam, 0 to 3% slopes (Figure 4; Warner et al.
1975:Sheet 57). The Riverhead series is comprised of deep, well-drained, medium to coarse textured soils with low
natural fertility (Warner et al. 1975:81-83). The characteristic soil profile for Riverhead sandy loam includes a
topsoil layer (A horizon) of dark brown sandy loam. It is underlain by the upper subsoil (B1), a light to medium
brown sandy loam (to an average depth of 30 centimeters), followed by the lower subsoil (B2), an orange brown
loamy sand (to 69 centimeters), and the substratum (B3), a yellow brown friable loamy sand with pebbles and gravel
(to 89 centimeters) (Warner et al. 1975:81-82). No cultural material is expected in the substratum.
Much of the property that is today BNL was cleared of vegetation during construction of U.S. Army Camp
Upton in 1917. However, the Privy Site is located on the eastern outskirts of Camp Upton, and a 1934 aerial
photograph (Figure 5) indicates that it was within woods adjacent to agricultural fields, much as the site exists today.
In general, the BNL property was wooded with species typical of the central Long Island pine barrens. Vegetation at
the site today consists of mixed hardwood and coniferous trees (mostly oak and pine) with an understory of saplings
and blueberry bushes (Photographs 1 and 2). The outhouse is located approximately 70 meters (230 feet) north of
Astronomy Way. Just inside the woods north of the road there are the remains of a ditch-and-mound farm field
boundary.
Historic Context
An overview of the historic context for BNL is given in Bernstein and Merwin (2001). Permanent
settlement by the English did not occur in central Suffolk County until the late seventeenth century. At the time of
contact, the region was occupied by the Secatogue and Unquachog Indians, both speakers of the Mohegan-PequotMontauk Algonquian language (Salwen 1978). The lands of present-day Town of Brookhaven were ceded from the
Native Americans in a series of deeds dating from 1655 to 1677 (Hazelton 1925). A huge parcel (including BNL) in
the interior of the Town of Brookhaven near its eastern border was purchased from representatives of the Secatogues
by Colonel William Smith in 1691; however, there is no documentation of English occupation in the interior portion
of Brookhaven until the eighteenth century. The earliest recorded Euro-American settlement in the vicinity of BNL
dates to 1728, when Stephen Randall established a farm in the nearby hamlet of Ridge (Bayles 1874).
Following the American Revolution and into the mid-nineteenth century, the settlement of the interior
regions of the Town of Brookhaven proceeded slowly and was concentrated along main thoroughfares such as
Middle Country Road (New York State Route 25). Developing communities formed a linear farming district
surrounded by forests, well-situated to utilize this important overland east-west stage route. Historic period maps
suggest that BNL witnessed minimal use other than possible hunting, cordwood harvesting, and agriculture until the
early twentieth century.
Several roads connecting coastal villages of the north and south shores of Suffolk County were established
in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century (Bailey 1949). However, it was the advent of the railroad, and later
the automobile, which irrevocably changed the nature of the interior reaches of the county. The railroad provided an
economical means of transporting both people and bulk goods. By 1844, trains on the Brooklyn-Greenport line were
running regularly near the southern edge of the BNL property, and in the early twentieth century a spur from the
main railroad line was built to facilitate the World War I era construction of Camp Upton.
Shortly after the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, mobilization for the war effort
commenced and several training cantonments were built throughout the country. The site of Camp Upton was
selected for one of these cantonments because of its proximity to New York City and access to water and electricity.
The Federal government acquired 40 square kilometers (15 square miles) of central Long Island woodland in June
1917. The main area of the camp was located near the center of BNL, with drill grounds provided on all sides.
4
Figure 4.
Suffolk County soil survey showing the location of the Privy Site in Riverhead sandy loam (RdA)
(Warner et al. 1975:Sheet 57).
5
Figure 5.
1934 aerial photograph showing the location of the Privy Site, in woods adjacent to active
agricultural fields. The extant alignment of Astronomy Way is superimposed on the aerial for
reference.
6
Photograph 1.
Looking northwest toward the extant outhouse at the Privy Site.
Photograph 2.
Moss-covered mound (center foreground) east of the standing outhouse, possibly marking the
former location of another outhouse structure. View is east.
7
The first draftees arrived on September 10, 1917, although the official completion of Camp Upton was not until
December of that year (Dwyer 1970). More than 1700 buildings were constructed, many of which were built
assembly-line style. Barracks, stables, and warehouses were wood framed buildings set on wooden post
foundations. Most of the lumber used was a low grade of unseasoned southern yellow pine (Meyers 1918).
Camp Upton was active between September 1917 and October 1918, and served as the training camp for
the Army 77th Division. Most of the recruits were from the New York Metropolitan area, and were ethnically and
racially diverse. By October 1917, 30,000 soldiers were being trained at Camp Upton (Dwyer 1962). The 77th
Division was recognized for valor and skill during a major campaign in the Argonne Forest, France, in August of
1918. After Armistice Day in November 1918, Camp Upton became the demobilization center where the 77th
Division was discharged. This operation was completed in May 1919, and a government order closed Camp Upton
the following year. Approximately 1,660 structures, utilities, and even livestock were sold at public auction in
August 1921, and the entire camp was dismantled and cleared in three days (Bayles 1977).
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt established a program known as the Emergency Conservation Work,
later called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), in an effort to provide income to unemployed men during the
Great Depression. Laborers lived in group camps, and were active in soil conservation, disaster relief, and parks
improvement throughout the country. By the time the program was terminated in 1942, the CCC had employed
more than two million men at over 2,500 camps, making the CCC one of the most extensive and successful of the
Depression era social programs (Salmond 1967).
During the mid-1930s, the CCC developed an 8,000 acre tract, including Camp Upton, as a state
demonstration forest and game preserve. More than 800 CCC workers cleared fire lanes, planted grains to attract
wildlife, and reforested much of the cleared camp with approximately two million pine and locust saplings. In
addition, because nearly all structures had been removed from the site of Camp Upton by 1921, CCC workers built
their own barracks and other support structures (including Camp S86 in the northwest corner of the project area).
There were four CCC work camps stationed at Camp Upton, or Upton National Forest as it was called in the 1930s.
Each of the camps consisted of approximately two hundred men, and work began in 1934. The companies were
involved with constructing fire breaks and trails, digging water holes to aid in forest fire fighting, and with
reforestation. By late 1935, two of the work camps were dismissed, followed shortly by the removal of a third camp
in January 1936 (Middle Island Mail 1936).
