1. Mapping the History and Archaeology of Claude Moore Park

2. Goals and Objectives
Obtain GPS data for archaeological and historic resources at Claude Moore Park
Combine with GIS data from Loudoun County in ArcMap
Create maps for:
Public outreach and education
Informing the direction of future archaeological investigation at the park

3. Sites at Claude Moore Park - 1
Vestal’s Gap Road
In use from prehistory through 1825
Major route for French & Indian War and American Revolution: Washington, Braddock
Lanesville Heritage Area
Inn & farmhouse dates to 1700s
Assorted (not original) outbuildings
Possible cemetery
Active excavations behind the house
Photo credit Kathryn Catlin 2007

4. Sites at Claude Moore Park - 2
Civil War Site – both Union and Confederate
Signal station – hilltop
Shebangs – partially underground winter quarters
Prehistoric quartz debitage & spearpoints
Recently discovered surface finds
Historic treeline
Possible farm road
Springhouse ruins
Unknown age; shovel test pits
Photo credit Kathryn Catlin, 2007, 2008

5. GPS Data Collection Garmin eTrex Park visits: July 19 and 26, 2008
Attempted to use NVCC’s Trimble, but software installation was corrupted
Park visits: July 19 and 26, 2008
Accuracy: 20 feet and below
Coordinate frame:
NAD 1983 UTM Zone 18N
Waypoints: sites as point data
Trackfiles: paths as line data
DNR Garmin
Projected shapefiles
Metadata
Photo credit: garmin.com

6. Loudoun County Mapping & GIS
Data available from the server:
Buildings
Roads
Soils
Topology
Trees
Water
Etc.
Data obtained via
Hiking trails
Coordinate Frame:
NAD 1983 HARN State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet
Metadata:
Text files
Raster image:
From UVA Fisher Library website
Same coordinate frame

7. Analysis: Preliminary
Trim all data to the borders of Claude Moore Park
Census tract
Buffer to include streets
Trouble with raster data
Transform GPS data to State Plane Coordinate System
Create personal geodatabase to store all shapefiles

8. Analysis: Organization
Group layers for County, GPS data
Extract GPS point data into new layers by type
Trees, excavations, buildings, sites, etc
Edit each point’s name in attribute tables
Extract trail data into new layers by color
Clip, trim, & modify track data
One clean line along Vestal’s Gap Road
Other tracks correspond to hiking trails

9. Trail Map Includes macro view of sites Enhance visitor experience
Photo credit Kathryn Catlin 2008

10. Lanesville Area Treeline Shovel Tests Test Squares Outbuildings
Behind house
Behind caretaker’s cottage
Test Squares
Outbuildings

12. Accuracy Discrepancies between GPS and county data
As much as 25 feet off
Data not so good for predictive statistical analysis at this scale

13. Future Work Repeat data collection with more accurate GPS device
Statistical analysis to determine accuracy vs. county data
Correlate archaeology with soil type
Historic vs. prehistoric?
Correlate artifacts and features with geographic data
Predict midden or privy location behind Lanesville house
Determine likelihood that treeline indicates farm road
Full extent of Vestal’s Gap Road
Correlate with historic maps
How much excavation and backfill of the roadbed was carried out when the park prepared it for hiking and driving?

14. Conclusions
Current project is a start at development of additional archaeological outreach materials
Data is not good enough yet for predictive archaeological modeling – general estimate only. Future work needed.
Treeline – possible farm road
East end of Vestal’s Gap Road
Photo credit Kathryn Catlin 2007, 2008