Wednesday, May 7, 2008

New Pre-Revolutionary War Site

I was out surface-collecting with Pete and Elsie yesterday. We found unequivocal evidence of a pre-Revolutionary War site.

Of the hundreds of objects that we mapped and collected, we found no Pearlware ceramics (1780s+), some Creamware (1764+), Chinese porcelain (18th through early 19th centuries), tin-glazed earthenware (18th century), and lots of white salt-glazed stoneware (1720s to ca. 1800).

There are a few later ceramics, but they are so few and scattered that they probably represent a later occupation.

These historic materials are interspersed with lots of prehistoric lithic artifacts, mostly flakes, and two early prehistoric projectile points. There is a fair amount of oyster shell that I suspect is associated with the historic occupation, not the prehistoric. If the latter is as old as I think it is (Archaic), oyster was not available in the area at the time those peoples lived along the Port Tobacco River.

Again, we have a large amount of data to process, so I don't have any images to post at the moment. We also have much more to collect in the field.

Jim

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