The CCC occupied the BNL landscape for a relatively short period, resulting in few traces other than acres
of propagated pine trees and two extant buildings. However, between 1934 and 1936, more than 1,000 acres were
planted with sapling trees, more than 700 acres were planted with grain, more than fifty miles of fire breaks and 26
miles of truck trails were constructed, nearly three miles of telephone line were laid, and several water holes were
dug (Middle Island Mail 1936).
Much of the CCC reforestation efforts were wasted when Camp Upton was rebuilt and re-opened in 1940,
as underbrush and saplings were cleared and roads and sewers improved. Camp Upton served primarily as an
induction center for thousands of World War II Army draftees until the induction center was moved to Fort Dix,
New Jersey in 1944. Camp Upton was then converted into a rehabilitation hospital for wounded soldiers.
Recreational therapy for the returning convalescents required the construction of facilities such as a bowling alley,
swimming pools, and tennis courts. In addition to providing services to returning American soldiers, from1945 to
1946 Camp Upton briefly served as a prisoner-of-war camp for approximately 840 German men.
After World War II, Camp Upton was transformed into the site of a new government laboratory. In July
1946, the property was transferred from the Army to the Associated Universities Incorporated in conjunction with
the Atomic Energy Commission to form a peacetime (non-weapons) atomic research facility. The former Camp
Upton site was selected because it was accessible to research institutions throughout the Northeast, several miles
from heavily populated areas, and a large government parcel allowing for future growth. In addition, approximately
300 structures built for the World War II operation of Camp Upton were vacant and available for conversion into
research laboratories and offices (Dwyer 1966:8).
A cultural resources inventory report detailing the archaeological context and sensitivity of BNL, including
site file search results, was prepared by the Institute for Long Island Archaeology in 2001 (Bernstein and Merwin
2001). The site files of the Suffolk County Archaeological Association (SCAA), the Institute for Long Island
Archaeology (ILIA), New York State Museum (NYSM), and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and
Historic Preservation (OPRHP) document five known prehistoric finds, one site with prehistoric and historic period
components, and 12 historic period sites within 1.6 kilometers (one mile) of the perimeter of BNL. Nearly all of
these sites are located more than 1.6 kilometers from the Privy Site.
8
A few historic period archaeological sites have been identified to date within the bounds of BNL. Sites in
the general vicinity of the study area include part of a complex of World War I era training trenches, foundations,
and other features, which has been determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
(Bernstein and Merwin 2003; Merwin et al. 2003). In addition, there are two nearby domestic sites, both of which
appear to be eligible for the National Register: the W.J. Weeks Site and the Weeks Campbell Site. The W.J. Weeks
site is a mid- to late nineteenth century rural domestic site with features, including a foundation wall and sheet
midden. The house was likely built between 1830 and 1840 and probably abandoned by 1880. During most of this
period, the house, although owned by William J. Weeks of Yaphank, was occupied by tenant farmer and laborer
Edmund Ackerly and his family. Archival research and archaeological field work suggested that the Ackerlys were
of very modest means, and engaged in a specialized labor industry, cordwood harvesting (Merwin and Manfra
2005).
The early history of the Weeks Campbell site is probably similar to that of the nearby W.J. Weeks site: a
small, rural house occupied by tenant woodcutters. The house belonged to James H. Weeks (William J.’s father)
during the mid-nineteenth century, although cultural material dating to this period is relatively scarce, suggesting
that it may have been occupied only intermittently. In his diaries, William Weeks mentions several men whom his
father hired to cut wood (including members of the Albin, Carter, and Raynor families from Manorville), though
whether they lived at the Weeks Campbell site is not certain. Most of the artifacts date from the late nineteenth
through early twentieth centuries, and there are several features at the site, including a foundation/cellar hole and a
refuse dump (Merwin and Manfra 2005). By 1873, James Weeks had sold his property to Ebenezer V. Campbell.
According to the 1870 Federal Census, Campbell (born in 1816, and identified as a farmer) lived in the house with
his wife Sarah, sons Joseph and Charles, grand-daughter Lottie, and a boarder, Ophelia Morgan, a music teacher.
These individuals are all listed at the house on the 1880 census. The household changed slightly by 1900, by which
time the grandchild had left, and a second boarder (Richard Bright, a furniture designer) was living there.
The house changed hands again by the 1910 census, when the occupants were Valentine Dittmeier, his wife
Augusta (misread as Anjusta in Merwin and Manfra 2005), sons Philip, Edward, and Arthur, and grand-daughter
Mabel. All except for Mabel were noted as working on the home farm. The Dittmeier family was part of a
demographic shift that took place in the Yaphank-Manorville area during the early twentieth century. Prior to the
1900 census the vast majority of residents, along with their parents, had been born in New York, while most of the
small number of immigrants were from England and Ireland. Starting around 1900, the area witnessed a significant
influx of central Europeans (mostly Germans like Valentine Dittmeier) and first-generation Americans (like his wife
Augusta, whose parents were both from Germany).
The Dittmeiers’ tenure at the Weeks Campbell site was relatively short-lived, and the property was leased
(and later purchased) by the Federal government and incorporated into Camp Upton, an Army training cantonment
opened in 1917. The 1917 U.S. Army Quartermaster map of Camp Upton (Figure 6) illustrates the approximate
bounds of the 179 acre Dittmeier farm, with house and outbuildings near the southeast corner of the tract. It is
possible that the Dittmeier family continued to farm the parcel after Camp Upton was closed in 1920. The 1934
Type Map of Camp Upton prepared for the CCC (Figure 7) depicts the house, an outbuilding, and farm fields to the
south and west. An aerial photograph from the same year (Figure 5) indicates that the fields were active. Eldest son
Philip V. Dittmeier (1888-1941) and family are listed on the 1930 census as farmers in North Manorville.
9
Figure 6.
1917 U.S. Army Quartermaster map showing boundaries of leases made by the Federal
government from private landowners at the start of World War I. This map shows a house and
several outbuildings at the Weeks Campbell site (then owned by Valentine Dittmeier), southeast of
the Privy Site.
10
Figure 7.
1934 Hallett et al. Type Map of Camp Upton prepared for the CCC. Two buildings and several
agricultural plots are depicted south of the Privy Site.
11
METHODS
As discussed in the Introduction above, no previous cultural resources studies had been performed at the
Privy Site at BNL. The purpose of this investigation is to recover above- and below-ground data pertaining to the
construction and use of the Privy Site, which required archaeological survey and excavation, along with architectural
documentation consisting of measured drawings and photographs.
Architectural Documentation
In order to evaluate a building’s significance, an examination of its historic context is required, along with a
study of the structure itself (Burns 1989). Archival research that includes an overview of pertinent historical
documents (such as maps; see Historic Context section, above), and architectural features of the standing structure
are identified and described. The results of the two procedures are then synthesized in order to ascertain the
potential historic and architectural significance of the building.
The architectural portion of the field investigation consisted of documentation of the extant outhouse at the
Privy Site (Photograph 1). In general, the documentation procedure followed the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards and Guidelines for Architectural Documentation (Burns 1989: Appendix A), which are used to develop
documentation for inclusion in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) Collections in the Library of
Congress. The HABS documentation usually consists of written historical and descriptive data, drawings, and
photographs, resulting in a detailed record which conveys a structure’s significant features. In the case of the Privy
Site, HABS Documentation Level III is appropriate. This level of documentation includes drawings (sketch plans or
measured drawings), photographs of exterior and interior views, and an appropriate building inventory form. In the
case of the last requirement, a standard New York State inventory form is provided in Appendix A.
Archaeological Field Methods
Archaeological field work at the Privy Site involved two general procedures: subsurface testing with shovel
test pits and excavation of 1x1 meter (3.3x3.3 foot) square units (grouped to form a broad exposure) (Photograph 3).
All shovel tests and excavation units are identified by their metric coordinates relative to a mapping datum point
(N0/E0) at the northeast corner of the extant outhouse (prior to its removal off its sill). Shovel test pits (STPs) were
placed at close intervals (2 meters [6.6 feet] apart) across two mounds east of the extant outhouse (Photograph 2),
where other privies may have stood (Figure 3). Shovel tests have a diameter of approximately 40 centimeters (16
inches). Most shovel test pits were dug well into the B2 subsoil, typically over 60 centimeters (24 inches) below the
present ground surface. The soil from each test unit was screened through a six millimeter (0.25 inch) wire mesh to
aid in the identification and recovery of cultural materials. A total of 10 shovel test pits was excavated at the Privy
Site. Soil and artifact data for each shovel test pit is presented in Appendix B.
Four 1x1 meter square units, grouped together to form a 2x2 meter block, were excavated within and
adjacent to the extant outhouse (the structure was first removed, and is presently laying on its side just north of the
original location) (Figure 3). Units were generally excavated in 10 centimeter (4 inch) arbitrary levels within natural
and cultural stratigraphic horizons (A0/A1, privy fill, B2). Exceptions occurred when recently disturbed sediments
were excavated, when natural stratigraphic layers were less than 10 centimeters thick, when surfaces were cleaned to
look for features, or when the end of a natural stratigraphic break was approaching. Excavation was accomplished
by shovel skimming and troweling. All sediment was passed through six millimeter (0.25 inch) mesh screens.
Excavation information for each level was recorded on standardized forms. All units were excavated well into the
B2 subsoil horizon, to sterile levels. Soil profiles were drawn and photographed, as were plan views of the privy
deposit. Soil and artifact data for each 1x1 meter square are given in Appendix B.
Laboratory Methods
In the laboratory, all recovered materials were cleaned, cataloged, and recorded in a computerized database.
The artifacts are temporarily housed at Stony Brook University, and will be permanently curated at BNL, along with
excavation records and photographs generated by this study. Historic period artifacts were identified and classified
using a number of standard manuals (e.g., Hume 1970). Lumber fragments, tar paper, and other architectural
materials were noted in the field, but not collected. Most artifacts were cataloged by material, and then by function
where possible.
12
Photograph 3.
Excavation units placed beneath the extant outhouse to expose and investigate the privy vault (far
corner). View is northeast.
13
RESULTS
Architectural Study
Description. Measured drawings of all exterior elevations of the outhouse are given in Figures 8-11, and
views are shown in Photographs 4-7. The extant outhouse has a square plan and a front gable roof. It is 1.3 meters
(4.25 feet) wide and deep, with a height of 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) (on the north elevation; note that the ground surface
around the structure is very uneven). The structure is made of dimensional lumber (e.g., 2x4s, 1x8s, etc.), mostly
pine. There are no corner posts; instead, the structure was built by nailing vertical planks into plates at the top and
bottom. A third plate supported by vertical timbers on three walls is located below the window openings
(Photograph 8). Similarly, the roof is composed of pine planks supported by three simple unbraced rafters
(Photograph 9). Weatherproofing was accomplished with a tar paper covering secured by vertical laths. The door
was on the south elevation (a hinge and timber fragments are still in place, while the other hinge was found while
excavating beneath the structure), and there are large window openings on the west and east (mostly now covered
with wall board and/or tar paper). The bench along the north wall has one hole, and it appears to have collapsed,
though there is no apparent bracing above its modern position (Photograph 8).
Some graffiti has been preserved on the inside wall board covering the window opening on the west
elevation (Photographs 10 and 11). All appears to have been done in pencil, and with different hands. Outhouse
humor is reflected in one short statement: “The Yellow Stream, By I.P. Daly.” The preserved portion of the
uppermost bit of “poetry” still conveys the gist of the rather crude sentiment:
I had a little gal
who wore little red shoes
she smoked all my cigarettes
and drank all my booze
she didn’t h.......cherry
but that was...............
for she still had
the box the cherry
came in
There is a sketch of a woman’s head and the outline of her body in profile below the “little gal” piece, and
below that there is a list of four names (the third is difficult to read). A search of the 1930 Federal Census did not
encounter any of these surnames in the Manorville/Ridge/Yaphank area:
Beverly Shields
Alice McGowan
Marion(?) Ryan
Will Jacobs
Discussion. All of the materials used for the outhouse were available during the first half of the twentieth
century. Notably, the dimensional lumber is at or very close to its nominal size (i.e., a 2x4 timber actually measures
2x4 inches, rather than 1.5x3.5 inches as became increasingly common after circa 1940). Based on the history of the
BNL property, a use date for the outhouse in the decades between World Wars (1920-1940) is likely. As discussed
in the Historic Context section above, there is a nineteenth and twentieth century farmstead with house, outbuildings,
and agricultural fields near the Privy Site. The farmstead, identified as the Weeks Campbell site during an earlier
archaeological study (Merwin and Manfra 2005), was inhabited by Valentine Dittmeier and his family by the time of
the 1910 Federal Census. The 179 acre Dittmeier farm was leased by the Federal government when Camp Upton
was established in 1917 (Figure 6), but it is possible that the same family continued to farm the parcel after Camp
Upton was closed in 1920. The 1934 Type Map of Camp Upton (Figure 7) depicts the house, an outbuilding, and
farm fields to the south and west of the outhouse site, and an aerial photograph from the same year (Figure 5)
indicates that the fields were active. Eldest son Philip V. Dittmeier (1888-1941) and family are listed on the 1930
census as farmers in North Manorville. Given the distance of the Privy Site from the farmhouse, it is likely that the
outhouse(s) served the needs of field workers during the 1920s and 1930s, prior to the reactivation of Camp Upton
for World War II.
There are some clues which suggest that the outhouse structure was not originally built for that specific use.
It does not conform with the specifications for a pit privy given in the 1922 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Farmers’ Bulletin on Sewage and Sewerage of Farm Homes (Warren 1922), nor does it match the style of WPA
14
privies, more than two million of which were mass-produced and distributed by the Federal government in the 1930s
(Barlow 1989:21-22). The ideal pit privy in the Farmers’ Bulletin and those built by the WPA have a shed roof to
direct water away from the pit, with high, small, screened windows to keep out flies but provide ventilation and
light, and at least one screened vent on an exterior wall of the privy vault near the ground. The extant structure at
BNL has a gable roof, but more importantly, there are no obvious provisions for ventilation: the windows are fixed,
and there are no screened vents. As for the two large windows on the extant structure, given that the primary
function of an outhouse is to provide privacy, these seem unnecessary and indeed undesirable. In addition, there is
no evidence for bench supports on the original walls of the structure.
It is possible that the structure was originally part of Camp Upton, built circa 1917 and subsequently moved
to its present location. As mentioned above, approximately 1,660 structures, utilities, equipment, and other goods
left over from the World War I installation were sold at public auction in August 1921. Sheds are specifically listed
on the auction notice, and local historian Bayles (1977) notes that some smaller buildings were moved to various
locations on Long Island. A report on the construction of Camp Upton (Meyers 1918) lists all the materials brought
to the site by railroad, including lumber (predominantly yellow pine), nails, roofing paper, and windows, all used in
the outhouse structure. The surface treatment of tar paper held in place by vertical laths used on the extant structure
was also employed on smaller buildings at Camp Upton, as can be seen in a contemporary postcard (Figure 12).
Thus, the structure at the Privy Site was possibly first built as a shed at Camp Upton. Incidentally, there was initially
just one latrine provided for the workmen building Camp Upton, a “six seat fly proof box with hinged lids... pits
burned daily with one gallon crude oil and fifteen pounds of straw” (Meyers 1918). Numerous latrines with poured
concrete foundations were constructed soon after throughout the camp for soldiers and personnel. It is likely that
similar concrete latrine facilities were provided for the CCC workers in the mid-1930s.
15
Figure 8. Drawing of the south (front) elevation of the outhouse.
16
Figure 9. Drawing of the west elevation of the outhouse.
17
Figure 10. Drawing of the north (rear) elevation of the outhouse.
18
Figure 11. Drawing of the east elevation of the outhouse.
19
Photograph 4 (left). Looking north at the south (front) elevation of the outhouse.
Photograph 5 (right). Looking east at the west elevation of the outhouse.
20
Photograph 6 (left). Looking south at the north (rear) elevation of the outhouse.
Photograph 7 (right). Looking west at the east elevation of the outhouse.
21
Photograph 8. View of the lower interior of the outhouse showing construction details, looking north.
Photograph 9. View of the upper interior of the outhouse showing roof framing and planking details, looking north.
22
Photograph 10.
Graffiti on the interior west wall of the outhouse. Note the sketch of the woman’s head below the
verse. View is north.
Photograph 11.
Another example of graffiti on the interior west wall of the outhouse. View is north.
23
Figure 12.
Postcard of World War I Camp Upton. Note tar paper and lath covered buildings in the
background at right.
24
Archaeology of the Privy Site
A New York State archaeological site inventory form for the Privy Site is provided in Appendix A, and an
inventory of all recovered material from shovel test pits and 1x1 meter excavation units is presented in Appendix B.
The majority of artifacts recovered from within and around the privy vault consists of architectural debris such as
nails and fragments of window glass, tar paper, and lumber (Appendix B). Only a few personal items (a broken
pencil, pieces of clothing buttons) were found in the vault.
Site Boundaries. The site is located approximately 70 meters (230 feet) north of the east-west portion of
Astronomy Way (Figure 2). As discussed above, although just one outhouse structure is extant, it is believed that
additional outhouses may have stood in the vicinity in an area measuring less than roughly 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare).
Ten shovel test pits were dug in and around two mounds near the standing structure (Figure 3; Photograph 2), but no
artifacts or obvious signs of additional privies were identified. However, given that the privy vault soils beneath the
extant structure were barely discernable from surrounding subsoil (see below), it is possible that other privies are
nearby but that they could not be distinguished in the shovel tests. The privy vault beneath the extant structure
extended approximately 170 to 180 centimeters (67 to 71 inches) below the modern ground surface.
Soils and Stratigraphy. The soil sequence exposed in the shovel tests and excavation units at the Privy Site
is, in general, consistent with the typical pedon for Riverhead sandy loam as described in the Suffolk County soil
survey (Warner et al. 1975:81-83). The surface layer (A0/A1 horizon) in the study area is dark brown sandy loam to
an average depth of six centimeters (2.4 inches) below the ground surface. The topsoil is directly underlain by
subsoil (B1, B2, and B3 horizons) in undisturbed portions of the site. The upper subsoil (B1 horizon) is medium
brown sandy loam to an average depth of 14 centimeters (5.5 inches), and is followed by the lower subsoil (B2
horizon), yellow brown loamy sand. The B3 substratum (light yellow brown sand, with increasing frequency of
pebbles, gravel, and cobbles with increasing depth) was not reached in the shovel tests but was encountered in the
excavation units (Appendix B).
Four 1x1 meter units were grouped to form a large excavation block in and around the known privy deposit.
Soils in the south half of the block (1x1 meter units S2/W2 and S2/W1) generally followed the same sequence as
was exposed in the shovel tests, except that the top levels (approximately 20 centimeters [8 inches]) were disturbed
backfill from the construction of the privy which buried the original ground surface (called the buried A horizon in
Appendix B). The privy vault is located in portions of the northern half of the excavation block (the northeast corner
of 1x1 meter unit S1/W2 and the north half of 1x1 meter unit S1/W1). Soils in the vault were mottled and banded,
but difficult to distinguish from the surrounding subsoil (Figure 13; Photograph 12). There was no clear outline of
the privy vault either in plan or profile view, though the texture of the soil was discernibly loamier and less
compacted than the undisturbed subsoil. Disturbance from rodent burrowing was evident in and around the privy
vault; in fact, the skeletal remains of one of the burrow occupants, a groundhog, was recovered more than 150
centimeters (59 inches) below the ground surface in 1x1 meter unit S1/W1.
Artifacts and Chronology. No artifacts were found in the ten shovel test pits excavated east of the extant
outhouse, and nearly all of the materials recovered from the 1x1 meter units consist of architectural debris (broken
window glass, putty/caulk [probably from window openings], nails, tacks, screws, a door hinge and latch, pieces of
roof shingles and tar paper, and rotted lumber fragments) (Table 1; Appendix B). Most of the building materials
recovered outside the privy vault were found on or near the buried topsoil (A horizon), suggesting they were dropped
there when the structure was erected or moved to the site.
As can be seen in Table 1, only five artifacts (personal items) not directly related to the outhouse structure
were found in the four 1x1 meter units. These items consist of a rifle shell casing (possibly .22 caliber), a broken
pencil, and fragments of three clothing buttons made of shell, all of which likely date to the first half of the twentieth
century (as do the architectural materials). Unfortunately, no temporally diagnostic artifacts that could provide a
smaller date range were encountered.
A number of organic materials were present in the privy fill between roughly 160 and 170 centimeters (63
and 67 inches) below the ground surface, including fruit pits (appear to be cherry stones), cucurbit seeds (probably
winter squash), large mammal bones (possibly deer), and coprolites (dried dung) (1x1 meter unit S1/W1; Appendix
B). All of these items were found in close association with the complete skeleton of a groundhog. Based on the
excellent preservation of the skeletal elements, the groundhog appears to have died relatively recently, probably
within the last decade. It is likely that all of the organic remains could be attributed to this interloper, representing a
food stash, bones on which to gnaw, and repurposing the human-dug privy for groundhog excretory needs.
25
Figure 13. North wall soil profile drawing of 1x1 meter units S1/W2 and S1/W1.
26
Photograph 12.
North wall soil profile of 1x1 meter units S1/W2 and S1/W1. The privy vault with mottled and
banded soils is located in the eastern two-thirds of the exposure, but it is difficult to distinguish the
feature from the surrounding subsoil.
Table 1. Summary of artifacts recovered from 1x1 meter excavation units at the Privy Site.
1x1 m Unit
Window
Glass, Putty
Nails, Tacks,
Screws
Door
Hardware
Roof Shingle,
Tar Paper*
Lumber
Pieces*
Personal
Items
Total
12
44
0
2
2
0
60
3
31
0
3
4
1
42
201
77
0
5
5
4
292
2
21
0
1
3
0
27
S2/W2
4
26
1
4
4
0
39
S2/W1
13
54
1
4
0
0
72
Total
*not collected in the field
235
253
2
19
18
5
532
S1/W2 privy fill
matrix
S1/W1 privy fill
matrix
27
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Privy Site, located north of Astronomy Way in the eastern portion of Brookhaven National Laboratory,
was investigated with architectural and archaeological methods. Based on the results of archival research (including
an examination of historic maps and Federal Census data) and fieldwork, the extant structure dates to the first half of
the twentieth century. Specifically, it may originally have been built as a shed at Camp Upton around 1917, sold at
auction and relocated in 1921, and used as an outhouse in the 1920s and 1930s. Evidence that the structure was not
first designed as an outhouse includes the presence of large fixed windows (hampering privacy), lack of ventilation
features, and that the bench appears to be a later addition. The majority of artifacts recovered from within and
around the privy vault consist of architectural debris (mostly nails and window glass fragments). Only a few
personal items were found in the privy fill, including a broken pencil and fragments of three shell buttons. The
presence of organic materials (seeds, bones, and probably coprolites) near the bottom of the privy pit are likely due
to a burrowing groundhog,, whose skeletal remains were also found.
The outhouse building has been thoroughly documented with measured drawings and photographs, and
therefore no further architectural investigations are recommended. However, although it was removed from its
rotted sill and laid on its side, the outhouse still has structural integrity and could potentially be moved to a new site.
When the architectural inventory of BNL was conducted in the summer of 2000, it was believed that only two
structures from the World War I period of Camp Upton were preserved at the site (Building 455, a small brick
storage building, and Building 482, adjoining silo bases made of concrete) (Bernstein et al. 2001). Because so few
physical traces of the World War I buildings remain at BNL, it may be worthwhile to restore the outbuilding in a
new location, away from the proposed solar array.
Questions remain regarding the exact dates and intended users when the structure was operating as an
outhouse at the edge of farm fields. It is possible that the outhouse was established by or for CCC workers during
the mid-1930s, though most of the CCC facilities (presumably including latrines) were located a substantial distance
away, near the center and southwestern portions of what is now BNL. The outhouse more likely was used by farm
workers associated with the Weeks Campbell/Dittmeier house, which stood at the southeast edge of the agricultural
fields in the 1930s.
Additional privy deposits that may shed light on these and other questions may exist in the vicinity of the
extant outhouse. Due to the difficulty in discerning the privy fill from surrounding subsoil, even in a large soil
exposure, it is unlikely that further investigation with shovel test pits would identify other features. Therefore,
should plans for the solar array require disturbance (e.g., clearing, grading) extending deeper than 15 centimeters (6
inches) below the surface, then it is recommended that an archaeologist be present to monitor ground-disturbing
work. The purpose of monitoring is to identify, recover, and/or document any further historic deposits that may exist
at the Privy Site. Archaeological monitoring is recommended for only the roughly 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare) portion of
the project area near the extant outhouse, and would follow a written plan developed along New York State
Archaeological Council guidelines (http://nyarchaeology.org/mainpages/about/MonitoringStandards.htm).
28
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the generous assistance of several individuals who contributed to the Privy
Site cultural resources study, especially Dr. Tim Green and Mr. Mark Davis of BNL’s Environmental Protection
Division and Mr. Richard Chandler at BP. The archaeological field crew included Brad Beightol, Abbie Ferguson
Beightol, Meg Gorsline, Jamie Henderson, Allison Manfra McGovern, Mark Tweedie, and Leo Vita. Abbie, Jamie,
and Leo also worked in the laboratory, cleaning and cataloging artifacts, and performing the computer data entry,
while Mark produced many of the graphics for this report.
29
REFERENCES
Bailey, Paul
1949 Long Island: A History of Two Great Counties, Nassau and Suffolk. Lewis Historical Publishing, New
York.
Barlow, Ronald S.
1989 The Vanishing American Outhouse. Windmill Publishing, El Cajon, California.
Bayles, Richard M.
1874 Historical and Descriptive Sketches of Suffolk County. Published by the author, Port Jefferson, New York.
Bayles, Thomas R.
1977 Camp Upton in World War I. Pamphlet published by the author, on file at the Institute for Long Island
Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Bernstein, David J. and Daria E. Merwin
2001 Cultural Resources Inventory, Including Archival Search, Prehistoric and Historic Period Contexts, and
Archaeological Sensitivity Assessment of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Town of
Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York. Institute for Long Island Archaeology, State University of New
York at Stony Brook.
2003 A Stage 1B Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Railway Extension at Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Upton, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York. Institute for Long Island
Archaeology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Bernstein, David J., Daria E. Merwin, and Sarah G. Schnepp
2001 Architectural Inventory of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk
County, New York. Report prepared for the United States Department of Energy by the Institute for Long
Island Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Burns, John A., editor
1989 Recording Historic Structures. The American Institute of Architects Press, Washington D.C.
Dwyer, Norval
1962 Yip Yip Yaphank. Long Island Forum 25:3-21.
1966 Brookhaven National Laboratory. Pamphlet published by the Long Island Forum, on file at the Institute for
Long Island Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
1970 The Camp Upton Story, 1917-1921, Part 1. Long Island Forum 33:31-34.
Hallett, F., R. Saltsman, A.J. La Banca, and M.C. Fisk
1934 Type Map of Camp Upton, Main Camp Area, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County. Copy on file,
Brookhaven National Laboratory Camp Upton Collection.
Hazelton, Henry I.
1925 The Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and Counties of Nassau and Suffolk, Long Island, New York,
Volume II. Lewis Historical Publishing, Port Washington, New York.
Hume, Ivor Noël
1970 A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Merwin, Daria E. and Allison J. Manfra
2005 Archaeological Evaluations of the W.J. Weeks Site and Weeks Campbell Site at Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Upton, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York. Institute for Long Island
Archaeology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Merwin, Daria E., Yin Lam, and Yoshiko Abe
2003 Evaluation of World War I Army Training Trenches and Other Features at Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Upton, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York. Institute for Long Island
Archaeology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
30
Meyers, O’K.
1918 Report of the Construction, Camp Upton, New York. Pamphlet on file, Longwood Public Library, Middle
Island, New York.
Middle Island Mail
1936 Review of C.C.C. Work is Reduced by State Dept. 15 January.
Salmond, John A.
1967 The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study. Duke University Press, Durham,
North Carolina.
Salwen, Bert
1978 Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period. In Handbook of North American Indians,
Volume 15, edited by Bruce Trigger, pages 160-176. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Sirkin, Les
1995 Eastern Long Island Geology with Field Trips. The Book and Tackle Shop, Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
United States Army
1917 Quartermaster Corps Map of Camp Upton Reservation, File No. 600. Copy on file, Brookhaven National
Laboratory.
United States Geological Survey
1967 Moriches, New York. 7.5 minute series, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
1967 Wading River, New York. 7.5 minute series, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Warner, J. W. Jr., W. E. Hanna, R. J. Landry, J. P. Wulforst, J. A. Neely, R. L. Holmes and C. E. Rice
1975 Soil Survey of Suffolk County, New York. US Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service,
Washington, D.C.
Warren, George M.
1922 Sewage and Sewerage of Farm Homes. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 1227. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
31
APPENDIX A
NEW YORK STATE CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY FORMS
32
NEW YORK STATE BUILDING/STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM
YOUR NAME: Daria Merwin
YOUR ADDRESS: SUNY Stony Brook
PHONE: (631) 632-7618
ORGANIZATION: Inst. for L.I. Archaeology
DATE: July 2009
SITE NAME: Privy Site, Brookhaven National Laboratory
SITE NO.:
QUAD: Moriches, New York (1967)
NEG. NO.:
FIELD DATA GATHERED BY: DEM
IDENTIFICATION
1. BUILDING NAME(S): outhouse at the Privy Site, Brookhaven National Laboratory
2. COUNTY: Suffolk
TOWN/CITY: Brookhaven
VILLAGE: Upton (unincorporated)
3. STREET LOCATION: north of Astronomy Way
4. OWNERSHIP: private X
public
5. PRESENT OWNER: U.S. Department of Energy
OWNER'S ADDRESS: #1000 Independence Avenue NW, Washington D.C. 20585
6. USE: original shed or other outbuilding
present vacant outhouse
7. ACCESSIBILITY: Exterior visible from public road: yes no X obscured by vegetation
Interior accessible (explain): X with owner’s permission
8. BUILDING a. clapboard
b. stone
c. brick
d. board&batten X (vertical board)
MATERIAL e. cobblestone f. shingles
g. stucco
h. metal siding i. composition mat.
j. other
9. STRUCTURAL
a. wood frame w/interlocking joints
SYSTEM:
b. wood frame w/light members X
c. masonry load-bearing walls
d. metal (explain)
e. other
f. solid log
g. foundation type none (wood sill)
10. CONDITION: a. excellent
b. good
c. fair X
d. deteriorated
11. INTEGRITY: a. original site no
b. moved X if so, when? probably in 1921
c. list major alterations and dates (if known) ca. 1921 conversion to outhouse
12. PHOTO: Looking northwest at the Privy Site. 13. MAP:
14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a. none known b. zoning
e. deterioration f. other
c. roads
d. development X
15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: none
a. barn
b. carriage house
c. garage
d. privy
e. shed
f. greenhouse
g. shop
h. gardens
i. landscape features in woods, with agricultural fields to the south
j. other
k. well
l. fence/wall
16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if nec.):
a. open land
b. woodland X
c. scattered buildings
d. densely built-up
e. commercial
f. historical
g. residential
h. other property is now the site of Brookhaven National Laboratory, former
World War I and World War II Camp Upton
17. INTERRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS:
(Indicate if building is in a historic district)
The outhouse now stands in open woods north of agricultural fields in an undeveloped section of Camp Upton/
Brookhaven National Laboratory.
18. OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITE (including interior features if known):
The outhouse has a square plan and a front gable roof. It is 1.3 meters (4.25 feet) wide and deep, with a height of 2.3
meters (7.5 feet) (on the north elevation; note that the ground surface around the structure is very uneven). The
structure is made of dimensional lumber (e.g., 2x4s, 1x8s, etc.), mostly pine. There are no corner posts; instead, the
structure was built by nailing vertical planks into plates at the top and bottom. A third plate supported by vertical
timbers on three walls is located below the window openings. Similarly, the roof is composed of pine planks
supported by three simple unbraced rafters. Weatherproofing was accomplished with a tar paper covering secured
by vertical laths. The door was on the south elevation (a hinge and timber fragments are still in place, while the
other hinge was found while excavating beneath the structure), and there are large window openings on the west and
east (mostly now covered with wall board and/or tar paper). The bench along the north wall has one hole, and it
appears to have collapsed, though there is no apparent bracing above its modern position.
SIGNIFICANCE
19. DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION first half of 20th century, probably ca. 1917
EARLIEST MAP SHOWING THIS BUILDING: date none
title
WERE EARLIER MAPS THAT MIGHT HAVE SHOWN THE STRUCTURE EXAMINED? yes X no
(explain) earlier maps do not show outbuildings like this
ARCHITECT:
BUILDER: probably U.S. Army, as an outbuilding at WWI Camp Upton
20. HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE:
Based on the history of the BNL property, a use date for the outhouse in the decades between World Wars is likely.
There formerly was a nineteenth and twentieth century farmstead with house, outbuildings, and agricultural fields
near the Privy Site. The farmstead was inhabited by Valentine Dittmeier and his family by the time of the 1910
Federal Census. The 179 acre Dittmeier farm was leased by the Federal government when Camp Upton was
established in 1917, but it is possible that the same family continued to farm the parcel after Camp Upton was closed
in 1920. Given the distance of the Privy Site from the farmhouse, it is likely that the outhouse(s) served the needs of
field workers during the 1920s and 1930s, prior to the reactivation of Camp Upton for World War II.
There are some clues which suggest that the outhouse structure was not originally built for that specific use (large
windows, lack of vents). It is possible that the structure was originally part of Camp Upton, built circa 1917 and
subsequently moved to its present location.
21. SOURCES:
22. THEME: outbuilding architecture, World War I Camp Upton, early twentieth century agrarian landscape
NEW YORK STATE HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY FORM
For Office Use Only--Site Identifier
Project Identifier
Your Name
Daria Merwin
Address
Dept. of Anthropology, SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York
Zip
11794-4364
Date
Phone
July 2009
(631) 632-7618
Organization (if any) Institute for Long Island Archaeology
1. Site Identifier(s) the Privy Site at Brookhaven National Laboratory
2. County
Suffolk
One of following: City
Township Brookhaven
Incorporated Village
Unincorporated Village or Hamlet Upton
3. Present Owner U.S. Dept. of Energy
Address
headquarters, 1000 Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C.
Zip
20585
4.
Site Description (check all appropriate categories): Structure/site
Superstructure: complete X partial
collapsed
not evident
Foundation: above
below
(ground level) not evident X (no foundation, on wood sill)
Structural subdivisions apparent: Only surface traces visible
Buried traces detected
List construction materials (be as specific as possible):
standing outhouse structure is dimensional lumber (pine) boards, covered with tar paper held in place with
vertical lath; roof consists of pine planks, tar paper, and shingle; most windows covered with wall board;
excavation yielded nails and other hardware, window glass fragments, putty/caulk, rotted lumber pieces
Sustaining erosion
Woodland X Upland X
Grounds: Under cultivation
Never cultivated X Previously cultivated
Floodplain
Pastureland
Soil Drainage: excellent
good X fair
poor
Slope: flat
gentle X moderate
steep
Distance to nearest water from structure (approx.) 1 km (0.6 mi)
Elevation: 17 m (55 ft)
5.
Site Investigation (append additional sheets, if necessary):
Surface--date(s) June-July 2009
Site Map (Submit with form) see report
Collection
Subsurface--date(s) June-July 2009
Testing: shovel X
coring
other
unit size 40cm dia.x 60cm deep
no. of units 4
Excavation: unit size 1 x 1 meter
Investigators Daria Merwin, M.A.
no. of units 10
Manuscript or published report(s)(reference fully): David J. Bernstein and Daria E. Merwin (2009)
Archaeological and Architectural Data Recovery for the Privy Site, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton,
Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York. Prepared by the Institute for Long Island Archaeology, SUNY
Stony Brook.
Present repository of materials Institute for Long Island Archaeology, SUNY Stony Brook (to be returned
to BNL at the completion of the study)
6.
Site inventory:
a. date constructed or occupation period first half of 20th century; likely built ca. 1917 and used 1920s-1930s
b. previous owners, if known U.S. Army, possibly Dittmeier family after World War I
c. modifications, if known: building probably converted from a shed to an outhouse
7.
Site documentation (append additional sheets, if necessary):
a. Historic maps
1) Name Valentine Dittmeier Date 1917 Source Quartermaster Corps Map of Camp Upton Reservation, File
No. 600.
Present location of original, if known Brookhaven National Laboratory
2) Name (shown)
Date 1934 Source Hallett Type Map of Camp Upton, Main Camp Area, Town of
Brookhaven, Suffolk County
Present location of original, if known Brookhaven National Laboratory
b. Representation in existing photography
1) Photo date
Where located
c. Primary and secondary source documentation (reference fully):
d. Persons with memory of site: Tim Green and Mark Davis of BNL’s Environmental Protection Division
8.
List of material remains other than those used in construction (be as specific as possible in identifying object
and material): architectural debris, one broken pencil and three shell button fragments in the privy fill
If prehistoric materials are evident, check here and fill out prehistoric site form.
9.
Map References: Map or maps showing exact location and extent of
site must accompany this form and must be identified by source and date.
USGS 7.5' Minute Series Quad. Name Moriches, New York (1967)
For Office Use Only--UTM Coordinates
10.
Photography (optional for environmental impact survey): see report
INTRODUCTION TO APPENDIX B
Basic descriptive data from the archaeological investigation of the Privy Site conducted by Stony Brook
University are presented. Excavation, stratigraphic, and artifactual information are included. Information includes
unit coordinates relative to project datum, stratigraphic designation (stratum), and starting (open) and ending (close)
depths (in centimeters) for each excavated level. Levels in the 1x1 meter units denoted with a “P” (e.g., level 4P)
indicate the portion of the unit dug within the privy vault. An inventory of the artifacts recovered during the project
is found in the final column.
The following abbreviations are used in Appendix B:
Stratum
A0/A1-topsoil
B2-subsoil
B3-substratum
bur A-buried topsoil
dist-disturbed
fill-privy vault
Soils
bn-brown
cb-cobbles
dk-dark
gv-gravel
lm-loam(y)
lt-light
md-medium
mo-mottled
ob-orange brown
pb-pebbles
sd-sand(y)
yb-yellow brown
37
APPENDIX B: SHOVEL TEST PIT AND EXCAVATION UNIT INVENTORY
Shovel Test Pits
STP
N2/E18
N2/E20
N2/E22
N1/E20
N0/E10
N0/E12
S2/E10
S2/E12
S4/E10
S4/E12
SD
0
5
10
0
0
5
13
0
6
18
0
6
11
0
7
9
0
5
0
8
14
0
9
18
0
7
19
ED
5
10
70
77
5
13
62
6
18
62
6
11
65
7
9
74
5
100
8
14
65
9
18
60
7
19
60
Stratum
A0/A1
B1
B2
dist
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
A0/A1
B1
B2
Soils
dk bn lm
md bn sd lm
yb lm sd
yb lm sd
dk bn sd lm
md bn sd lm
yb lm sd
dk bn lm sd
md bn lm sd
yb lm sd
dk bn lm
md bn sd lm
yb lm sd
dk bn lm
md bn sd lm
yb lm sd
dk bn lm
md bn sd lm
dk bn lm
md bn sd lm
yb lm sd
dk bn sd lm
md bn lm sd
yb lm sd
dk bn sd lm
md bn lm sd
yb lm sd
38
Cultural Material
1x1 Meter Excavation Unit S1/W2
Level
SD
ED
Stratum Soils
1
0
10
dist
mo yb sd
2
10
20
dist
mo yb sd
3
20
30
bur A
3P
4
4P
5
5P
6
6P
7
7P
8
8P
9
9P
10
10P
11
11P
12
12P
13
13P
14
14P
15
15P
16P
17P
18P
19P
20
30
30
40
50
50
50
60
60
70
70
80
80
90
90
100
100
110
110
120
120
130
130
140
140
150
160
170
180
30
40
40
50
60
60
60
70
70
80
80
90
90
100
100
110
110
120
120
130
130
140
140
150
150
160
170
180
190
fill
B1
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B2
fill
B3
fill
B3
fill
B3
fill
B3
fill
fill
fill
B3
B3
mo dk bn lm sd
mo yb sd lm
mo md bn lm sd
mo yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
lt yb sd
mo yb sd
lt yb sd
mo yb sd
lt yb sd
mo lt yb sd
lt yb sd
mo lt yb sd
mo yb sd
mo yb and dk bn lm sd
lt yb sd
lt yb sd w/pb,gv&cb
39
Cultural Material
4 wire nails
8 wire nails, 1 roof nail, 2 tacks, roof shingle, tar
paper, lumber fragments
1 rifle shell casing, 11 wire nails, 2 roof nails, 1
tack, tar paper, lumber fragments
22 wire nails, 2 tacks, tar paper, lumber fragments
1 wire nail, 1 roof nail
17 wire nails, 1 roof nail, tar paper
1 clear window glass
2 clear window glass
2 clear window glass, 2 putty/caulk
8 clear window glass
2 wire nail fragments
1x1 Meter Excavation Unit S1/W1
Level
SD
ED
Stratum
1
0
10
dist
2
10
20
dist
3
20
30
bur A
3P
20
30
fill
4
30
40
B1
4P
30
40
fill
5
40
50
B2
5P
40
50
fill
6
50
60
B2
6P
50
60
fill
7
60
70
B2
7P
60
70
fill
8
70
80
B2
8P
70
80
fill
9
80
90
B2
9P
80
90
fill
10
90
100
B2
10P
90
100
fill
11
100
110
B2
11P
100
110
fill
12
110
120
B2
12P
110
120
fill
13
120
130
B3
13P
120
130
fill
14
130
140
B3
14P
130
140
fill
15
140
150
B3
15P
140
150
fill
16
150
160
B3
16P
150
160
fill
Soils
mo yb sd
mo yb sd
mo dk bn lm sd
mo yb sd lm
mo md bn lm sd
mo yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
yb lm sd
mo yb lm sd
lt yb sd
mo yb and dk bn lm sd
mo lt yb sd
mo lt yb sd
lt yb sd
mo lt yb sd
lt yb sd
mo dk yb sd
17
17P
160
160
170
170
B3
fill
lt yb sd
mo yb and dk bn lm sd
18
18P
19
170
170
180
180
180
190
B3
fill
B3
lt yb sd
mo yb sd
lt yb sd w/pb,gv&cb
40
Cultural Material
2 wire nails
2 wire nails
13 wire nails, 1 tack, tar paper
2 wire nails, 1 spike, lumber fragments
1 wire nail, lumber fragments
2 clear window glass, 38 wire nails
3 putty/caulk, tar paper
lumber fragment
2 putty/caulk
2 putty/caulk
1 clear window glass
tar paper
1 putty/caulk
1 clear window glass
1 wire nail, tar paper
1 wire nail
1 clear window glass, lumber fragment
1 wire nail
3 clear window glass, 6 wire nails, 10 putty/caulk,
most elements of a groundhog skeleton
2 broken shell buttons (two hole, sew-through), 1
shell button half, 1pencil (broken into 2 pieces),
177 clear window glass, 13 wire nails, 8 roof nails,
8 nail fragments, tar paper, lumber fragments, 8
pits/seeds (possibly cherry), 8 cucurbit seeds,
remainder of groundhog skeleton, 8 large mammal
bones (possibly deer), 5 coprolites (human or
groundhog?)
1x1 Meter Excavation Unit S2/W2
Level
SD
ED
Stratum
1
0
10
dist
2
10
20
dist
3
20
30
bur A
Soils
mo yb sd
mo yb sd
mo dk bn lm sd
4
5
30
40
40
50
B1
B2
mo md bn lm sd
yb lm sd
6
7
50
60
60
70
B2
B2
yb lm sd
yb lm sd
1x1 Meter Excavation Unit S2/W1
Level
SD
ED
Stratum
1
0
10
dist
2
10
20
dist
3
20
30
bur A
4
30
40
B1
5
6
7
40
50
60
50
60
70
B2
B2
B2
Cultural Material
metal door hinge, 2 roof nails, roof shingle
3 wire nails
3 clear window glass, 3 nail fragments, tar paper,
lumber fragments
4 wire nails, 2 roof nails, 2 tacks, tar paper
1 clear window glass, 5 wire nails, 1 roof nail, 2
screws, tar paper, lumber fragments
2 wire nails
Soils
mo yb sd
mo yb sd
mo dk bn lm sd
mo md bn lm sd
Cultural Material
3 wire nails, 1 roof nail
2 clear window glass, 4 wire nails, tar paper
10 clear window glass, tar paper
1 clear window glass, 41 wire nails, 1 roof nail, 4
tacks, 1 metal latch/hardware, tar paper
tar paper
yb lm sd
yb lm sd
yb lm sd
41